but still exhibited a thoroughly selfish and worldly spirit. ‘Although they themselves do not realize it, they are still stuck fast in the old birth and do not actually possess the true marks of a new birth’ (p. 46). Spener’s opposition to nominal Christianity was to become a hallmark of both the pietist and the evangelical movements. To what extent was it also a part of the teaching of the Reformers? A three-point comparison of Spener and the evangelical tradition with Calvin will reveal some interesting