Moses Lectures in Moravian Studies

Since 1995, the Walter Vivian Moses Lectures in Moravian Studies have been held annually on the last Thursday in April at Moravian Seminary. In 2000, the lectures expanded to include sites in North Carolina (2nd Monday of October) and the Western District of the Moravian Church (1st Sunday of November). These lectures, devoted to Moravian topics, are supported by a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.

The lectureship honors the memory of the late Bishop Walter Vivian Moses, who was an Old Testament scholar, dean of Moravian Theological Seminary, and a leader in the Moravian Church’s response to the social issues of the 20th century. Bishop Moses (1879–1975) was a member of the faculty of Moravian Theological Seminary from 1910 until his retirement in 1946. He taught Old Testament, and in 1930 he was appointed the first dean of Moravian Seminary as a separate institution from Moravian College.

Earlier in his career he had served pastorates in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and after his retirement he was the founding pastor of Schoenbrunn Moravian Church, New Philadelphia, Ohio. He was one the architects of the Moravian Church‘s response to the social issues of the 20th century, and was active in promoting civil rights in St. Augustine, Florida, where he retired in 1950.

The lecturers and their topics have been:
1995 – George W. Forell, "The Development of Count Zinzendorf ‘s Theology and its Meaning in a Pluralistic World"

1996 – Beverly Smaby, "Female Piety Among the Moravian Single Sisters"

1997 – C. Daniel Crews, "Luke of Prague: Theologian of the Unity"

1998 – Colin Podmore, "The Moravians and the Evangelical Revival in England"

1999 – David A. Schattschneider, "The Roots of the Contemporary Moravian Church in North America"

2000 – Madeleine Forell Marshall, "Zinzendorf: Hymnwriter and Poet"

2001 – Truman Dunn, "Put Thy House in Order: Moravian Church and God's New Thing"

2002 – Nola Reed Knouse, "Singing is Believing: Music at the Heart of Moravian Faith and Life"

2003 – Hans-Beat Motel, "The Moravian Church as a Global Community: Dreams at the Beginning, Challenges Today, Dreams for the Future"

2004 – Craig Atwood, "Faith, Hope and Love: The Moravian Theological Heritage"

2005 – Albert Frank, "Writing a Companion to the Moravian Book of Worship"

2006 – Alice Caldwell, "Moravian Music on a Mission"

2007 – Rev. Vernon Nelson, "Lindsey House in Chelsea: The World Headquarters of the Moravian Church, 1752-55"

2008 – Paul Peucker, "Beyond Beeswax Candles & Lovefeast Buns: The Role of History in Finding a Moravian Identity"