"In an age in which the church is badly divided by politics and culture wars, The Pietist Option offers a better way. Chris Gehrz and Mark Pattie invite us to embark on a spiritual pilgrimage defined by loving our neighbors, living in hope, and listening to God. It is indeed time to reconsider the Pietist roots of American evangelicalism."

"Warning! The cheeky title of this book is misleading. You'll find no snark here, no polemics. If you're looking for a pugnacious encounter, go elsewhere. What you will find here is an immensely winsome vision, drawing on the riches of the Pietist tradition but addressed to all who seek 'to live as if Jesus Christ has actually conquered the grave.'"

"One of my mentors used to describe himself as 'a Pietist with a PhD.' After reading The Pietist Option, I know more deeply what he meant, and I realize more clearly why his winsome spirit won my heart. This book invites us all into a more just and generous way of following Christ in today's world."

"The Pietist Option is a timely historical reminder deserving careful attention from today's church. So much emphasis is now given to getting words right, whether in doctrine or in divisive positions on social issues. It's far more important to get the lives of believers right, with a faith that integrates body, mind, and spirit. The Pietists understood this. We should learn that a warm and spiritually vital faith in Christ doesn't withdraw from the world in forms of spiritual escapism during times of political strife and social upheaval, but leads to creative engagement in society with the liberating love of God. Further, the Pietists saw the urgent need, in their turbulent time, for the unity of the church, not accomplished through arguments over doctrine but in the heartfelt bonds of shared faith. The church can be enriched by an informed reconsideration of the Pietist movement, which this book provides."

"For many people, both inside and outside communities of faith, Christianity has become captive to blind allegiances that are driven more by fear than a concern for justice, more interested in building walls than expressing love and solidarity with neighbors who are different. If the church is going to break the stranglehold of these allegiances so that loyalty to Jesus and the kingdom he preached is placed back at the center of the life of faith, then the Pietist vision offered here will surely play an important role. Gehrz and Pattie offer a clear-eyed vision of faithful practice fired by the hope of the gospel that animated the original 'Pietist option,' and they do so without slavishly repeating seventeenth-century proposals. What is offered here is a compelling and practical vision that is geared toward our own contemporary challenges and context. This is a timely and much-needed work that should be warmly embraced by Christians from across the spectrum."

"This is a very helpful book, introducing and reintroducing historical pietism to the contemporary church. Grounded in history, as it is modeled after Philipp Jacob Spener's Pia Desideria, it is pastorally wise, sensitive, and missionally relevant. Pietism offers a vital faith for the head, the heart, and the hands. Perhaps this provocative and winsome book will allow us to claim a usable past to further the mission and ministry of the church today."

"Mark and Chris love God, the church, and the world. Here they ponder, Does warmhearted Pietism have something to offer in a world of overheated debates? This book offers no certain paths forward, but it does remind us that Pietism, with its emphases on a living personal faith, deep commitment to wanting to be guided by Scripture, engaging in mission to the world, and generous fellowship, just might have something to offer."

"This is a timely book. The issues that led to the Pietist movement are present in different forms in the church today. Church attendance and participation are declining. A growing portion of the emerging generation finds little value in what the church seems to offer. For many, the evangelical expression of the church has become a political movement more than a source of life-giving hope. This book offers an alternative with roots in an earlier movement where faith is a relationship, not merely a philosophy of life. The following quote from the book captures the essence: 'That's primarily how Pietists know God: not through propositions (what we believe about the idea of God), but prepositions (how we relate to the person of God), as we experience a living faith through Jesus Christ, who is Emmanuel, God with us.'"

"The Pietist Option is historically faithful, biblically rooted, and encouraging. Christopher Gehrz and Mark Pattie III help us see how Christ-followers in past centuries faced challenging issues in ways that are relevant to current events. Gehrz has meaningfully elevated Bethel University's Pietist roots to current day relevance as we commit to engage the world's most challenging problems, to God's glory and for our neighbors' good. The Pietist Option has wisdom for the church, the academy, and the neighborhood. I'm thankful for this resource."