Pia Desideria (Devout Wishes)

Pia Desideria (Devout Wishes) by Philipp J. Spener

*This work was foundational in the movement of Christian Pietism in Germany.

The document “Pia Desideria (Devout Wishes)” was written and published in 1965 by Philip Jacob Spener in Frankfurt, Germany. Spener was a theologian and pastor of a Lutheran Church at publication. He wrote and taught about the Christian spiritual priesthood and later founded the movement “Pietism.” The genre of the document is persuasive writing, an exposition to further Martin Luther’s theology; Spener aims to promote the reform of the Church. He writes to Christian believers (clergy and laity), specifically to the German Church, identifying the urgency and importance of Luther’s priesthood of all believers.

Spener desires Christians to understand their holy calling and take part through “the grace that is given him” through the study and teaching of Scripture. Through a pastoral tone, he calls believers to a standard of living that affects them inwardly, by submitting our reason to Christ (pg 97) and let Scripture indicate the way they approach the faith. Spener does not exclude any believer, educated and uneducated, from this demand for Christian living as he begins by addressing “every Christian.”

Spener emphasizes the onus of Christian living on every individual rather than simply the ministers or clergy. He asserts that the Church needs this reform as the ministry would be “too weak without the help of the universal priesthood” (pg 94). Spener goes on in the document to practically address specific questions regarding the spiritual priesthood, such as how one should engage with the Word of God, teach, or conduct themselves (p.96-98). While emphasizing the importance of all believers to take up their call to Christian living, Spener goes as far as identifying those who do not adhere to the call to engage in Scripture as “against God’s will,” ignorant, and “ingratitude towards the rich divine revelation (p.97).

Spener’s impact through Pia Desideria was influential in his time and still today. The Pietist movement began shortly after, in response to Spener’s writings. Over a decade before Spener’s lifetime, Martin Luther and the 95 theses in 1517 had and would continue to be the driving force of Spener’s thought and desire for further reformation. The effects of the Catholic Church and leadership structure misaligned with Scripture continued into the 17th century. Consecutively, the 30 year’s war seen in 1618-1648, emphasized hopelessness and doctrinal tensions. The remaining population left in Germany, left some who took interest in religion specifically through scholasticism and rational philosophy. Additionally, Puritanism took rise during Spener’s younger years, which would greatly influence his formation and thought. Following the work of Spener, the pietist movement spread from Germany to Switzerland, expanding further throughout Europe. Spener’s work opened up the way to further reformation in the Church as the Romanticism period would soon begin. Furthermore, the inauguration of the University of Halle trained many missionaries, which gave rise to movements such as through John Wesley and Alexander Mack.