| Moravian missionary practices highlight an early modern paradox that needs addressing by historians of philosophy. On the one hand, the influence of Protestant churches drastically declined in the early modern period while at the same time natural philosophy emerged as a new source of authoritative knowledge, which has prompted many historians to proclaim 1600-1800 as the first era of European secularization. Yet, while it may be true that official state churches of Western Europe, both Protestant and Catholic with a strict authoritative hierarchy, declined, others experienced dramatic increases in religious fervor that Anglicans in England derisively called enthusiasm. A new wave of reform began in England called non-conformism or separatism, as its name indicates, operated outside the control of the English government. In Germany, the reform sect called Pietism sought a more personal and intense expression of their faith on a daily basis, rather than a Christian life confined and defined by official Lutheran doctrine. By the 1740s, the Moravians had spread beyond their European boundaries to the continents of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. In 1741, they had a well-established mission base in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Moravians were not the only mission-sending agency in the American colonies, but they were the most accomplished missionaries at integrating culturally with the indigenous Native Americans. Yet, the primary focus of this study will be to discover the unique philosophical ideas embedded in Moravian theology and expressed through mission practices. Moravian theology did not just enshrine its tenets in hefty theological tomes for subsequent generations of scholars to debate, rather it compelled its followers to engage in missionary practices that appear to correspond with Enlightenment pedagogy's emphasis on experiential learning. |
