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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > General
Historians of modern German culture and church history refer to
"the Awakening movement" (die Erweckungsbewegung) to describe a
period in the history of German Protestantism between the end of
the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the Revolution of 1848. "The
Awakening" was the last major nationwide Protestant reform and
revival movement to occur in Germany. This book analyzes numerous
primary sources from the era of the Awakening and synthesizes the
current state of German scholarship for an English-speaking
audience. It examines the Awakening as a product of the larger
social changes that were re-shaping German society during the early
decades of the nineteenth century. Theologically, Awakened
Protestants were traditionalists. They affirmed religious doctrines
that orthodox Protestants had professed since the confessional
statements of the Reformation-era. Awakened Protestants rejected
the changes that Enlightenment thought had introduced into
Protestant theology and preaching since the mid-eighteenth century.
However, Awakened Protestants were also themselves distinctly
modern. Their efforts to spread their religious beliefs were
successful because of the new political freedoms and economic
opportunities that the Enlightenment had introduced. These social
conditions gave German Protestants new means and abilities to
pursue their religious goals. Awakened Protestants were leaders in
the German churches and in the universities. They used their
influence to found many voluntary organizations for evangelism, in
Germany and abroad. They also established many institutions to
ameliorate the living conditions of those in poverty. Adapting
Protestantism to modern society in these ways was the most original
and innovative aspect of the Awakening movement.
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