Dr. Andrew Kloes delivered a speech on nineteenth century German theology at 7pm. A presidential debate aired at 9pm. That stark contrast may challenge one to see the relevance of his history to our modern world. But looking a little closer, one can see something universal in his topic.
Elizabethtown’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies hosted Kloes’ Zoom lecture on Oct. 22 after awarding him the Dale W. Brown Book Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. This honor was for his Oxford University Press-published book, “The German Awakening: Protestant Renewal after the Enlightenment 1815-1848.”
Kloes is from Pittsburgh, Pa., but completed his doctoral work in Europe after attending Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and toured Germany for research and fun. The historian went on to become a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
In his talk, Kloes pointed out that Protestants have cried out for “an awakening” ever since being a Protestant was a thing. To German theologians, awakenings come in two flavors. When a protestant wakes up, that’s “Erweckung.” When many protestants wake up, that’s “Erweckungsbewegung.” In early-1800’s Germany, many protestants woke up.
Kloes links this German Awakening, in part, to Napoleon. The French Emperor conquered the German states in 1812 and then left with his tail between his legs in 1815. So great was the Germans’ joy at their liberation, they took it for a divine miracle. God, himself, had been their savior. A religious fervor ignited and swept through the nation.
As most revolutions, the Awakening was also a counter-revolution to a previous revolution—in this case to the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. The Enlightenment’s rational ideology spawned many unorthodox religious beliefs. Many of America’s founding fathers espoused these ideas. Thomas Jefferson, for example, doubted Jesus’ divinity.
Catholics and some Protestants, though at each other’s throats for three hundred years, enjoyed a brief moment of camaraderie in their joint eye rolling at Enlightenment ideas. It puts one in mind of a sitcom character’s current and ex-girlfriend bonding over the little things he does that annoy them. But the Awakening crowd’s grievances went far beyond little gripes about leaving the cap off the toothpaste. Some thinkers of the time believed the unorthodox leanings of the Enlightenment threatened the very survival of the church. The common refrain of “Christianity is under attack,” certainly predates its use today.
Kloes also notes that in addition to its return to more traditional religious beliefs, the Awakening gave birth to a tradition of extra-church organizations. Activists under the Awakening’s banner set up charities to help the poor and sick. Philanthropist Amalie Sieveking proved women could run religious aid foundations with her Awakening-inspired work with victims of an 1830’s cholera outbreak. This serves as a reminder of the role of religious organizations in providing aid during health crises, a role continuing until today. Now is a particularly good time for it.
Much of Kloes’ lecture went over my head. Speaking with him after the event, I asked what he felt non-theologians should take from his research. He answered, in a mild-mannered way, that knowing a historical group’s beliefs and judging them are two different tasks. Before you can judge a belief system you must understand it. When historical figures talked about an Awakening, what did being “woke” mean to them?
“Historical truth is like a gem. You can hold the gem and see many facets but if you turn it, you see something very different. Humility is the most important trait for people who want to study the past because no one’s knowledge is total.”
I believe this advice also applies aptly not just to those wishing to study the past but to all those who want to live well in the present.
Church of the Brethren theologian and church historian Dale Brown, after whom The Young Center’s award is named, inspired Kloes’ early research. The awardee said this made him feel particularly honored to win the accolade. He wished to thank Interim Director of The Young Center Dr. Steve Nolt as well as Nolt’s predecessor, Dr. Jeff Bach.
Nolt, who hosted the lecture, said he was pleased with the event. As a scholar of American history, he found it enlightening to compare domestic goings-on with similar trends in Germany.
Nolt also weighed in on the mixed bag of running these types of lectures through Zoom. He believes some intimacy is lost without in-person meetings but that remote events allow the Young Center to cast a wider net. Scholars attended Kloes’ lecture from places as far flung as Boston and Indiana—an impossible range during simpler pre-COVID times.
