Glossary
Pietism: A 17th and 18th century reform movement, primarily among
Lutherans in Germany, emphasizing the need for true Christianity, based
on true faith, repentance, conversion, and rebirth, as opposed to the kind
of scholastic theology that does not touch the heart. Methodism is often
regarded, with reason, as an offshoot of Pietism.Pleroma: A Greek term meaning “fullness,” and in Gnosticism, the divine
realm of the aeons.polity: A technical term for the various forms of church government. For
example, episcopacy means the church is governed by bishops (that is,
an episcopate); Presbyterianism means it is governed by synods of elders
or presbyters; and congregationalism means that each congregation is
self-governing.pope: The Roman Catholic bishop of Rome, understood to be the successor
of the apostle Peter, who was the ¿ rst bishop of Rome and thus the ¿ rst
occupant of the Apostolic. (See cathedra.)postmillennialism: The view of biblical prophecy, characteristic of early
19 th-century American evangelicals, which holds that a golden age (the
millennium mentioned in the book of Revelation, 20:4) will be brought
about by the progress of Christian civilization and missions before the end of
the world. (Contrast premillennialism.)postmodernism: A term with many disputed meanings. In these lectures,
it refers to the view that traditions are the inevitable context of thought and
that modern thought, which regards tradition as irrational, cannot survive the
recognition that modernity itself is a tradition. In Dr. Cary’s terminology,
left wing postmodernists, such as Derrida and Foucault, draw skeptical or
deconstructive conclusions from this recognition (for example, suggesting
that claims of rationality are really disguised bids for power) while right
wing postmodernists, such as Gadamer and Alasdair MacIntyre, draw the
conclusion that tradition is the necessary context for learning, rationality,
and wisdom.prayer book: (See Book of Common Prayer.)