Before there were Protestants, there were Moravians.
In 1415, a Roman Catholic priest named Jan Hus was burned at the stake in Prague for promoting a vernacular liturgy, clergy marriage, and the elimination of indulgences. If he had been born just a few decades later, he might have found a friend in Martin Luther. But instead we know him as the forerunner of a pre-Protestant reforming movement that became the Moravian Church.
Moravians have a unique and robust culture, a fascinating history, and were some of the first and strongest voices for Christian unity, before the ecumenical movement even began.
John Hus was influenced by the writings of John Wycliffe, a fourteenth century English cleric, philosopher, reformer, and theologian, the "Morning Star of the Reformation."Moravian Liturgies
On this page is a list of liturgies from the Moravian Book of Worship and other sources.
Also See: Moravian ResourcesA Patron Saint for Christian Unity?
We in the Christian West sometimes speak of the “age of the undivided Church,” the time before the Great Schism divided Greek East from Latin West. But such a phrase shows a certain provincialism in our historical study. The first large and unresolved schism happened after the council of Ephesus in 431, when the Church of the East (the Assyrian Church) was separated from the Roman-Byzantine Church. Not long after, the Roman Christians were separated from the Oriental Orthodox Christians when the latter could not accept the decision of the Council of Chalcedon.
This history of the Church could, in some ways, be understood as the history of division. And yet the Holy Spirit—the spirit of the crucified Jesus—continues to work in spite of the scandalous wounds of Christ’s body.
In the Celtic Church men and women who lived singularly godly and holy lives were recognized as "saints." There was no formal canonization. They were recognized as "saints" solely upon their reputation, the esteem with which others, both Christians and pagans, held them.Not for Wimps: The Challenges of Pastoral Care Ministry
Honor and emulate, not venerate, is the more accurate way of describing the attitude that Anglicans have taken toward the "saints" from the English Reformation on.
The blessings of pastoral care ministry far outweigh the challenges of pastoral care ministry, however, the realities below is definitely not easy. Don’t waste your time and money going to seminary or college for pastoral training if you are not prepared for the negative aspects of ministry....
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These questions are important for every student of the Bible, and textual criticism contributes part of the answer. In this article, we will describe what textual criticism is and why it is necessary. We will consider the goal of textual criticism as well as the benefits and limitations of the discipline.
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So let’s look at the role of youth group Bible study. Then we’ll consider topics—both biblical and cultural—that appeal to today’s teens. Finally, check out creative Bible study prompts, complete with Scripture references and teaching points.
Characteristics of a Sunday School Teacher, the KidMin Superhero
What characteristics of a Sunday school teacher come to mind for you? Images that might pop into your head include a sweet grandmother with a flannelgraph board. Or a college student with a guitar. Maybe it’s a harried parent who got “volunteered” at the last minute.
But Sunday school teachers aren’t cut from one mold. They come in all ages, personalities, and backgrounds. Some are energetic extroverts. Others are quiet and steady. Some are creative and love crafts. Others prefer storytelling. Some are lifelong churchgoers. Others are brand-new Christians with a heart for kids.
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