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Dr. Katherine Faull of Bucknell University presented the annual Moses Lectures in Moravian theology at Moravian Seminary on October 13. Dr. Faull has done extensive research into the life of the Moravians in the 18th century, giving special attention to women’s experience in the church. At that time Moravian communities were divided in groups called “choirs,” which were organized according to age, gender, and marital status. There were choirs for the children, Single Sisters, Single Brothers, married persons, and widows and widowers. The Moravians believed that pastoral care should be geared toward a person’s stage of life. Male and female elders were appointed to oversee each of the choirs and assist the members in their spiritual, physical, emotional, and social development.
In her first lecture she explore the significance of the Moravian practice of “speaking” with an elder or eldress prior to receiving Holy Communion. Choir leaders were trained to help people examine their own lives from the perspective of their relationship with Christ. Members learned how to share their joys and sorrows, doubts and hopes and fears with someone outside their own family circle. Dr. Faull argued that this was a way that Moravians were able to develop a sense of self through conversation. She highlighted the sensitivity with which the elders and eldresses conducted the speaking and suggested that historians should look at this as a step toward modern psychoanalytic practice.
Her second lecture explored in detail the instructions for the different choirs, especially how choir leaders were trained to help people through the normal crises of maturing, especially puberty and marriage. Many in the audience were surprised to learn that the instructions were quite frank about human physiology and even provided basic sexual information for married couples. Moravians had a far more positive view of the human body and sexuality than most Christian groups, and choir leaders even taught husbands to say a blessing for their wives after coupling. Over lunch she met with students in the Moravian history and discussed how this historical research might be helpful to the church’s pastoral care in the 21st century. |
