The Moravian Church Through The Ages By John R. Weinlick

The Moravian Church Through The AgesAn informative look at the history of the Moravian Church a Church which eventually settled in Nazareth Pennsylvania The Moravian s story revolves around some of it s central figures including John Hus a Bohemian martyr Comenius and Zinzendorf Set at the height of the Papacy s influence following the crusades and the realization that scholasticism could only take one so far the stage was being set for the reformation It s leading up to this that historians describe as the pre reformation period The Renaissance was challenging the medieval age of vast cultural unity with the progressive and quick development of language It s in to this that the voice of the prophet and Christian witness began to push for change from the abuse of power We would see the Wycliffe movement and then John Hus as people were ripe for the fresh words of the prophet that could challenge the powerful system Moravia was the neighbor of Bohemia and following the t he martyrdom of Hus these two groups would rise up against the Catholic Church However eventually they would become divided amongst themselves and gave way to the founding of the Unitas Fratrum which would prove to flourish on the other side of the battle The Moravian Church would eventually once come close extinction before spreading to every continent and moving through an active mission field to America Nazareth Pennsylvania What would mark this community was the Diaspora the idea a mobile community of traveling preachers and prophets They were dedicated to retaining a sense of divine revelation and a deeply committed faith The very nature of being a community on the move kept them from growing and part of the problem is that they would get overshadowed by the larger Protestant movements They do however manage to survive nonetheless and survived as a witness to a simple order of life The story of the Moravian Church is just one of many examples of how spiritual communities and leaders and thinkers litter the history the early Christian movement and through the ages They testify to the connection that exists between this sort of spiritual dedication and a focus on the poor and needy There is much to find inspiring here as a struggling movement in the midst of a rich history that spans the Medieval ages to the twentieth century The Moravian Church Through The Ages This book is written by Moravians for Moravians so it has some of the self congratulatory tone that most denominational self assessments have God knows we Episcopalians have plenty of those volumes However it is an easy read and a good way to get the basics of Moravian history and belief down The Moravian Church Through The Ages