August Hermann Francke (1663-1727)
One of the foremost leaders
of pietism. Francke studied at Erfurt, Kiel, and
Leipzig, and taught at Leipzig (1685-87 and 1689-90). His teaching was well
received by some but also aroused opposition. Through the influence of P. J.
Spener he became professor at the recently founded University of Halle in 1692
and taught there until his death. Halle became a center of pietism. Francke's
students carried his influence to various parts of Germany and to Scandinavia
and Eastern Europe. Francke also pastored a nearby congregation. In 1695 he
founded an orphanage, the first of several educational and charitable
institutions funded entirely by contributions. He was active in supporting
foreign mission work in India. His writings include exegetical, practical, and
polemical works, a copious correspondence, and a few hymns.
Francke had been raised a
Lutheran, but he followed the pietistic line of thinking and so departed from Lutheranism.
The essence of pietism was its stress on religious experience for the assurance
of salvation. Francke had had a sudden conversion experience. As did many of
the pietists. Accordingly he placed a great deal of importance on being sorry
for sinning and the wonderful feeling of being forgiven by God. Such experience
would necessarily be decisive for the life of the individual and would become
apparent in many good works. He saw the conversion experience as especially
necessary for leadership among Christians.
Orthodox Lutherans opposed
this stress on experience as the assurance of salvation. Let's check the
Scriptures, 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And 1 John 2:29 If you know that He is
righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of
Him. 1 John 2:5-6 But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has
truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought
himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. How easy it is to be
mislead, if we don't study God's word! For Lutherans the assurance of salvation
was in the "means of grace" (the gospel, absolution, baptism, the
Lord's Supper). In other words "WORKS." Francke was replacing man's gospel with God's Gospel by finding
the assurance of salvation in the grace of God manifest in the new life of
Christ that God gives to His children
See also PIETISM; PHILIPP JAKOB SPENER