[Church History] Discussion post: Protestant Scholasticism + Pietism; what would that model look like? (Received 49/50 mark, 7/24/25)

It appears that per one lecture video,  Francis Turretin, a 17^th century Genevan preacher, was an exemplary person who best combined the dual practices of Protestant Scholasticism (“dry,” “dead,” and “deadening”?) and Pietism into one well-balanced scholastic pastorship so that the requirements of each seemingly contrasting practices were well satisfied. This is a very hard act to pull off, indeed,  as McGrath points out, “The traditional Pietist emphasis on a “religion of the heart” easily leads to a neglect of theology and a disregard for the church. This expresses itself in religious anti-intellectualism..” (McGrath, p. 341).

(On the other hand, it was keenly and painfully observed from even the time when Jesus walked on earth that should a person a group of people be leaning towards one way or the other, hence significantly be lacking in one dimension, God forbid in both, then the consequences could be rather severe and irreparable in an individual’s overall health of faithful life.)

          John Wesley (1703-1791), who was significantly influenced by the pietism movement and later carried the torch of Holiness Movement of Methodists, remarked “Christian perfection therefore does not imply…an exemption either from ignorance or mistake, or infirmities or temptations. Indeed it is only another term for holiness…none of which does not admit a continual increase…he has still need to grow in grace, and daily to advance in the knowledge and love of God his Savior…Every one of these say with St. Paul, “I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20) (Weaver & Roldan-Figueroa, p. 151). The bible or Only One Teacher Jesus clearly instructs earthlings that people’s  ultimate goal is to be “perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect,” (Matt. 5:48).

         The ideal model would be in three folds: 1) Biblical orthodoxy; 2) spiritual pureness; 3) action in every day life. This model is aligned  perfectly with what Demsey, Early & McClendon wrote about in The Three-Dimensional Leader. In the book, the authors articulated that “First, Jesus had impeccably good character. He was sinless. Although we cannot be sinless ,we can strive to be above reproach. Second, Jesus was spiritually powerful. Third, Jesus was a practical leader with excellent methods.” (p. 1).

       Systematic learning of the bible should then be a must as this can be achieved through attending worship service (“sermon”), reading the bible regularly in one’s leisure and the participation in weekly bible study offered at a church setting, etc. Or one can have himself emerged into being more of a studious and credit-hours earning pupil of the Word through  registering for Online program such as one offered by Liberty University, the World-Leading Christian Institution of Learning per this author’s humble opinion. One word of caution: one should always approach the anonymous sources on the www.internet with utmost discernment and skepticism since a lot can be misleading and full of hermeneutical errors.

        The second part can be done through daily devotion such as reading from devotional books, prayer books, and prayerful lifestyle itself. This devotional life where one gets to be in constant communication  with God is really critical and plays an integral part in forming one’s spiritual integrity, humility and identity; lacking in this dimension could easily lead a head-heavy person into spirals of arrogance, hatred, hypocrisy and lack of discernment and wisdom. But this is not the end of the road. There is one more dimension which needs to be reached and fulfilled, but the nine fruits of the spirt as mentioned in Galatians 5 are well within reach and could be cultivated with right stimulation from the field.

        What really sets a person apart is the living or action in daily life, as is in the third dimension. As the cliché goes, “Actions speak louder than the words.” Can a person actually do/practice what he preaches at the pulpit or in a classroom? Heaven is watching. McGrath added, “In particular, the Pietists were implacably opposed to the cantata…For the Pietists, the cantata represented the secularization, even desecration, of sacred music. Unsurprisingly, Bach stayed a mere nine months in Muhlhausen before moving on to more congenial surroundings.” (McGrath, p. 302).  One should always use one’s own judgment based on Scripture and the discernment/understanding/wisdom which the Spirit reveal during the devotional time as prayers: but should the Christians get engaged in the contemporary version of Cantata in their personal life?

[Sources]

Rod Dempsey, Dave Early & Adam McClendon, The Three-Dimensional Leader: A Biblical, Spiritual & Practical Guide to Christian Leadership, (Bellingham, WA: Kirkdale Press, 2023).

Alister McGrath, Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution-A History From the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First, (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2007).

**My reply to a post by someone named Deborah:

Hi Deborah, thanks for a good interesting post. I’d like to mention a few things regarding the ways we can perhaps make the model more proactive and be in tune with the spiritual and socio-cultural needs of the time and age in which we live, based on and drawn from my personal life experiences, i.e., observations/interactions:

1)    Cultural sensitivity education; sometimes, those who grew up in rural settings in remote isolated locale or region in particular with not much diversity present on daily basis don’t know how to act properly in a multi-cultural setting which most of us find ourselves in more developed, urban settings—willingly or unwillingly. This doesn’t just pertain to a particular group, e.g., a certain age group  or so even though socio-economic brackets do play a role in the affected individuals. It can affect various age groups at the end of day. Being sensitive, loving, considerate, and caring in Christ-centric demeanor, how our Lord had been towards the weak and have-nots of the society, e,g., Gentiles, the oppressed,  and kind wording would go a long way in establishing a long-lasting trusting personal relationship for everyone involved. This will be beneficial and can be established and maintained at a relatively low cost.   (How much does a round of 18-hole cost in the field?)

2)    Sexual education for the leadership in the church (cf. Rev. 21:5-8); you see, the denomination I belong to, also has lately come under fire regarding the sexual assault charges levied against the pastors and those that are in the leadership positions. It is vital in many people’s opinion that a biblical and spiritual guidance and training program regarding this sensitive and potentially explosive area should be made available to those who are already in the ministry or considering entering it . People all involved will benefit from it as McGrath alluded, “(Pietism) The strengths of this approach must be acknowledged immediately. It unquestionably serves to maintain Christian distinctiveness and integrity by relieving Christian communities of any sense of obligation to mimic the language, values, or customs of the world. ..such approaches have enormous potential for the life and thought of the church.” (McGrath, p. 321).  

[Resources]

Allister McGrath, Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution—A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First, (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2007).**

**My reply to a post by someone named Kyle:

Hi Kyle, thanks for your post. Your input as a Christian educator as you claim to be is invaluable and much appreciated. I am a part-time preacher/minister who gets to preach and teach a bible study class on weekly basis. It is a paid staff job at an evangelical church in a city out of state. For my own “ideal model”, I presented the one based off the Three Dimensional Model which Rod Dempsey, Dave Earley and Adam McClendon advocated in their <The Three-Dimensional Leader> book; essentially, the book talks about us needing to be a servant leader in mold of our eternal Leader and Savior Jesus Christ, who was sinless and perfect in every which way as He epitomized the characters outlined in three dimensional leadership—the head (brain/wisdom/knowledge), the heart (emotions/desires; essentially cooperating with the Holy Spirit) and hands (actually getting down and doing it). Dampsey et al wrote, “The Spirit is the most important person in our ministry life…it enables us to make disciples (Matthew 28). Empowers us to witness (Acts 1:8). Provides boldness and power in preaching (Acts 4:8; 6:10; 1 Cor 2:4; 1 Thes. 1:5; 1 Peter 1:12). Guides leadership decisions (Acts 13:2). Directs ministry activities (Acts 16:6). Enables prayer (Romans 8:26; Ephesians 2:18). (Dampsey, p. 74).

Even though all three parts should be fully functional for our survival AND optimal output as a GENUINE Christian which best combines the Protestant Scholasticism and Pietism, I have found out over the years (in my several years of doing ministry as of late) that most likely “hands”  is the single most important dimension; people will be okay with the Christian (leaders) being not as eloquent, knowledgeable, informed, smart, or verbally kind/considerate/sacramental/etc., or move mountains and heal all kinds of illneses, driving out demons, etc. But the love, the genuine Agape LOVE one shows to his/her neighbors is the one which really moves the heart of people. Just my 2 cents.

[Sources]

Rod Dempsey, Dave Earley & Adam McClendon, The Three-Dimensional Leader: A Biblical,  Spiritual & Practical Guide to Christian Leadership, (Bellingham, WA: Kirkdale Press, 2023).**