"Shining Lights" #2

Now, let’s search the background and conception of the Moravian movement.

As the 18^th century was ushering in, the spirit of awakening began to flow over Europe and rest upon men of God. The fruit of their lives and influence merged with cultural conditions and religious complacency to birth Methodism, the Great Awakening and ultimately the modern Protestant Missionary Movement. Lewis Drummond said, “The early germination of the 18^th century revival had its conception in a smaller awakening that began in Saxony, Germany. On the estate of Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf, God as Father graciously poured out His Spirit, and a movement sprang forth that came to be known as the Moravian Revival.”⁷ Understanding how the foundation was laid in this influential revival can help us understand the foundation and vision the Lord is laying in the church today.

“The Moravians” traced their spiritual ancestry back to Wycliffe and Hus in Bohemia. These two pre-Reformation evangelical preachers were revolutionaries. Wycliffe was possibly the most exalted preacher in all England in the 14^th century, and was a Bible professor at Oxford until his dismissal. He was the spiritual father of the Lollards, known for his fiery preaching and passion for translating the Bible into common language. As a scholar and reformer, he set the faith of scripture and claims of Christ over against the superstitions and traditions of the Catholic Church. Because of the rapid spread of his ideas, and his impact on history and his own generation, Wycliffe earned the name “The Morning Star of the Reformation”.

The spark of Wycliffe’s writings ignited a flame in John Hus’ heart. Ordained as a priest, teaching at Charles University (Prague) and preaching at Bethlehem Chapel (near the campus);⁸ Hus became popular with the masses and some influential leaders as well. Although later condemned for denouncing worldly clergy, and exalting Biblical authority and Christ’s headship; his doctrine had affected many – setting a course that would never be reversed. On July 6, 1415, John Hus was burned at the stake. His courageous death, reformation prophecies (pertaining to Luther and the Moravians), and the manuscripts of Wycliffe’s lectures (used for kindling at Hus’ execution) ignited a “fire by night” at the dusk of the Christendom Age (Catholic Domination).

“Despite all efforts of the popes to stamp out this movement, it survived as an independent church, the Unitas Fratrum/Unity of the Brethren.”⁹ “This Church of the Brethren became a sect of German pietists who were exiled from their ancestral home in the 17^th century.” Because they were aliens and exiles they were commonly known by nationality rather than church affiliation… as the “Moravians”.¹⁰

After flourishing in Bohemia and Moravia under a “cloud by day” at the dawning of the Reformation, these “Brethren” were nearly crushed during the 30 Years War (1618-1648). Although “Luther had proclaimed a robust doctrine of faith… his followers had fallen under the spell of intellect, and turned faith into a mental exercise. No longer an act of surrender to the mercy of God revealed in Christ, faith had become a formal assent to doctrinal truths set forth by scholars.”¹¹ The resulting cultural syncretism and lack of spiritual conviction became the backdrop of the 30 Years War.

Arising in part as a Roman Catholic attack on rebellious lands (Bohemia, Moravia, and Germany), with hopes of recovering lost territories; the 30 Years War drew in most of Europe. Whereas the religious landscape had changed little by war’s end, the conflict was taking its toll on surrounding societies. Latourette says, “By it, much of Germany was laid waste. Prosperous cities and villages were decimated or destroyed and even greater damage was suffered in coarsening and lowering of morals.”¹² With religious persecution, political wars and Christian nominalism and syncretism abounding, the conditions were ripe for renewal. Amidst this seedbed of suffering and corruption, a new movement arose as a “root out of dry ground” (Is. 53: 2) – it became known as “Pietism”.

Having roots in the pre-war past, this movement was a fusion of influences at its inception. Catholic mysticism, Luther’s faith, English Puritanism and Anabaptist sentiments were all found here.¹³ The Pietists were founded by a Lutheran pastor in Frankfurt (1666) named Philip Spener. “He set a new standard for piety by adding to the church services meetings in the home where laity led as easily as pastors.”¹⁴ These home groups known as “collegia pietatis” and the publishing of his book “Pia Desideria” (Pious Desires) caused a stirring of evangelical devotion in Germany. By emphasizing Bible study with life application, the priesthood of believers, personal experience, prayer and missions; Spener had re-contextualized forms of spirituality. These new spiritual dynamics allowed the Pietists to “break radically with the melancholic view of history that had characterized late orthodoxy… combining the joy of a personal experience of salvation with an eagerness to proclaim the gospel of redemption to all.”¹⁵

In Berlin, 1694, Spener and August Francke founded the University of Halle. “In 1701, Francke defined the goal of this renewal movement as the ‘concrete improvement of all walks of life… in all parts of the world.’”¹⁶ The University quickly became the hub for a whole host of ministries. Here, Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf, the German nobleman who was to become the spiritual leader of the Moravian revival, received much of “his distinctive emphasis… on heart religion”¹⁷ and missions.

Count Zinzendorf was Spener’s godson and Francke’s pupil. “In those dynamic days, the University of Halle shone as the pietistic North Star of the Lutheran Church.”¹⁸ “It was from this center that Protestantism embarked purposefully on the cross-cultural missionary task… as two of Francke’s pupils, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Henry Plutschau, sailed for India in 1705.”¹⁹ Zinzendorf enrolled at Halle in 1710 and was later able to meet both of these missionaries. Their lives and stories had a profound impact on the young Count.

Upon leaving Halle, the pressure to prepare for his future position of royalty led Zinzendorf to lawschool at the University of Wittenberg. This citadel of Lutheran orthodoxy enforced a rigorous schedule, literally exhausting the daylight and evening hours. While immersed in study of political science, civil law, history and culture, his mind would wander to the “Acts-like” stories of Ziegenbalg and Plutschau. By graduation, a divine discontentment had settled over his heart. Although equipped with the finest the world could offer (birthright, status, privilege, financial security and academic), a war was waging in his soul. Like Moses and Paul before him, Count Zinzendorf began the process of yielding pedigree to destiny. He would soon hear “the call of God” and lay down earthly prominence and prosperity for heavenly vision and fellowship.

Around 1719, another young man named Christian David began taking evangelistic trips to Moravia. During his trips, he came to sympathize with the “United Brethren”. Seeing the plight of these devoted exiles, he began searching with them for a place of refuge under Protestant influences. These promise seekers (Gen. 13, Heb. 11: 8-10) were clinging to the prophecies of John Hus, trusting God for a move of Biblical/New Testament Christianity. Consequently, Christian David met and approached Count Zinzendorf about the possibility of these “Moravians” settling on his lands.

In 1722, Zinzendorf invited these “exiled Protestants to settle on his estate in Saxony, where they organized as the “renewed fraternity”, dedicated to a religion of the heart and an intimate fellowship with the Savior.”²⁰ Then Christian David, the carpenter/evangelist, earned his name as “the Moravian Moses” by ten times crossing the border to lead groups of brethren to their Promised Land. They called the new community Herrnhut, “The Lord’s Watch”, and envisioned a town solely inhabited by Christians. Decades of persecution and wandering had cultivated an intense desire for freedom, real fellowship and separation from the “world”. This, in turn, produced a pseudo social monasticism with an emphasis on life, family and spirituality. It wasn’t long before Zinzendorf was interacting with his new neighbors, and many devout people from various backgrounds were flocking to Herrnhut.

By 1725, there were 300 people living in Herrnhut, and problems began to arise. By late 1726, the economic, cultural, and religious issues had escalated into a heated argument over church liturgy (Lutheran vs. Moravian). In response to the bitter disputes, and an isolated Lutheran hating heretic, calling the Count “the beast of Revelation”, Zinzendorf took over the leadership of the community in early 1727. In a few short months, the Count managed to galvanize this fragmented, rag-tag community into a model of spiritual devotion, Christian unity, and missionary zeal. On Wednesday, August 13, 1727, while united at a communion, confirmation service, God poured out His Spirit upon them in what has come to be known as “the Moravian Pentecost” (Zinzendorf was 27). Deep adoration and a mystical sense of God’s “nearness” and redemptive realities were to mark these lives forever.

For over a century, the influence of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians caused Germany to be Protestantism’s leading missionary country. They became “the foundation of all modern revivals, and set the experience of new life in Christ at the center of the Christian message and ministry.”²¹ God used them to shift the perceived essentials of the Christian life and faith; which ultimately caused a world view change and left a distinguishable imprint on evangelical Christianity which remains to this day.