spenerism

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The Pietist doctrines taught by Philip Jacob Spener of Strasburg, Germany, in the latter half of the seventeenth century. The system was a protest against the dogmatism in the Lutheran Church engendered by its continuous controversies with Geneva and Rome, and against the low state of public morals due to the incessant preaching of dogma. Stress was laid on the duty of active morality.