FRANCKE'S REFORM VISION

One feature of Pietism that set it apart from earlier Lutheran movements was its expectation that the creation of new institutional forms within the established order would serve as the basis for an all-embracing reform of society. Because “reform” meant the spread of a particular form of piety, the personal religious orientation of the founder of Pietist institutions played a determining role in shaping the character of these organizations. Even though Spener and Francke shared a common spiritual ancestry and were close political allies, Francke's conversion experience and his Promethean emphasis on action resulted in an aggressive militancy that was not present in Spener. Not surprisingly, Francke's Anstalten in Halle displayed greater coherence and tighter discipline than Spener's widely scattered and loosely coordinated network of conventicles. Points of difference between the two men, moreover, went beyond organizational style to include goals and tactics. Spener believed that reform of the Lutheran church would, eventually and in some unspecified way, bring about the desired change in society. The more radical Francke worked for the simultaneous transformation of both the church and the social order. Francke envisioned the Halle Anstalten, therefore, as a model society, complete with institutions for socialization and economic activity, whose expansion would begin a reform of the entire world.

The years immediately after 1700 afforded Francke the opportunity to develop a strategy for accomplishing his mission.