# Moravian Church?



## ericfromcowtown (Mar 1, 2010)

I had cousins visit this weekend who I'm not close to, and we landed up taking two of their three kids to church with us. They are members of a Moravian Church here in Alberta. I vaguelly remember going to it as a child, when visiting, and attended my uncle's funeral there a few years ago.

I'm pretty ignorant about the Moravian Church, though. Where do they fit into the jigsaw puzzle of denominations? What are their distinctives? How close are they to being reformed, or arminian?


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## Herald (Mar 1, 2010)

I'm interested in comments also.
There is a Moravian church in Thurmont, MD that I pass regularly.
I always wondered what they believe.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Mar 1, 2010)

Pietistic, German, Anabaptist. Not Mennonites or Amish. 

If I was to classify them in anything it would go read Jacob Spener's _Pia Desideria_.

Count Von Zinzendorff, Hernhutt


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## Southern Presbyterian (Mar 1, 2010)

Here is a link to The Moravian Church in North America.

And this is some of what you'll find there....



> Moravians recognize the example of Christ's life and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord. Living the Christian life *depends not only on our own effort*, but upon God our Father, who in Jesus Christ accepts us as heirs of God and strengthens and sustains us.


 (Emphasis mine)



> The Unitas Fratrum takes part in the continual search for sound doctrine. In interpreting Scripture and in the communication of doctrine in the Church, we look to two millennia of ecumenical Christian tradition and the wisdom of our Moravian forebears in the faith to guide us as we pray for fuller understanding and ever clearer proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But just as the Holy Scripture does not contain any doctrinal system, so the Unitas Fratrum also has not developed any of its own because it knows that the mystery of Jesus Christ, which is attested to in the Bible, cannot be comprehended completely by any human mind or expressed completely in any human statement.





> There are persons of homosexual orientation within the church whose gifts and graces manifest the work of the Spirit among us.
> 
> The basic human rights of all, including gay and lesbian persons, should be protected by the Church; and the general stigmatizing of persons is inappropriate in a church that understands all its members to be sinners who live by the power of God's grace.


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## Jack K (Mar 1, 2010)

Moravians in Alberta? I had no idea. They're mostly centered around Bethlehem, PA and Winston-Salem, NC, where I used to live.

As for what the churches are like, think Methodist and you'll be pretty close. In fact, the early Moravians strongly influenced Wesley and he built his theology and Christian practice largely around theirs. Arminian for sure. Most of the Moravians in North Carolina have also gone mainline-ish liberal, but they do have some absolutely beautiful litergies.


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## Glenn Ferrell (Mar 1, 2010)

Moravians claim a connection with the followers of Hus in Moravia. They have an “episcopal” succession through bishops who preside over ordination, but who do not rule over dioceses. They obtained their episcopal ordination from the early Waldensians in Italy. Wesley encountered them on his trip to Georgia and was impressed with their faith through a storm wich frightened him. He subsequently traveled to Moravia to visit them, and had contact with them in England. Zinzendorff exercised some influence over German Lutherans in the colonial period. Though I would not classify them as Anabaptists, early Moravians were pacifists. A visit to Old Salem in North Carolina is fascinating. Obviously, they’ve become theological liberals in recent years; which seems to be the norm for all groups who do not have, subscribe to, or enforce a confession of faith.


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## ericfromcowtown (Mar 1, 2010)

Jack K said:


> Moravians in Alberta? I had no idea. They're mostly centered around Bethlehem, PA and Winston-Salem, NC, where I used to live.
> 
> As for what the churches are like, think Methodist and you'll be pretty close. In fact, the early Moravians strongly influenced Wesley and he built his theology and Christian practice largely around theirs. Arminian for sure. Most of the Moravians in North Carolina have also gone mainline-ish liberal, but they do have some absolutely beautiful litergies.



I don't know how many congregations are in Alberta, but my relatives' church is just outside of Edmonton, and I know that I have driven past a Moravian church here in Calgary as well.

As for the liturgy, I remember going to a candle light service that was all in German once as a child. I wasn't raised a Christian, so it wouldn't have made much more sense to me if it was in English I suppose.


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## Jack K (Mar 1, 2010)

ericfromcowtown said:


> Jack K said:
> 
> 
> > Moravians in Alberta? I had no idea. They're mostly centered around Bethlehem, PA and Winston-Salem, NC, where I used to live.
> ...


 
Sounds familiar, except for the German. I've been to a number of their special holiday services, most featuring candles in some way. When I worked in the news business in North Carolina, we'd actually do stories about all the candles the Moravians needed to have on hand to be ready for the Christmas season.


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## SRoper (Mar 2, 2010)

Moravians were pietists who (surprise) became liberals.


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