Some associate it with its evil twin, pietism, and reject piety based on the incorrect assumption that the two are one and the same. Pietism is inwardly focused, obsessed with carefully following spiritual to-do lists and rules. Piety, rather, fights against that inward focus, turning our attention out toward God and His promises and toward our neighbor in love and care. Piety is simply the cultivation of godly habits—habits that befit the household of God, the family of our heavenly Father.
In Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey: Recover the Joys of Piety, Martin Luther’s small catechism and the Book of Concord serve as our trusty roadmaps as we explore how to properly hear in the Scriptures our heavenly Father summoning us to the joy and freedom of living and growing as His beloved children through Jesus Christ.