When at War
“The Moravian” has been in print through many wars and, with our varying opinions of the current war, it is interesting to look at the various articles that made it to print during other non-peaceful periods. Part of the printing history of “The Moravian,” some of these articles were simply the opinion of various editors, ministers, and laymen.
Civil War
The Moravian, May 23, 1861,“Our Brethren”
“The feeling of animosity, existing between the North and South, at the present crisis, is certainly one of the most ominous signs of the times. When we remember that a large number of the families in the North have some near and dear relatives, friends, or Christian brethren with whom they are one in the Lord, residing in the South, this violence becomes still more deplorable. Oh that through the mercy of God our Savior, all ill-feeling and hatred, especially between members of the same household of faith, might be avoided. We who reside in the North regard with profound sympathy our Christian brethren in the South, to whom we are bound by so many ties of affection, if even not of consanguinity; and as we know not what Providence hath in store for us, we pray our brethren South to continue to feel for us the sympathy and affection which we profess for them. May the good Lord mercifully watch over all our churches in both sections of the country. May the work of the Gospel not be hindered by the tumult around us, but great and lasting good come out of this seeming evil.”
The Moravian, October 3, 1861,
“The Moravian Church and Slavery”
“… [I]t is Slavery that has brought this war upon us…”
“In the name of the Moravian Church, therefore, we are ready to express our abhorrence of Slavery.”
“… [W]e verily believe that no Church of the land will rejoice more heartily in the day that brings civil freedom to the down-trodden and oppressed African race, than the Church of the Brethren. As Moravians, then, we absolve ourselves from the imputation of viewing Slavery with friendly feelings or stoical indifference. We shall continue to pray: ‘Give peace and salvation, O God, to this land, and to all that dwell therein.’ ‘Yea, have mercy on thy whole creation.’ These are the words of our own Church Litany, and we hope to see them fulfilled in God’s own time.”
The Moravian, October 31, 1861,
“Faith and War”
“The war exists; it has become a necessity. We would rejoice most fervently if it had never commenced; and we would thank God with fervency of heart if it were soon to come to an end. But while the South continues in its present attitude, where is there an alternative? Either the permanent disruption of the Republic, which involves the triumph of all the base principles that underlie the pro-slavery rebellion — or war. And however fearful the latter be, in itself considered, however sad and agonizing many of the issues which proceed from it, however bitter the tears that are shed in consequence of its carnage and earth-dealing conflicts — this is certain, and history will record it in letters not to be erased: that war was forced upon this country; that while the Federal Government anxiously strove to avoid a fratricidal strife, while a leniency and a forbearance were shown, not often, or never, equaled by those in authority, secession, unprovoked, lifted its impious hand against the flag of the nation, and knowing the consequences, created with premeditation that terrible necessity under which the whole land is suffering. If ever a State, in the sight of God, could truthfully say: we are innocent of the blood that is being shed; we fight not for glory, and not for aggrandizement, but for our existence — the loyal States of the Federal Union can so speak.”
World War I
The Moravian, October 29, 1914,“The War and its Influence upon the German Province of our Brethren’s Unity and our Missions”
Written by J. Taylor Hamilton, a German Moravian from Herrnhut
“I cannot, indeed, write anything exhaustive or final on this subject. Upon the whole, I only venture to write because I have been requested to send some information, so that our American Province may be able to remember with sympathy those affected by the war. Of course it is much too soon to write anything more than some sketchy remarks. God alone knows what the end will be and what experience we may have to make. But it is our comfort that He is the supreme Ruler.
That the war so long feared and yet suddenly begun has been a heavy blow to our German Province, our brethren in America will readily believe; but how heavy they can scarcely know. Until now, more than five hundred men of our congregations, some of them married men, have been called to the colors, though not all have as yet gone to the front. No wonder that the war-prayer meetings — twice a week in Herrnhut — are well attended. May the congregations in America remember in their prayers us here in Europe and our embarrassed mission-work in all parts of the world.
The Moravian, May 23, 1917,
“The Duty of the Church in this Hour of National Need”
A message from the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, in special session assembled, at Washington, DC, May 8-9, 1917.
“After long patience, and with a solemn sense of responsibility, the government of the United States has been forced to recognize that a state of war exists between this country and Germany, and the President has called upon all the people for their loyal support and whole-hearted allegiance. As American citizens, members of Christian Churches gathered in Federal Council, we are here to pledge both support and allegiance in unstinted measure.”
“As citizens of a peace-loving nation we abhor war. We have long striven to secure the judicial settlement of all international disputes. But since, in spite of every effort war has come, we are grateful that the ends to which we are committed are such as we can approve. To vindicate the principles of righteousness and the inviolability of faith as between nation and nation; to safeguard the right of all peoples, great and small alike, to live their life in freedom and peace, to resist and overcome the forces that would prevent the union of the nations in a commonwealth of free peoples conscious of unity in the pursuit of ideal ends — these are aims for which every one of us may lay down our all, even life itself.”
The Moravian, August 7, 1918,
“The Country Church and the War”
The Rev. Edmund Des. Brunner, Ph.D.
“This is not a purely commercial matter. We are not fighting for profits. That which concerns profits concerns also many other things, and most of all, freedom. The moral issues at stake in this war are to be seen in Belgium, in Serbia, in Armenia, and most recent of all, in Russia. What Germany did to these countries she would do anywhere where she felt the necessity demanded it. Neither the honor of individuals, nor the integrity of nations, nor the sanctity of religions is safe in her hands.
Had we not entered this war, prosperity would have been the least of our losses. We would have had to accept might as the one law in the world. No treaty would have been sacred; there would have been a lower standard of living. Had this happened, the country church would have been impaired. With these losses would have come the anguish of unsatisfied living and the nerve strain of our living close to the deadline of poverty.
And so the war we fight is not only a defense of our territory and of our right to the freedom of the seas, but it is also the defense of our homes, our ideals, our liberty and all that we in America have grown to be in the years of our history and have held dearer than life itself.
This is why we can fight with a conscience that is clear. Our aims declared by a Christian President are nearer to the ideals of the Kingdom of God than those of any nation that has ever waged war before. As the men of 1776 went forward with benediction of the Church to fight for democracy and as the men of the Civil War were decided that on this continent there should be no distinction as between bond or free, so the men of the present day go out to prove that ‘God hath made of one blood all nations that do dwell on the earth.’ This is why the country church should and must get into the war.”
World War II
The Moravian, February 9, 1942,“Win the War — Win the Peace”
The Rt. Rev. G. Ashton Oldham, D.D., Bishop of Albany, President, American Council, World Alliance
“This nation is involved in a vast conflict, on the outcome of which man’s hope for peace depends. Every citizen of whatever faith is challenged by the needs of the nation and of the world for devotion, effort, and sacrifice.
Fighting alone, however, will not bring peace, but only make it a possibility. Force is not creative or constructive. It is not positive but negative in character. While it can destroy evil, it can not produce good. In the true and profound words of Admiral Mahan, ‘All force can do is to hold evil in check long enough for moral ideas to take root.’ Defeat of the Axis powers alone will not ensure a better world, but will simply afford another opportunity to build one. If we are not to miss it, as we did last time, we shall have to do some honest and realistic thinking and planning well in advance. In fact, the time to begin is now.”
The Wachovia Moravian, August 1957,
“General Synod to Face Issues Regarding Unity”
Walser Haddon Allen
“We like to point out that our Moravian Church is a world-wide unity, that here in the United States the Civil War — or the ‘War Between the States’ as some prefer to speak of it — did not cause a split between the Northern and Southern branches of our church, as it did in nearly all other denominations.
Similarly, in two World Wars Moravians were on both sides of those tragic conflicts but when the fighting ended, representatives from each side met together and discovered that our Unity was still intact.”
Article researched and compiled by Andrew David, intern, Interprovincial Board of Communication.
