Faith & Order Statements - Theological Task

The Moravian Interprovincial
Faith & Order Commission

Statements of the Moravian Interprovincial Faith & Order Commission

On Doing Theology

Forwarded to the Provincial Elders Conference (PEC): 7/90
Adopted by Northern Province PEC:_____
Adopted by Southern Province PEC:_____

The Theological Task as Understood Within the Moravian Tradition (7/90)

The attempt here will be to provide some perspective on the Moravian understanding of theology from which the Interprovincial Faith and Order Commission of the Moravian Church in America might formulate its perspective and task.

Though one is always selective in developing a perspective or principles from a 500 year tradition, involving intentional neglect or rejection of some parts of the tradition which in one's attempted objectivity do not seem to represent the major thrusts of the tradition, we would like to attempt a statement of the Moravian perspective which is relevant for the Moravian Church today and the task of the Commission.

The Moravian Perspective

1. The theological task always revolves around the fostering of the "essentials," understood as relationship with God/Christ and the receiving of God's grace and salvation. All else is "ministerial" to this. This is why worship and devotional practice are crucial to theology. The theological areas with which the Commission deals should then be contributory to relationship with God.'

2. Theological reflection is for the sake of creating the possibilities of Christian life, action, and mission-it is not merely an abstract and intellectual enterprise.

3. Christianity is only to be identified with concepts, liturgies, church order, etc., in a secondary way. All such expressions are historically and culturally conditioned, and so they should be to be relevant. They are to be treasured, but not finalized. Thus all doing of theology is limited and not identical with God's truth.

4. Theology must rigorously use the gift of the intellect in the continuous search for truth. However, doing theology is also a devotional exercise. Openness to the formative influence of God and God's Spirit is crucial. Prayer is then important to doing theology. Theologizing is partially planned and structured by human effort, but is also formed by a following after and openness to God. Thus one must see where theologizing takes one.

5. The Moravian Church has most often been in conversation with other great theological traditions and has never understood itself as having all wisdom.

6. Though theology is often a response to the present and its issues, it is also rooted in a tradition which is variegated rather than uniform. It is a tradition of wisdom and mistakes out of which one should live much as a person lives out of the varied experience of personal history. To live only with the past is to cease to live, but to live without a past is to be amnesiac, to have nothing to live and act from.

7. Though the Moravian Church has at times made statements about Scripture being the only basis of faith, life and practice, this is not true of the special insights of the Moravian tradition. In the Ancient Church Scripture was a ministerial, not an essential. For Zinzendorf the Spirit was crucial, leading the church to what it should do in the present. Scripture as the only authority is derived from the Protestant principle of sola scriptura and was characteristic of more conservative periods of the Moravian Church. In its present statement of sola scriptura the Moravian Church is out of harmony with the statements of many churches which provide a role for the Spirit, God's ongoing revelatory activity (some also provide a role for natural revelation and human wisdom). This is a crucial issue, for it affects how we formulate our theology and whether we think, as Jesus states in John 16:12ff, that the Spirit may say things that the historical Jesus did not say to his disciples.

8. In theological reflection there will always be differences. This is what happens when differing individuals reflect theologically. These differences are even manifested in the New Testament. One must find ways of sharing and expressing differences without destroying relationship and trust. There should also be confession of the heart relationship of those whose expressions differ. Conflict should not be averted, for without open sharing of differences views are not heard and reflection suffers. Creative tension contributes to new understanding of truth. To differ openly together and hear each other is a developed skill.

9. For the Renewed Moravian Church the cross has been central as a way of understanding the Christian message and mission. The amazing truth about God is especially expressed in God's giving of God's self in the crucifixion. Zinzendorf believed that Christ carried his crucified humanity with him in his resurrection, always remaining the crucified Savior. It is in the crucifixion, according to Zinzendorf, that the Creator of all souls renounces the use of power and promises gentleness as he works his plans for each. The theology of the cross is in contrast to what is traditionally called "the theology of glory," a sort of triumphalism. Zinzendorf believed that the cross was the paradigm for understanding the nature of all things Christian

Historical Background

Although it has often been said that the Moravian Church does not have a theology or is not theologically inclined, it is our understanding that it has a very definite theology. In its long history it has variously had its unique stance, also being influenced by the theological expressions of the other theological traditions: in the late 16th and early 17th century the Ancient Church was decidedly affected by the Reformed tradition, while in 18th Century Germany the Renewed Church was quite Lutheran, affirming the special role of the Augsburg Confession.

Generally, sometimes more and sometimes less consciously, there has been an awareness of epistemological issues which has decidedly affected the position of the Moravian Church on theology. It is well expressed in the statement on theology in 1979 by the Joint Theological Commission of the Northern and Southern Provinces, U.S.A.:

"Theological reflection in the Moravian tradition is not to be understood as an attempt to arrive at final answers but is a way of thinking about God and His relationship to us so that He can, through His Spirit, draw us to Himself, and to His Son, and we can know Him as the Source of our living. Such reflection should lead to sharing of ideas and experiences, articulation of our faith, new levels of trust toward each other as persons through whom God partially discloses Himself in various ways, stimulation of the Christian life and our attentive waiting upon God for His clarification of our understanding."

One may say that the theological views which are particular to the Moravian Church were formed by an awareness that Christianity at its heart was relational and devotional, not conceptual; that the fostering of Christian life was central, without which concepts had no "coinage"; and that conceptual liturgical and institutional expressions were shaped by historical contexts. The understanding of the Ancient Church was particularly formed by its dividing all theological and ecclesial matters into: essentials, ministerials, and incidentals. In the Zinzendorfian period we have the emphasis on Basic Truths, or Fundamentals, and Heart Religion—somewhat equivalent to the Essentials of the Ancient Church. This is a very explicit theology, though it is not a "systematic" theology because he theologically believed that it was not possible-—one cannot know and express God that way. Any attempt to systematize understanding of God will always have gaps because of human limitations. One needs to accept that the only Christian system is Christ, the historical expression of the person of God. As Zinzendorf has God say in a poem that expresses his epistemology, "My nature, which no one sees, has built itself a body."2 Zinzendorf's belief that Heart Religion3 was the basis of all Christian religion, allowed him to recognize that creeds and theologies may be adhered to as legitimate cultural incarnations of Christianity, valid for their context. Thus Moravians of the Renewed Church in different countries adhered to different creedal formulations, yet all belonged to the same Bruedergemeine (Congregation of Brethren). In the eighteenth century Moravian Church, separate membership lists were even preserved for Moravians, Reformed, and Lutherans within the Bruedergemeine. Thus the treasures of each would not be lost.

The Moravian Church then is inheritor of a particular approach to theology and a particular understanding of Christianity about which it has not always been adequately conscious or articulate. It is also inheritor of a variegated 500-year heritage. It is not a church without creeds or a theology, nor is its theology expressed (in a definitive sense) in the Easter morning liturgy, as is so often said .4 The Ancient Church has its creeds. The Renewed Church accepted the great creedal expressions of Christianity as indigenous expressions of faith while affirming that Christianity was not primarily conceptual/creedal.

Outline of the Moravian Theological Tradition

I. The Old Brethren 1457-1495

Inheritor of more radical (Taborite) forms of the Hussite Reformation and teaching of Peter Chelcicky, era of Gregory who sought a "true" Christianity in separation from society and obedience to the Sermon on the Mount. Called "Brethren of the Law.” One of the distinctive elements of the theology of the Ancient Church was division of the elements of Christian faith and life into essentials, ministerials (that which served the essentials), and incidentals (the way things were done). John Taborsky, a priest during this period, commented:

"Such we hold, is the difference between things essential or basic, and [things] ministrative, and again incidental. All the members of the Holy Church should keep themselves always, without ceasing, in every place, at all times, by every reason, in the essential things. For as a man comes quickly by God's grace to the knowledge of the Lord God and by that to the true faith and love while holding on to God, in the light of that knowledge he uses judgment while differentiating between the good and the bad. By the power of faith he ought to shun evil and by grace do good and from this have hope of eternal reward. He ought always to live in this and never depart from it. Then what things ministrate to such, as is the ministry of the Word of God and the sacraments; with such, people should occupy themselves. All this should take place as the officials of the church recognize the need for the growth of the essential things; and they should use the incidental things for edification and betterment.

Therefore the people who do not employ this differentiation and, accordingly, consider things ministrative or incidental as essential, judging them to be faith and truth, place themselves in great jeopardy with regard to the work of their salvation."5

II. Era of Brother Lukas 1495-1531

Lukas helped the Unity move from a rural sect into its society and cities and formulated a theology which continued to play a significant role throughout the Ancient Moravian Church's history.

III. Period of Lutheran Orientation 1531-1546

Under the leadership of John Roh and John Augusta the Unity was strongly influenced by the Lutheran Reformation, establishing contacts with Luther.

IV. Era of Matthias Cervenka and John Blahoslav 1546-1571

Pupils of Melanchthon advocate a "return" to Lukas and less passive attitude to society. At this time members of the Unity move into Poland and East Prussia because of persecution. Greater contacts develop with the Reformed tradition. The Sendomir Consensus between the Unity, Reformed and Lutherans in Poland.

V. The Last 50 Years In Bohemia and Moravia 1571-1620

Nobility influential in leadership, stronger turn to Calvinism, greater appreciation of the Old Testament, publishing of Kralice Bible (equivalent in Czech language to Luther's translation), relaxing of ascetic attitudes to life. The Thirty Years War brings the institutional existence of the Ancient Church to an end, though it continues for a while in Poland.

VI. The Exile and Comenius 1620ff (Comenius died in 1670)

This is often called the "time of the hidden seed," when the Moravian traditions were maintained in secret. Bishop John Amos Comenius dedicated much of his life to keeping the heritage of the Ancient Church alive, preserving it for such as Zinzendorf who would rediscover it in the future. In 1662 he published the last Confession of the Unity.

Renewed Moravian Church

VII. Era of Zinzendorf 1722-1760

The beginnings of the Moravian Church in Herrnhut consisted of persons from Lutheran, Moravian, and Reformed traditions under the guidance of Zinzendorf, a Lutheran Pietist who sought to forge creative answers to the Enlightenment and used the developing Moravian Church as a lab in which to experiment with his theological understandings. The Moravian elements of this religious community insisted on the revival of their ancient traditions which Zinzendorf, with great hesitation, ultimately came to feel was God's will.

The Renewed Church was really conceived as a "society" within the state church and its own theological expressions had to be carefully related to existing creeds and catechisms. Though it is unclear as to how much Zinzendorf's thought was affected by his growing awareness of the Ancient Church, it is clear that many of his ideas are strikingly similar.

Ordination of Moravian bishops was received at the hands of the last remaining bishop of the Ancient Church. This was an extremely creative period, seeing the spread of the Moravian Church to many continents. Zinzendorf s ideas, his own blend of Pietism, Luther, and Mysticism, are formative for this period, though not always fully understood or accepted.

VIII. Reorganization, Stabilization, Expanding Influence 1760-1857

The Synods of the first two decades after Zinzendorf both preserve and modify his insights in "more acceptable" directions, and reorganize and centralize the church. Spangenberg publishes his Idea Fidei Fratrum and his Life of Zinzendorf; Gregor's Hymnbook is published in the 1770s. While there are pressures to modernize, this is generally a conservatizing tendency. There is gradually a decline of the settlement congregations, the communal form of church life.

IX. The Modern Period 1857ff

There is a decentralization of church government and attempts to update doctrine, including new interest in Zinzendorf in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, exemplified in Hermann Plitt's Zinzendorf's Theologies. The interest in Zinzendorf has greatly grown on the Continent in this century.

Significant matters the church has had to deal with are the impact of biblical criticism, the development of new theological movements (e.g. liberal theology, neo-orthodoxy, liberation theology), the ecumenical movement, and two world wars.

Since World War II the former mission provinces have been granted status equal to those in Europe, England, and America, and thus the majority of Moravians are now in the Third World. Decentralization, self-consciousness, differing cultural contexts, contacts with indigenous religious movements, and the barriers to knowledge of the Moravian tradition through loss of the languages in which it was expressed have frequently allowed the provinces to undergo indigenous theological developments not always in touch with the heritage of the Ancient Church or Zinzendorf and not always sensitive to the other provinces.

Footnotes

1 The above describes the way the essentials were understood in the Ancient Moravian Church and during the Zinzendorfian period. The General Synod of 1879 gave a more detailed definition in terms of eight "leading doctrines" (sometimes called "essentials"), while recognizing that the "cardinal truths" were the "doctrine of the fellowship of believers with one another in Christ Jesus, the doctrine of the second coming of the Lord in glory, and the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead unto life or unto condemnation." (J. Taylor Hamilton and Kenneth G. Hamilton, History of the Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pa.: Interprovincial Board of Christian Education, 1967, p. 319) Here the essentials are defined in terms of "beliefs." The older definition tended to define essentials in terms of relationship with God and the experience of salvation. In 1957 General Synod set a statement on "The Ground of the Unity" at that place in the Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum where the eight "essentials" had previously been listed. "The Ground of the Unity" describes the Moravian tradition as one in which relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ is central and essential.

2 "Allegegenwart," Graf Ludwigs von Zinzendorf Teutscher Gedichte, Erster Theil, Herrnhuth, 1735, pp. 106-108.

3 Zinzendorf defined "Heart" as the inner person which had five senses as did the outer person. The "Heart," especially when it has been brought to life by the Holy Spirit, can perceive the Savior objectively and directly. In modern terms we might speak of this as "intuition" or "extrasensory perception." Zinzendorf's approach is very similar to Teresa of Avila's "intellectual vision." One knows one has seen and experienced, but this is not dependent on images or emotions. The best evidence for the Heart relationship with the Savior is changed life. There are several biblical examples of "Heart Religion" which Zinzendorf liked to cite. One was that of John and Jesus' mother gathered at the cross. Another was the objective perception of Jesus by John the Baptist while he was still in his mother's womb (Luke 1). See Einige seit 1751 von dem Ordinario Fratrum zu London gehaltene Predigten in Dreven-HauptAbthcilungen edirter, Erster Band, London and Barby: 1756, Abth. II, (1.17.53), pp. 153156.

4 The Easter Morning Liturgy was developed originally in the 18th century German context of the Moravian Church and uses a great deal of Luther's Shorter Catechism. Thus it is a confession of faith among others, but does not necessarily embody unique Moravian insights. It is true, however, that theology and worship are married in the Moravian approach.

5 Milo Strupl, Confessional Theology of the Unitas Fratrum, Vanderbilt University, Ph.D. Dissertation,1964, p. 134.

Revised and accepted for use by the Interprovincial Faith and Order Commission of the North American Moravian Provinces on July 13, 1990.

	The Moravian Interprovincial Faith & Order Commission
	Statements of the Moravian Interprovincial Faith & Order Commission
[BACK] On Doing Theology Forwarded to the Provincial Elders Conference (PEC): 7/90 Adopted by Northern Province PEC:_____ Adopted by Southern Province PEC:_____ The Theological Task as Understood Within the Moravian Tradition (7/90) The attempt here will be to provide some perspective on the Moravian understanding of theology from which the Interprovincial Faith and Order Commission of the Moravian Church in America might formulate its perspective and task. Though one is always selective in developing a perspective or principles from a 500 year tradition, involving intentional neglect or rejection of some parts of the tradition which in one's attempted objectivity do not seem to represent the major thrusts of the tradition, we would like to attempt a statement of the Moravian perspective which is relevant for the Moravian Church today and the task of the Commission. The Moravian Perspective 1. The theological task always revolves around the fostering of the "essentials," understood as relationship with God/Christ and the receiving of God's grace and salvation. All else is "ministerial" to this. This is why worship and devotional practice are crucial to theology. The theological areas with which the Commission deals should then be contributory to relationship with God.' 2. Theological reflection is for the sake of creating the possibilities of Christian life, action, and mission-it is not merely an abstract and intellectual enterprise. 3. Christianity is only to be identified with concepts, liturgies, church order, etc., in a secondary way. All such expressions are historically and culturally conditioned, and so they should be to be relevant. They are to be treasured, but not finalized. Thus all doing of theology is limited and not identical with God's truth. 4. Theology must rigorously use the gift of the intellect in the continuous search for truth. However, doing theology is also a devotional exercise. Openness to the formative influence of God and God's Spirit is crucial. Prayer is then important to doing theology. Theologizing is partially planned and structured by human effort, but is also formed by a following after and openness to God. Thus one must see where theologizing takes one. 5. The Moravian Church has most often been in conversation with other great theological traditions and has never understood itself as having all wisdom. 6. Though theology is often a response to the present and its issues, it is also rooted in a tradition which is variegated rather than uniform. It is a tradition of wisdom and mistakes out of which one should live much as a person lives out of the varied experience of personal history. To live only with the past is to cease to live, but to live without a past is to be amnesiac, to have nothing to live and act from. 7. Though the Moravian Church has at times made statements about Scripture being the only basis of faith, life and practice, this is not true of the special insights of the Moravian tradition. In the Ancient Church Scripture was a ministerial, not an essential. For Zinzendorf the Spirit was crucial, leading the church to what it should do in the present. Scripture as the only authority is derived from the Protestant principle of sola scriptura and was characteristic of more conservative periods of the Moravian Church. In its present statement of sola scriptura the Moravian Church is out of harmony with the statements of many churches which provide a role for the Spirit, God's ongoing revelatory activity (some also provide a role for natural revelation and human wisdom). This is a crucial issue, for it affects how we formulate our theology and whether we think, as Jesus states in John 16:12ff, that the Spirit may say things that the historical Jesus did not say to his disciples. 8. In theological reflection there will always be differences. This is what happens when differing individuals reflect theologically. These differences are even manifested in the New Testament. One must find ways of sharing and expressing differences without destroying relationship and trust. There should also be confession of the heart relationship of those whose expressions differ. Conflict should not be averted, for without open sharing of differences views are not heard and reflection suffers. Creative tension contributes to new understanding of truth. To differ openly together and hear each other is a developed skill. 9. For the Renewed Moravian Church the cross has been central as a way of understanding the Christian message and mission. The amazing truth about God is especially expressed in God's giving of God's self in the crucifixion. Zinzendorf believed that Christ carried his crucified humanity with him in his resurrection, always remaining the crucified Savior. It is in the crucifixion, according to Zinzendorf, that the Creator of all souls renounces the use of power and promises gentleness as he works his plans for each. The theology of the cross is in contrast to what is traditionally called "the theology of glory," a sort of triumphalism. Zinzendorf believed that the cross was the paradigm for understanding the nature of all things Christian Historical Background Although it has often been said that the Moravian Church does not have a theology or is not theologically inclined, it is our understanding that it has a very definite theology. In its long history it has variously had its unique stance, also being influenced by the theological expressions of the other theological traditions: in the late 16th and early 17th century the Ancient Church was decidedly affected by the Reformed tradition, while in 18th Century Germany the Renewed Church was quite Lutheran, affirming the special role of the Augsburg Confession. Generally, sometimes more and sometimes less consciously, there has been an awareness of epistemological issues which has decidedly affected the position of the Moravian Church on theology. It is well expressed in the statement on theology in 1979 by the Joint Theological Commission of the Northern and Southern Provinces, U.S.A.: "Theological reflection in the Moravian tradition is not to be understood as an attempt to arrive at final answers but is a way of thinking about God and His relationship to us so that He can, through His Spirit, draw us to Himself, and to His Son, and we can know Him as the Source of our living. Such reflection should lead to sharing of ideas and experiences, articulation of our faith, new levels of trust toward each other as persons through whom God partially discloses Himself in various ways, stimulation of the Christian life and our attentive waiting upon God for His clarification of our understanding." One may say that the theological views which are particular to the Moravian Church were formed by an awareness that Christianity at its heart was relational and devotional, not conceptual; that the fostering of Christian life was central, without which concepts had no "coinage"; and that conceptual liturgical and institutional expressions were shaped by historical contexts. The understanding of the Ancient Church was particularly formed by its dividing all theological and ecclesial matters into: essentials, ministerials, and incidentals. In the Zinzendorfian period we have the emphasis on Basic Truths, or Fundamentals, and Heart Religion—somewhat equivalent to the Essentials of the Ancient Church. This is a very explicit theology, though it is not a "systematic" theology because he theologically believed that it was not possible-—one cannot know and express God that way. Any attempt to systematize understanding of God will always have gaps because of human limitations. One needs to accept that the only Christian system is Christ, the historical expression of the person of God. As Zinzendorf has God say in a poem that expresses his epistemology, "My nature, which no one sees, has built itself a body."2 Zinzendorf's belief that Heart Religion3 was the basis of all Christian religion, allowed him to recognize that creeds and theologies may be adhered to as legitimate cultural incarnations of Christianity, valid for their context. Thus Moravians of the Renewed Church in different countries adhered to different creedal formulations, yet all belonged to the same Bruedergemeine (Congregation of Brethren). In the eighteenth century Moravian Church, separate membership lists were even preserved for Moravians, Reformed, and Lutherans within the Bruedergemeine. Thus the treasures of each would not be lost. The Moravian Church then is inheritor of a particular approach to theology and a particular understanding of Christianity about which it has not always been adequately conscious or articulate. It is also inheritor of a variegated 500-year heritage. It is not a church without creeds or a theology, nor is its theology expressed (in a definitive sense) in the Easter morning liturgy, as is so often said .4 The Ancient Church has its creeds. The Renewed Church accepted the great creedal expressions of Christianity as indigenous expressions of faith while affirming that Christianity was not primarily conceptual/creedal. Outline of the Moravian Theological Tradition I. The Old Brethren 1457-1495 Inheritor of more radical (Taborite) forms of the Hussite Reformation and teaching of Peter Chelcicky, era of Gregory who sought a "true" Christianity in separation from society and obedience to the Sermon on the Mount. Called "Brethren of the Law.” One of the distinctive elements of the theology of the Ancient Church was division of the elements of Christian faith and life into essentials, ministerials (that which served the essentials), and incidentals (the way things were done). John Taborsky, a priest during this period, commented: "Such we hold, is the difference between things essential or basic, and [things] ministrative, and again incidental. All the members of the Holy Church should keep themselves always, without ceasing, in every place, at all times, by every reason, in the essential things. For as a man comes quickly by God's grace to the knowledge of the Lord God and by that to the true faith and love while holding on to God, in the light of that knowledge he uses judgment while differentiating between the good and the bad. By the power of faith he ought to shun evil and by grace do good and from this have hope of eternal reward. He ought always to live in this and never depart from it. Then what things ministrate to such, as is the ministry of the Word of God and the sacraments; with such, people should occupy themselves. All this should take place as the officials of the church recognize the need for the growth of the essential things; and they should use the incidental things for edification and betterment. Therefore the people who do not employ this differentiation and, accordingly, consider things ministrative or incidental as essential, judging them to be faith and truth, place themselves in great jeopardy with regard to the work of their salvation."5 II. Era of Brother Lukas 1495-1531 Lukas helped the Unity move from a rural sect into its society and cities and formulated a theology which continued to play a significant role throughout the Ancient Moravian Church's history. III. Period of Lutheran Orientation 1531-1546 Under the leadership of John Roh and John Augusta the Unity was strongly influenced by the Lutheran Reformation, establishing contacts with Luther. IV. Era of Matthias Cervenka and John Blahoslav 1546-1571 Pupils of Melanchthon advocate a "return" to Lukas and less passive attitude to society. At this time members of the Unity move into Poland and East Prussia because of persecution. Greater contacts develop with the Reformed tradition. The Sendomir Consensus between the Unity, Reformed and Lutherans in Poland. V. The Last 50 Years In Bohemia and Moravia 1571-1620 Nobility influential in leadership, stronger turn to Calvinism, greater appreciation of the Old Testament, publishing of Kralice Bible (equivalent in Czech language to Luther's translation), relaxing of ascetic attitudes to life. The Thirty Years War brings the institutional existence of the Ancient Church to an end, though it continues for a while in Poland. VI. The Exile and Comenius 1620ff (Comenius died in 1670) This is often called the "time of the hidden seed," when the Moravian traditions were maintained in secret. Bishop John Amos Comenius dedicated much of his life to keeping the heritage of the Ancient Church alive, preserving it for such as Zinzendorf who would rediscover it in the future. In 1662 he published the last Confession of the Unity. Renewed Moravian Church VII. Era of Zinzendorf 1722-1760 The beginnings of the Moravian Church in Herrnhut consisted of persons from Lutheran, Moravian, and Reformed traditions under the guidance of Zinzendorf, a Lutheran Pietist who sought to forge creative answers to the Enlightenment and used the developing Moravian Church as a lab in which to experiment with his theological understandings. The Moravian elements of this religious community insisted on the revival of their ancient traditions which Zinzendorf, with great hesitation, ultimately came to feel was God's will. The Renewed Church was really conceived as a "society" within the state church and its own theological expressions had to be carefully related to existing creeds and catechisms. Though it is unclear as to how much Zinzendorf's thought was affected by his growing awareness of the Ancient Church, it is clear that many of his ideas are strikingly similar. Ordination of Moravian bishops was received at the hands of the last remaining bishop of the Ancient Church. This was an extremely creative period, seeing the spread of the Moravian Church to many continents. Zinzendorf s ideas, his own blend of Pietism, Luther, and Mysticism, are formative for this period, though not always fully understood or accepted. VIII. Reorganization, Stabilization, Expanding Influence 1760-1857 The Synods of the first two decades after Zinzendorf both preserve and modify his insights in "more acceptable" directions, and reorganize and centralize the church. Spangenberg publishes his Idea Fidei Fratrum and his Life of Zinzendorf; Gregor's Hymnbook is published in the 1770s. While there are pressures to modernize, this is generally a conservatizing tendency. There is gradually a decline of the settlement congregations, the communal form of church life. IX. The Modern Period 1857ff There is a decentralization of church government and attempts to update doctrine, including new interest in Zinzendorf in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, exemplified in Hermann Plitt's Zinzendorf's Theologies. The interest in Zinzendorf has greatly grown on the Continent in this century. Significant matters the church has had to deal with are the impact of biblical criticism, the development of new theological movements (e.g. liberal theology, neo-orthodoxy, liberation theology), the ecumenical movement, and two world wars. Since World War II the former mission provinces have been granted status equal to those in Europe, England, and America, and thus the majority of Moravians are now in the Third World. Decentralization, self-consciousness, differing cultural contexts, contacts with indigenous religious movements, and the barriers to knowledge of the Moravian tradition through loss of the languages in which it was expressed have frequently allowed the provinces to undergo indigenous theological developments not always in touch with the heritage of the Ancient Church or Zinzendorf and not always sensitive to the other provinces. Footnotes 1 The above describes the way the essentials were understood in the Ancient Moravian Church and during the Zinzendorfian period. The General Synod of 1879 gave a more detailed definition in terms of eight "leading doctrines" (sometimes called "essentials"), while recognizing that the "cardinal truths" were the "doctrine of the fellowship of believers with one another in Christ Jesus, the doctrine of the second coming of the Lord in glory, and the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead unto life or unto condemnation." (J. Taylor Hamilton and Kenneth G. Hamilton, History of the Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pa.: Interprovincial Board of Christian Education, 1967, p. 319) Here the essentials are defined in terms of "beliefs." The older definition tended to define essentials in terms of relationship with God and the experience of salvation. In 1957 General Synod set a statement on "The Ground of the Unity" at that place in the Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum where the eight "essentials" had previously been listed. "The Ground of the Unity" describes the Moravian tradition as one in which relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ is central and essential. 2 "Allegegenwart," Graf Ludwigs von Zinzendorf Teutscher Gedichte, Erster Theil, Herrnhuth, 1735, pp. 106-108. 3 Zinzendorf defined "Heart" as the inner person which had five senses as did the outer person. The "Heart," especially when it has been brought to life by the Holy Spirit, can perceive the Savior objectively and directly. In modern terms we might speak of this as "intuition" or "extrasensory perception." Zinzendorf's approach is very similar to Teresa of Avila's "intellectual vision." One knows one has seen and experienced, but this is not dependent on images or emotions. The best evidence for the Heart relationship with the Savior is changed life. There are several biblical examples of "Heart Religion" which Zinzendorf liked to cite. One was that of John and Jesus' mother gathered at the cross. Another was the objective perception of Jesus by John the Baptist while he was still in his mother's womb (Luke 1). See Einige seit 1751 von dem Ordinario Fratrum zu London gehaltene Predigten in Dreven-HauptAbthcilungen edirter, Erster Band, London and Barby: 1756, Abth. II, (1.17.53), pp. 153156. 4 The Easter Morning Liturgy was developed originally in the 18th century German context of the Moravian Church and uses a great deal of Luther's Shorter Catechism. Thus it is a confession of faith among others, but does not necessarily embody unique Moravian insights. It is true, however, that theology and worship are married in the Moravian approach. 5 Milo Strupl, Confessional Theology of the Unitas Fratrum, Vanderbilt University, Ph.D. Dissertation,1964, p. 134. Revised and accepted for use by the Interprovincial Faith and Order Commission of the North American Moravian Provinces on July 13, 1990.