jan 1, 1600 - The first collegia pietatis (“assemblies of piety”) is organized, Pietism

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Pastor in Frankfurt am Main, Spener became distressed by the degeneracy and the absence of piety in the city; in response, he organized the first collegia pietatis (“assemblies of piety”)

The aims of the Pietists were twofold: First, they stressed the importance of personal faith. They left behind all dreams of Catholic Christendom and Puritan commonwealths. They believed that Christianity starts with the individual. So for the first time in Christian history, the idea of conversions of baptized Christians (as well as pagans) came to prominence. The essence of faith, said the Pietist, is a personal experience of God’s grace in the believer’s heart, even if that person has been baptized and has assumed they are a Christian because of their church attendance.
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The intensely personal way the Pietists described regeneration often made Christianity a drama of the human soul. The heart was the scene of a desperate struggle between the powers of good and evil. In this sense Pietism was the fountain of all modern revivals. It set the experience of new life in Christ at the center of the Christian message and ministry. It is impossible to think of evangelical Christianity today without the imprint of Pietism.

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