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Amman, but now mostly live in
the eastern US. Of several groups
of Amish that exist today, the most
distinctive is the Old Order, who
adopt traditional clothes, shun
recent developments such as
motorized transport, and run their
own schools, preferring to help each
other than to accept state funding.
Worship takes place in their homes,
with different homeowners taking
turns to host the Sunday service.
MORAVIAN BRETHREN
1722, Saxony, Germany
In 1722, German Count Nikolaus
von Zinzendorf invited a group of
Protestants from Moravia (now in
the Czech Republic) to form a
community on his estate in Saxony.
Owing their origins to the earliest
Protestants, the followers of reformer
Jan Hus, who was burned at the
stake in 1415, they became known
as the Moravian Brethren. Their
Church looks to the Scriptures for
guidance on faith and conduct, with
little emphasis on doctrine. A key
part of their worship is the sharing of
a communal meal called a lovefeast.
They are evangelical, sending
missionaries throughout the world.
METHODISM
1720s–30s, England
Methodism was founded by John
Wesley in England in the 18th
century. It is now one of the four
largest Churches in Britain and has
more than 70 million adherents
worldwide. Methodists believe that
Christians should live by the method
outlined by the Bible, and place
major emphasis on Scripture and
little on ritual. Preaching is
considered especially important.
SHAKERS
c.1758, Great BritainThe Shakers’ name is derived
from the trembling experienced by
members in religious ecstasy. Their
founder, Ann Lee, claimed she had
revelations that she was Christ’s
female counterpart. Persecuted
in England, she and her followers
emigrated to America, where they
held their possessions in common
and were celibate. Although the
group was popular in the 19th
century, membership declined
in the 20th century, and today
there are few members. However,
the Shakers are still respected
for their austere lifestyle and the
simple furniture they created.UNITARIANISM
1774, EnglandUnitarians believe in one God but
not the Holy Trinity (pp.212–19),
and they seek truth based in human
experience rather than religious
doctrine. Unitarian ideas began to
emerge in Poland, Hungary, and
England in the 16th century, but the
first Unitarian Church was founded
in England only in 1774, and in the
US in 1781. Numbers declined in
the 20th century, but there are still
thriving congregations in the US
and Europe. Congregations are
independent of one another
and there is no Church hierarchy.MORMONISM
1830, New YorkThe Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints was founded by
American Joseph Smith, Jr. He
claimed to have been guided to a setof gold tablets bearing the word of
God by an angel. He translated them
as The Book of Mormon (1830), which,
together with other Mormon texts,
and the Bible, form the religion’s
writings. Smith claimed the right
to guide the Church through further
revelations, including permission
for polygamous marriages and the
possibility for all men to become
gods. After his death in 1844, the
Mormons followed a new leader,
Brigham Young, to Utah, where the
Church remains strong.PLYMOUTH BRETHREN
1831, Plymouth, EnglandThe Plymouth Brethren began
as a group of Christians who
rejected the sectarian nature of
the existing Protestant churches,
seeking a less formal religion.
They believed that all should have
equal access to their faith, and did
not ordain priests. Enthusiastic
preachers, they emphasized the
importance of regular worship,
Bible study, and missionary work.
In 1848, they divided into two
broad groups, the Open and the
Exclusive Brethren, differing in
their interpretation of certain
theological issues and their
attitudes toward outsiders.
Today, there are an estimated
two million members of the
group around the world.CHRISTADELPHIANISM
1848, Richmond, VAThe name Christadelphians
(“Christ’s brothers”) reflects a desire
of the Church’s English founder,
John Thomas, to return to the faith
of Jesus’s first disciples. He rejected
the term Christianity, believing thatDIRECTORY