William Careys Theology - World Evangelical Alliance

22 William Carey’s Theology
nearness of the end of the world is and remains the orthodox conviction,
which is not to be shaken.” 85
The close tie between Postmillennialism, the Reformed doctrine of salvation,
and the awakening of Evangelical missionary thought can be observed
in the German Evangelical movement as well as in America and
England. Also Philipp Jakob Spener (1633-1705), August Hermann
Francke (1663-1727) 86 and other Pietist fathers of missions were Postmillennialists.
Spener, the ‘Father of German Pietism’, was Lutheran and Postmillennialist.
Helmuth Egelkraut writes:
“Should one wish to sort Spener into one of the common eschatological
systems, one would have to consider him a Postmillennialist. But Spener refuses
to set up a closed prophetic system.” 87
Many see the Reformed influences on Spener’s eschatology (and in his
different view of orthodox Lutheranism). 88 Thus, Carl Hinrichs says: “Pietism
in Germany helped the Puritan type to come out.” 89
Spener’s Postmillennialism inspired the first outbreak of Pietist-Lutheran
world missions in the seventeenth century, particularly after the activity of
August Hermann Francke, just as Puritan Postmillennialism inspired the
beginning of Reformed world missions. “The enthusiasm for missions
85 . Ibid., p. 14. Will-Erich Peuckert, Die große Wende: Geistesgeschichte und Volkskunde,
Vol. 2, (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1966), pp. 545-555,
has shown, that Luther’s eschatological view was based on medieval models.
86 . Iain Murray, The Puritan Hope., pp. 131-132. Murray wrongly adds Bengel, who
will be dealt with later.
87 . Helmuth Egelkraut, Die Zukunftserwartungen der pietistischen Väter, op. cit., p. 27.
Spener did indeed wish to set up a ‘system’. This does not stand in the way of a classification,
for many representatives of the various systems did not define closed systems,
and thus never classified themselves under any one school.
88 . See Wilhelm Goeters, Die Vorbereitung des Pietismus in der reformierten Kirche
der Niederlande bis zur labadistischen Krise 1670 (Leipzig; 1911); summarized by
Johannes Wallmann, “Pietismus und Orthodoxie,” Zur neuren Pietismusforschung,
Wege der Forschung CDXL; ed. Martin Greschat (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche
Buchgesellschaft,1977) pp. 53-81, here pp. 53-57.
89 Carl Hinrichs, “Der Hallischen Pietismus als politisch-soziale Reformbewegung des
18 Jahrhunderts,” Zur neuren Pietismuforschung, Wege der Forschung CDXL; ed.
Martin Greschat (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft,1977) pp. 243-258,
here p. 252.