The Roots of the Contemporary Moravian Church in North America

Abstract

ABSTRACT Traditionally, the history of the Moravian Church has been divided into two parts: the Ancient Unity (1457–1620) and the Renewed Unity (1722–today). The author suggests a different division for the history of the American Moravian Church: a colonial period (1735–1857) and a contemporary period (1857–today). Scholars and tourists are almost exclusively interested in the colonial period of the Moravians, while Moravian leaders do not value the external perception of the colonial period but rather create an internal perception of the Moravian Church, rejecting the characteristics of the colonial era. The author examines these two interpretations and offers suggestions to reconcile them in the future.