Schwärmerei And Catholics Together

Schwärmerei: “From schwärmen to be enthusiastic, literally, to swarm” (Merriam-Webster, sv.)

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  • R. Scott Clark
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    R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.

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9 comments

  1. Thank you Alan, that’s correct. But I saw the word Schwärmerei used by a critic on the internet about a clarinet recital, so I thought there might be something to it – In fact the pieces played were probably the Fantasiestücke and the word Schwärmerei was supplied by the critic. Which doesn’t stop me applying the word Schweinerei to Copeland et al, but I might have to keep that to myself if Dr Clark disallows it.

  2. John:

    Perhaps you’re thinking of Träumerei (“Dreaming”), which is the seventh of Schubert’s thirteen Kinderszenen (“Scenes from Childhood”).

  3. The claims of Rome and the Pentecostals are similar: new authoritative revelation, direct from God. Rome is just more sedate and cerebral about it.

  4. “If you’re not on fire by now, your wood is wet!” I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, or what you believe, that there is pure gold. And I say that as one with very wet wood. But I thought dry was supposed to describe us frozen chosens? Oh, the whacky world of metaphor.

  5. I only thought of Schwärmerei as a series of pieces by Schumann, and I’m not even sure I have my facts right there. Apparently Luther used the word too.

  6. It’s clear that Copeland is of the highest of the anointed class as he hasn’t aged in 30 years.
    That is also why he gets fresh revelation from God quite often.

    What a wonderful union of false teaching – the blind leading the blind.

    “Do you only want one denomination of Jesus? Jump in, get it all.”
    Right, because theology doesn’t matter to this guy or to these people.

    I once heard a Nazarene pastor state that Peter is the Rock.

    He uses the (phony) 33,000 Protestant denominations as something positive whereas his RC brethren use it as proof of the resulting chaos from solo scriptura and the truth of the “unity” of the RCC. This guy is all over the place – what a mess.

    “Fear keeps us separated.” Well actually, it is false doctrine that keeps us (rightly) separated.

    No, the protest is not over. Always reforming.

  7. Interesting. A great example of the quests for illegitimate religious certainty and illegitimate religious experience moving to the next level: toward the goal of a world church under the pope.

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