Popular piety in Christianity is an expression of faith which avails of certain cultural elements proper to a specific environment which is capable of interpreting and questioning in a lively and effective manner the sensibilities of those who live in that same environment.[1] Its forms in the Roman Catholic Church are explained in the Directory on Popular piety and the liturgy issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. In the Lutheran Churches, popular piety is expressed through the reception of the sacraments, the displaying of sacred art, the signing of hymnody, prayer, Bible study and devotions.[2][3][4]
- ^ Directory of popular piety and the liturgy – principles and guidelines, No. 4
- ^ Rittgers, Ronald K. (28 June 2012). The Reformation of Suffering: Pastoral Theology and Lay Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany. Oxford University Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-19-979508-6.
The late Robert Scribner unearthed numerous examples of how the common folk would integrate the new Lutheran piety into their traditional enchanted worldview. Rural Germans would use Bibles, hymnals, and catechism as ersatz sacramentals to access divine power in times of need, part of a "covert evangelical sacramentalism" that Scribner saw as an important line of continuity between late medieval Catholic and early modern Lutheran popular piety.
- ^ Gritsch, Eric W. (2010). A History of Lutheranism. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-0775-4.
Most influential for liturgical and spiritual nurture were new hymns that shaped popular piety. The Lutheran poet and hymn writer Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676) became the most influential source of orthodox piety.
- ^ Gassmann, Günther; Oldenburg, Mark W. (10 October 2011). Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism. Scarecrow Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-8108-7482-4.
Like his famous student, Buxtehude used Baroque artistry of the highest order to express a lively and popular piety.