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The Moravian Church was actually the renewal of the United Brethren which gives it a rich a history. The United Brethren Church was started by John Huss in the 1400's in Czechoslovakia, mainly in the areas of Bohemia and Moravia. He was upset with the corruption in the Catholic Church. In amovement which preceded the the Protestant Reformation this church became the first of the surviving Protestant Churches (Chester S. Davis, The Hidden Seed and Harvest ;http//www.moravian.org/history.htm).
In 1457 the Moravians organized themselves into what was at first a reform movement within the Roman Catholic Church. Ten years later they broke away from Rome and began to ordain their own ministers. Persecution during the period of the Reformation ended the growth of the movement. An underground movement in Bohemia and Moravia was able to sustain the movement in this period. During times of persecution the Moravians began what was to become a trend of the movement by relocating to Germany in the beginning of the 18th century (Queen).
The Moravians who escaped to Germany in 1722 established a village on the estate of Count Nicholas Zinzendorf. Zinzendorf became integral in combining the Unitas Fratrum with the Pietist movement. It was at this time in 1727 that the Moravian Church of today was founded as the Renewed Unitas Fratrum. In 1735, shortly after relocating in Germany, the Moravians began to settle in North America. The first settlers, led by Bishop August Spengenberg traveled to Georgia.The following year 25 more Moravians traveled to Savannah on the sameship as John and Charles Wesley. This was the beginning of a seriesof contacts with Moravians which John Wesley recorded as having an impact on his life (Schattschneider, 64).
The Moravians had two reasons for relocating; the first was to secure land for a settlement in the event that religious peresecution should drive them from Europe. The second reason for settling in Georgia was to establish a mission to Native Americans.
Early on the Moravians got caught in the middle of the war betweenthe British and the Spanish. Their consciencious objection made Georgia less than the secure new home land they had sought. This resulted in another relocation for the Moravians to Pennsylvaniawhere they established the communities of Nazareth and Bethlehem.
In 1749 the Movarian Church was declared "An Ancient Protestant Episcopal Church" by the British Parliament. This status allowed them to settle in the British colonies. Rising persecution in Germany resulted in increasing numbersof Moravians taking advantage of the opportunity to settle in North America. Bishop Spangenberg surveyed land in North Carolina in 1752, and in 1776 Moravian settlers moved to North Carolina and established a permanent settlement in Salem. That settlement today is Winston- Salem, NC and is the headquarters of the Southern Province (Melton, 70).
The Moravian Church exists because of three contributing factors: (1) the revival of
Pietism in Germany, (2) the reemergence of an old church, and (3) Count Zinzendorf.
Pietism preaches the saving power of the gospel instead of dogmatic principles. This
leads one to a more personal faith and away from intellectualism. The positive
effects of Pietism lead to Bible reading, prayer, outwardly speaking about one's faith,
and a turn from worldly activities. Its weaknesses include subjectivity due to the
deemphasis of intellectualism and an attitude of self-righteousness.
The
Daily Texts
was created in the early settlement for daily devotions and prayer. It included a
passage from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible and a relevant hymn stanza for
each day. Today this book is printed annually and continues to have an impact to both
members and nonmembers of the Moravian Church.
One of the most influential aspects of Moravian Pietism is its missions program
(Melton, 70). From the beginning Zinzendorf set guidelines for the Moravian
missionaries. The first being to live humbly among the people, the second to keep
Christ as the central point of their lives, and the third to look for individual seekers
as opposed to entire nations. The Moravians were not the first missionaries, but they were
the first Protestant denomination to thoroughly give themselves to missions. The
Moravian Church attracts many of its new members because of its commitment to
evangelization (Weinlick).
At the time of its conception, the Moravian Church believed moral reform to be more
urgent than doctrinal reform and, therefore, is not known for the latter. It recognizes
the same creeds as the other Protestant traditions, but was more concerned with
"experiential Christianity than with doctrinal correctness." This tradition is also
known for its Christocentricity and ecumenicity. Their worship today is similar to that
of most Protestant churches. The Moravians have, however, maintained simplicity in many
of their styles (Weinlick).
Currently the Moravian Church in North America is divided into the Northern and
Southern provinces. Winston-Salem, NC is the headquarters for the Southern Province
and Bethlehem, PA is the headquarters for the Northern Province. There is a bishop and
synod heading each province. Congregations today, though spread throughout the world,
are still mainly found in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Though an old tradition and
small in number it is still a very active group although it does not seem to be growing in
membership (Melton).
Moravian
Links
Maintained by the Reeves Library of the Moravian College and Moravian Theological
Seminary, this is the most comprehensive list of Moravian links we have found.
http://home.moravian.edu/public/reeves/moravian_links.htm
Moravian
Historical Links
Created by Professor Hans Rollmann of the Memorial University of Newfoundland, this
page contains extensive information on the history of the Moravian Church as well as
links to other churches and other related topics. Also of particular interest is an
excellent
cartographic
presentation of the immigration of Moravians from England to Newfoundland
http://alta.ucs.mun.ca/rels/hrollmann/morav/links.html
Old Salem Online
The village of Salem in North Carolina was established by Moravians in 1766 and has
been restored as a historic village museum. This site offers a
comprehensiveintroduction to the resources available at Old Salem.
http://www.oldsalem.org.html
History
ofMoravians in Georgia
This history of Moravians in Georgia by Adelaide L. Fries covers the early
settlementyears from 1735-1740.
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/mora-toc.htm
The Moravian Church
A substantial array of research resources on the Moravian Church createdand maintained
by Shannon Salter. The page offers a substantial array ofbibliography material, mostly
annotated. Most of the resources identifiedhere are available in the North Carolina
University and Duke Universitylibraries.
http://members.aol.com/Rosenb1/moravian.html
Created by Julia Davis
For Soc 257, New Religious Movements
Fall Term, 1997
University of Virginia
Last modified: 07/20/01