The founder of Pietism was Jacob Spener, a unionistic Lutheran who emphasized works at the expense of sound doctrine. Like all unionists, Spener was happy to ditch the sacraments in order to work with the Reformed.
The first large-scale establishment of Lutherans in America was directed by H. Muhlenberg, a Pietist from Halle. That became the General Synod, which divided in two during the Civil War era to create the more confessional General Council. The General Synod grew up during the colonial days.The General Synod had altar calls and temperance campaigns. There are still some ELCA congregations where only grape juice is used for Holy Communion.
The next wave of Pietism included various European groups: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and German Pietists. Yes, Walther was converted by a Pietist and never lost his Pietistic substance. He criticized Pietistic authors in print, but never Spener.
Spener was almost a god to American Lutherans in those days, much like Paul Kelm, Larry Olson, Waldo Werning, and Kent Hunter today.
The Pietistic urge led Lutherans to work with the Reformed in missionary and eleemosynary efforts. Lutherans were always willing to give up the sacraments and the efficacy of the Word for the thrill of working with the Reformed. The more unionistic a Lutheran group was, the sooner it became openly Reformed. Many Lutheran congregations of that era are United Church of Christ today.
Lutherans tried to combine the zeal of Pietism with the doctrine of the Lutheran Church. What they got from this union was the zeal of the Lutherans and the doctrine of the Reformed.
Nevertheless, the nature of false doctrine has always been to exterminate Lutheran doctrine. Missouri and WELS leaders have raised Pietism from the dead and led a campaign (largely successful) to wipe out Lutheran doctrine.
Here are the characteristics of ELCA-WELS-LCMS-ELS-CLC leaders:
- Unionism. The synodical leaders have studied at Fuller and Willow Creek or have no objections to pastors "spoiling the Egyptians," stealing the Reformed garbage.
- Salvation by works. They emphasize how much they have done.
- Prayer as THE Means of Grace. They go along with the Reformed folly that God is unable to do anything unless He is fired up by prayer warriors. No, seriously.
- Enthusiasm. They separate the work of the Holy Spirit from the Word and Sacraments. That is why they have no trust in the Word but glory in their programs and methods.
- Rah-rah Enthusiasm. They copy the Reformed and Pentecostals by jumping up and down, piping their eyes (crying), and hyping their language.
- They loathe Lutheran doctrine and the Lutheran name.
- Like the crypto-Calvinists before them, they persecute Lutherans while pretending to be the real Lutherans who "care about the church."
- Their knowledge of the Book of Concord is almost zero. What little they know, they hate. They also sneer at Lutheran hymns and the Creeds. Sermons? - No. Life coaching - Si!
- They work together very closely, across synodical lines. For example, WELS always acts too goody-goody to be in the same room as Missouri, but WELS leaders love to sit at the feet of Kent Hunter and the fossilized Waldo Werning.
If the synodical leaders were committed to Lutheran doctrine, they would kick out the false teachers instead of rewarding them.
