The German Awakening: Protestant Renewal After the Enlightenment, 1815–1848 by Andrew Kloes (review)

Reviewed by: The German Awakening: Protestant Renewal After the Enlightenment, 1815–1848 by Andrew Kloes Mary Jane Haemig The German Awakening: Protestant Renewal After the Enlightenment, 1815–1848. By Andrew Kloes. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. 328 pp. Few resources in English are available on the continental European awakenings (Erweckungsbewegungen) of the nineteenth century. End Page 109 This work begins to fill that gap. Based on a PhD thesis at the University of Edinburgh, it examines the period between the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the Revolution of 1848 in Germany. An introduction surveys the social-historical context of the Awakening and its historiography. Chapter one considers the meanings of the concept of "awakening" in German Protestantism. Chapter two examines how awakened Protestants understood and described what came before them (the religious Enlightenment) and their reaction against it. The remaining chapters approach the Awakening movement thematically rather than geographically. Chapters three through six examine specific aspects of the Awakening: preaching, theology, religious societies for evangelism, and religious societies for social reform. Chapter three asserts that preachers were "generally characterized by an irenic ecumenical disposition" "born out of their fears that the essence of the Christian faith was in danger of being lost" (79). This chapter considers, among others, preachers of regional importance, such as Claus Harms (1778–1855) and Ludwig Hofacker (1798–1828). Chapter four relates developments in German academic theology to the awakenings. Kloes asserts that many university professors, whether their positions were characterized as "believing," "confessional," "mediating," or "awakened," were influenced by the Awakening and, in turn, influenced it. Chapter five discusses the Awakening's efforts in evangelism, focusing on societies for the distribution of Bibles and of religious tracts as well as societies for foreign missions. Chapter six examines institutions for social reform, including the "inner mission," and includes a consideration of the important role of women in these. Throughout, Kloes emphasizes the pan-confessional nature of renewal in Germany and shows links to awakening movements in other countries, particularly Great Britain. He frequently cites earlier historians of the Awakening, presenting a picture of how the Awakenings have been viewed. In his conclusion, Kloes asserts that the Awakening had five characteristics. It was orthodox in that it reaffirmed traditional Christian teachings in contrast to rationalist Protestants. It was pietistic in that it sought to awaken individuals and used small group strategies in its work. It was ecumenical in that it "subordinated the differences in End Page 110 doctrine that had historically divided Protestants from Catholics, and had further divided Protestants into Lutheran and Reformed camps, to the Christian faith that they held in common with one another" (224). It was international in that societies for religious literature, mission, and alleviation of social problems were often modeled on those in England and Scotland. Finally, the Awakening was modern. Although the Enlightenment advanced secularization it also created new possibilities. The civic freedoms that the Enlightenment had brought to Germany allowed Christians to join together to pursue religious goals. This work exhibits both the advantages and disadvantages of an overview. Its breadth enables one to see connections between various aspects, developments, and personalities, but sometimes added depth in analysis would have helped clarify the picture. Importantly, though Kloes shows his knowledge of historians of the movement, this reader sometimes wished for more references to primary sources and fewer quotations from contemporary and later historians. Lutheran readers will miss a nuanced discussion of how all these developments related to the confessional revivals then taking place in German universities and to those influenced by them. This work should be of interest not only to historians of nineteenth century European Christianity but also to those who study immigrant Lutherans in the nineteenth century and attempt to understand what shaped, positively or negatively, the faith they brought with them. An important area for future scholarly work will be the exploration of the transatlantic ramifications of the Awakening movements. Mary Jane Haemig Luther Seminary Saint Paul, Minnesota Copyright © 2024 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.