In 1674, the Dutch theologian Jodocus van Lodenstein coined the phrase semper reformanda. Certainly, both Spener and Luther would have found plenty of points on which they disagreed with van Lodenstein, but they would have embraced at least some interpretation of the idea that the church is ever in need of reform.
The church requires a continuous critical eye, not from the outside, but rather from the inside, to ensure that it is staying true to its mission, to God’s immutable teachings, and to Jesus. Periodic course corrections are required to keep the church on track.
Spener saw himself in this way, as working in the patterns of Josiah and Luther. Spener argued that he presented nothing new, but rather was seeking to reform the church by bringing it back to its original way of being. The publication of Pia Desideria was Spener’s manifesto: he was making the case that the church needed to be reformed, and giving specific steps for that reform.
Freely admitting that he presents nothing new, Spener offers six points for action:
First, that God’s Word is to be plentiful among us.
Second, to establish and diligently carry out the priesthood of all believers.
Third, the Christianity consists not only of knowing, but also of actions.
Fourth, proper behavior during religious disagreements.
Fifth, the training of preachers at universities.
Sixth, the organizing of sermons for edification of the people.
A quick glance at these six points informs the reader that, with a little adjustment in the wording, they could be found a century or two early among Luther and his colleagues, or a century or two later among theologians ranging from C.F.W. Walther to Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Spener begins his presentation of the first point this way:
Daß man dahin bedacht wäre, das Wort Gottes reichlicher unter uns zu bringen: Wir wissen, daß wir von Natur nichts gutes an uns haben, sondern soll etwas an uns seyn, so muß es von Gott in uns gewürcket werden, und darzu ist das Wort das kräftige Mittel, indem der Glaube aus dem Evangelio entzündet werden muß, das Gesetz aber die Regel gibt der guten Wercke und viel herzlichen Antrieb denselben nachzujagen. Je reichlicher also das Wort unter uns wohnen wird, je mehr werden wir Glaubens und dessen Früchte zuwegen bringen.
If the church has a ministry of “word and sacrament,” Spener seems perhaps to tilt the balance in favor of the word. To be sure, he honors a basic Lutheran understanding of the sacraments, but the amount of text devoted to the word far outweighs the few mentions of the sacraments in the Pia Desideria.
In Spener’s era, it was not unusual for churches, especially in larger cities, to have daily services — sometimes even more than once a day. Given that most preachers constructed their sermon on or around a text, or even as a running exposition of a text, the reader might think that God’s Word was plentiful enough already.
But Spener goes on to note that even a daily sermon — or even a twice daily sermon — does not meet our spiritual needs, because the passive intake of the Word in a sermon is only one of several ways in which we can immerse ourselves in God’s Word. For spiritual health, it is necessary for people to actively and interactively explore God’s Word:
Nun sollte es zwar scheinen, daß das Wort Gottes reichlich genug unter uns wohnte, indem an unserschilichen Orten (und zwar auch in hiesiger Stadt) täglich, anderswo gleichwohl zum öfteren, von der Kanzel gepredigt wird, wo wir aber der Sache reiflich nachdenken, werden wir auch in diesem Stück vieles finden, das noch weiter nötig sei. Ich verwerfe die haltende Predigten durchaus nicht, da aus einem gewissen vorgelegten Text und dessen Erklärung die christliche Gemeinde unterrichtet werde, als der ich selbst dergleichen vortrage und verrichte. Aber ich finde nicht, daß dieses genug sei.
He goes on to recommend, in addition to sermons, other opportunities to read and discuss Scripture. Again, his recommendations will offer no novelties to those well-versed in church history.
Spener’s goal is to convince his reader that he is offering nothing new, but rather recalling the church to something of great value.
