What
does Moravian mean?
 Here's
a little History...
Who are Moravians?
Moravians are a Protestant
Christian church which originally formed as one of the earliest
Reformation churches - in the late 1400s. The name Moravian
identifies the fact that this historic church had its origin in
ancient Bohemia and Moravia in what is present-day Czech
Republic.
Why did the church start?
John Hus (1369-1415) was a
professor of philosophy, priest and rector of the
University in Prague. Simply stated, he believed that the Church
at the time needed reforming - in it's moral life, by making the
Bible available in the language of the people, by giving lay
people both bread and cup in Holy Communion and by calling
people to follow Christ more fully each day. Hus was accused of
heresy, underwent a long trial at the Council of Constance, and
was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.
The followers of Hus organized a
church called the Unitas Fratrum (Unity of Brethren), now called
the Moravian Church.
What made these Moravians
different?
Four great
principles
Four principles were adopted by the
Unity of Brethren as the basis of their union:
- The Bible is the only source of
Christian doctrine.
- Public worship is to be
administered in accordance with the teachings of the
Scriptures and on the model of the Apostolic Church.
- The Lord's Supper is to be
received in faith, to be doctrinally defined in the language
of the Bible, and every human explanation of that language is
to be avoided.
- Godly Christian life is
essential as an evidence of saving faith and is of greater
importance than the dogmatic formulation of creed in all
details.
The church grew in size and
influence. Then a bitter persecution, which broke out in 1547,
led to the spread of the Brethren's Church to Poland where it
grew rapidly. By 1557 there were three provinces of the church:
Bohemia, Moravia, and Poland. The Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
brought further persecution to the Brethren's Church, and the
Protestants of Bohemia were severely defeated at the battle of
White Mountain in 1620.
Renewed in the l7OOs In the early
1700s the Moravian church revitalized with the help and support
of Count Nicholas Louis von Zinzendorf, a Christian nobleman in
Germany. Some Moravian families fleeing persecution in Bohemia
and Moravia found refuge on Zinzendorf's estate in 1722 and
built the community of Herrnhut. The new community became the
haven for many more Moravian refugees. Count Zinzendorf
encouraged them to keep the discipline of the Unitas Fratrum,
and he gave them the vision to take the gospel to the far comers
of the globe. August 13, 1727, marked the culmination of a great
spiritual renewal for the Moravian Church in Herrnhut, and in
1732 the first missionaries were sent to the West Indies.
What About the Moravian Church in
America?
The early Moravians settled in
Pennsylvania with the goal of sharing the gospel with Native
Americans. They spread through regions of Pennsylvania and then
to North Carolina in the late 1700s. Bethlehem in Pennsylvania
and Winston- Salem in North Carolina became the headquarters of
the two provinces (North and South) . These developed as the
Moravian Church in America became established as a distinct
church body in 1848.Today, the Moravian Church has congregations
in twenty states or provinces of the USA and Canada.
A basic motto In accepting other
creeds of the Christian Church (such as the Apostles' Creed,
Nicene Creed, the Augsburg Confession) and in its practice, the
Moravian Church has always stood by its motto: "in
essentials, unity: in nonessentials, liberty: and in all things,
love."
What about Moravians today?
The church today ministers all over
the world (including Africa, India, South America, Europe,
Canada and the United States.) We are still motivated by a love
for Christ and a commitment to the world mission of the church,
to caring for people's needs. Our worship is full of music, with
a history of biblical preaching and varieties of styles and
approaches.
We work together with sincere
Christians from many other denominations as we all seek together
to live for Jesus in the world, bear witness to Him and serve
people in His name.
|
