Schwenkfelder Church

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The Schwenkfelder Church is a small American Christian body rooted in the 16th century reformation teachings of Caspar Schwenkfeld von Ossig (1489-1561).

Though followers have held the teachings of Caspar Schwenkfeld since the sixteenth century, the Schwenkfelder Church did not come into existence until the twentieth century, due in large part to Schwenkfeld's emphasis on inner spirituality over outward form. He also labored for a fellowship of all believers and one church. By the middle of the sixteenth century, there were thousands of followers of his "Reformation by the Middle Way". His ideas appear to be a middle ground between the ways of the Reformation of Luther, Calvin and Zwingli, and the Radical Reformation of the Anabaptists.

Originally calling themselves Confessors of the Glory of Christ^[1], Schwenkfeld's followers later became known as Schwenkfelders. These Christians often suffered persecution like slavery, prison and fines at the hands of the government and state churches in Europe. Most of them lived in southern Germany and lower Silesia.

By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the remaining Schwenkfelders lived around Harpersdorf. As the persecution intensified around 1719-1725, they were given refuge in 1726 by Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf of Saxony. When the ruler of Saxony died in 1733, Jesuits sought the new ruler to return the Schwenkfelders to Harpersdorf. With their freedom in jeopardy, they decided to look to the New World.

The immigrant members of the Schwenkfelder Church brought saffron to the Americas; many Schwenkfelders had grown saffron in Europe. A group came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1731, and several migrations continued until 1737. The largest group, 180 Schwenkfelders, arrived in 1734. In 1782, the Society of Schwenkfelders was formed, and in 1909 the Schwenkfelder Church was organized.

They teach that the Bible is the source of Christian theology, but also believe it is dead without the inner work of the Holy Spirit. They also continue his belief that the divinity of Jesus was progressive, and that the Lord's supper is a mystical spiritual partaking of the body of Christ in open communion. Adult baptism and dedication of children is practiced. Their ecclesiastical tradition is congregational and ecumenical. The Schwenkfelder churches recognize the right of the individual in decisions such as public service, armed combat, etc.

The Schwenkfelder Church has remained small: as of 2003 there are six congregations^[2] with about 3,000 members in southeastern Pennsylvania. All of these bodies are within a fifty-mile radius of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The General Conference of the Schwenkfelder Church meets annually.

[edit] References

Encyclopedia of American Religions, edited by J. Gordon Melton
Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
Profiles in Belief: the Religious Bodies of the United States and Canada, by Arthur Carl Piepkorn

[edit] Footnotes

↑ In 1541, Caspar Schwenkfeld published the Great Confession on the Glory of Christ. Based on this book and his view of Christ, Schwenkfeld's followers called themselves Confessors of the Glory of Christ.
↑ The six churches are located at Lansdale, Norristown, Palm, Philadelphia (2), and Worcester.