Shaftesbury: the hidden connection

Just been reading John Pollock's excellent biography of Shaftesbury, the great 19th century social reformer. Most people know that Shaftesbury was motivated to help the poor of victorian Britain primarily by his Christian faith, but Pollock offers an intriguing insight into where that faith might have come from.

The young Shaftesbury was raised (and discipled in faith) by the family housekeeper, Maria Milles. Maria's own deep spirituality most likely emerged under the teaching of George Stonhouse, a retired Moravian minister who was an early supporter of John Wesley.

So there is a good chance that Shaftesbury's Christian faith was shaped by the English Moravians. I'm amazed, but not entirely surprised. It really does seem that almost every major move of God from the late 1700s onwards owes at least a part of its influence to these remarkable pioneers...

Organic Church with a dash of Zinzendorf

A nice endorsement from Neil Cole, author of 'Organic Church' at a recent 24-7 leaders event. Neil said that he was recommending The Lord of the Ring to all of the leaders in his network, because the Moravians have a lot to teach the church today about planting communities of faith.

Apparently Neil then said 'does anyone know this Phil Anderson guy?', and didn't understand why all my friends who were there fell about laughing...

Shedding light on 'Ecce homo'

Big thanks to Rev John Jackman at the Comenius Foundation, who contacted me this week to share details of the reserach that they did to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the 'Ecce homo' painting which inspired Zinzendorf as a young man. From John's email:

"We did a fair amount of research to identify that this was the actual painting. It is currently in the Bayerische Staats Museum in Munich. Incidentally, we had to pay a pretty hefty fee for permission to use the licensed photo image in the documentary.

It is the painting that formerly hung in Dresden. Dominico Feti cranked out many copies of the "Ecce Homo" a number of which survive in various museums around Europe. They are each a little different. It was apparently a "moneymaker" for him that sold well. His own personal life is not necessarily an exemplary one, and he died fairly young.

We did some research into the Sternberg story, which seems to be pretty spurious and appears about 100 years ago without any documentation or references. The art historians we worked with could find to record of a painter named Sternberg (or Stenburg/Steinberg as it sometimes appears) and of course the fact that the little is named (usually "Pepita") in the story is really suspicious. It seems to be a well-intentioned and much-repeated sermon illustration without basis. I'm sorry to say that many pastors (particularly it seems those who take the Bible
"literally") are very free with the purportedly factual stories they pepper their messages with.

Incidentally, I am just now finishing up production of a feature film on John Wesley that might be of interest -- see http://www.founderypictures.com/

Blessings in your work and faith, let me know if we can help with anything in the future!"

Polish edition of LOTR on the way!

I just received word from Kingsway (the UK publisher) that they have signed contracts to have 'The Lord of the Ring' translated and published in Polish. I'm intrigued to know quite how Poland made its way to the top of the list, but the geographical and historical connections are obvious. Poland was one of the main refuges for the Bohemian Brethren during their hundred-year exile prior to the restoration under Zinzendorf, and Herrnhut is just a few miles from the Polish border. It could be a year or two before the book comes out, but I can't wait to see what a Polish edition will look like!

Lord of the Ring reviewed on spiritrestoration.org

'The Lord Of The Ring was recently reviewed by Jon Toler on spiritrestoration .org. Jon concludes that he himself "hopes that one day his faith will be strong enough to live as Zinzendorf did—unhindered by fear, unfettered by insecurity, and inspired by the Holy Spirit." Nice.

To read Jon's review in full, click here.

Do not swear [oaths] at all...

When thinking about the 'vow' of Zinzendorf's Order of the Mustard Seed, some people raise the question 'what about Jesus' command to his followers that we should not swear oaths at all?' (Matt 5:33-37). It's a fair point, and one which deserves an answer.

Making 'vows' as a voluntary act of devotion to God is regarded favourably in both the Old and New testaments. The Nazirite vow (Num 6) was taken by Samson and on behalf of John the Baptist. Paul and other early disciples seem to have made vows which had similar chracteristics (at least we know the hair bit was involved, Acts 18:18, 21:22-24). Contrast these acts of consecration to the 'oaths' Jesus is referring to, which were used to shore up statements coming from a place of dubious personal integrity (and often came with neat legal get-out clauses, Matt 23:15-22).

We would understand the Mustard seed vow as falling into the first category; a voluntary and valuable act of consecration and devotion to God, which is a reflection and expression of the 'new covenant' commitment that is the heart of what it means to be a Christian believer. It is not an oath in the sense of 'swearing by' someone or something, to which Jesus was referring.

Interestingly, the 18th century Moravians who first lived by this 'vow' held very strong convictions against swearing oaths. This sometimes caused them problems with the authorities; for example, they refused to take the oath of allegiance required of those who wanted to settle in British overseas colonies. It took an Act of Parliament to sort that one out and allow them freedom to settle while repecting their moral scruples.

US edition released, 6th April 07

The US edition of TLOTR officially releases today!

Given the huge importance of the crucified Christ to Zinzendorf's theology and mission, it is another one of those 'probably-not-coincidences' that the book just happens to come out on Good Friday this year...

I really like what Regal have done with this edition. The cover is great, and everyone loves the 'Tolkienesque' font. We have both versions on our church bookstall, and all those Brits seem to want to buy the American edition!

I'm not so sure about the back cover copy, though. Referring to the plane as a 3 seater is going to irritate every pilot who ever reads this book (everyone knows a Piper Warrior has 4 seats!). And all that (technically correct) stuff about the 'Confessors of Christ' kind of obscures the fact that the book really centres around the 'Order of the Mustard Seed'.

In spite of that - well done to all the team at Regal, and thanks for all your hard work and support in getting to this place!

'Book of the month' in Joy magazine

Joy magazine (published by the 'Assemblies of God' pentecostal denomination in the UK) have made The Lord of The Ring their 'Editor's Choice' and 'Book of the month' in the March 07 issue. Thanks guys! I especially like their comment that it is "well written and fast paced... reads more like a novel than a historical biography" :o)

(But please... the Aldersgate Street meeting at which John Wesley underwent his 'conversion' experience was NOT actually a Moravian society. Not to worry though; this is one of the most common mistakes people make when recounting this story, and you'll find it as fact on many websites and even some books on the subject!)

Visiting Herrnhut

A couple of people have asked for information about visiting Herrnhut - so here is the (very brief and totally non-definitive) guide.

Getting there: The nearest large city is Dresden. Dresden airport has some direct flights, but if not then you are probably looking at coach or train from Berlin or Leipzig. For a location map, click here.

Accommodation: The Moravian church operate a public guest hostel called the TEH. This is recently refurbished, clean, friendly, and centrally located. They are well set up for receiving groups or families (this is where the 24-7 Roundtable met). Click 'Kontakt' for phone details. There is one other commercial guest house in town (the 'Alt Herrnhuter Haus'), and a number of smaller B&B / self catering type places.

What to visit: This is only a small village! The Heimatmuseum covers the history of the place, the Völkerkundemuseum has artifacts from the many cultures that the missionaries went out to, and the Archives are for more serious research. The cemetery or Gottes Acker on the Hutberg contains the grave of Zinzendorf and many others, and also has the prayer tower ('Altarn'). The main Moravian church hall is right in the centre of town. In nearby Berthelsdorf you will find Zinzendorf's manor house (visits by arrangement, occasional prayer events) and the Lutheran church where the holy spirit visitation of 1727 took place. For this and other local info, visit www.herrnhut.de.

Unfortunately, most of these web resources are in German. If you are a non-German speaker, your best bet is to look for the word 'Kontakt', click it, and try and find a phone number. There are enough international visitors that many of these places will speak a bit of English.

Ecce Homo

This image is said to be the painting 'ecce homo' which challenged the 18-year-old Zinzendorf to commit his life to the service of Christ. However, in a twist worthy of Dan Brown, that ecce homo picture is decidedly elusive when you try and get beyond the stuff that everyone knows!

Accepted wisdom in Moravian circles is that it was painted by Domenico Feti – but I’ve really struggled to confirm that via artistic sources. I can find an ecce homo by Feti, but it is very different in style and has no inscription. Of course he may have painted more than one. It is also known that the same picture (supposedly!) inspired English hymn writer Frances Ridley Havergal to write ‘I gave my life for thee’ in the 19th century. One account of that event gives the latin inscription as Hoe feci pro te; quid facis pro me? My almost nonexistent Latin would seem to confirm that these words could be those which inspired Zinzendorf – but they almost certainly don’t match those beneath the painting shown at Zinzendorf.com. To further confuse matters, many versions of the Havergal story place the picture in Dusseldorf but cite the artist as Sternberg. Weinlick also suggests that the picture later hung in Munich!

Can anyone out there cast any light on the history of this enigmatic image, or confirm the exact text of the Latin inscription beneath it?

Purchase online from 24-7 prayer

If you want to purchase a copy of "The Lord of The Ring" online, you can now do this through the 24-7 prayer website by clicking here.

Why go through 24-7 rather than Amazon? Well, when you purchase a £6.99 book, a massive £3.50 goes to the retailer who sold it to you. So by buying direct, you can support the work of 24-7 prayer at no extra cost to yourself :o)

Whoops - it's all Greek to me!

Well it had to happen - I've had the advance copy for a couple of weeks (UK edition) and I've found the first typo. And unfortunately, it's a big one!

On page 37, the Greek words inscribed on the ring worn by members of the 'Order of the Mustard Seed' are given as "ΟΥΔΕΙΣ ΗΜΩΝ". This is wrong! Two crucial words got cut off by the typesetters, and the full Greek text of the ring inscription should actually be "ΟΥΔΕΙΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΕΑΥΤΩ ΖΗ" ('none of us live for themselves').

Arguably these were the four most important words in the book, so to lose two of them is, to say the least, irritating. I already know of at least two people who have versions of it tatooed on their forearms as an indelible reminder of their commitment to Christ. So, if you ever meet anyone wearing half a Greek inscription as a tatoo, now you know the reason why. Please break it to them kindly, especially if there is no room left for the rest of the words on the relevant part of their anatomy.

I suppose it could be worse. Your Kingsway UK first edition first printing copy of "The Lord of The Ring" may just be valuable one day. And it's not nearly as bad as the early version of the King James Bible which rendered Exodus 20:14 as "thou shalt commit adultery"...

UK edition published, November 2006

Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf is undoubtedly one of the most influential and controversial spiritual leaders in Western history.

The 18th century Moravian renewal which he led were pioneers of prayer, mission, unity, and community. From the tiny village of Herrnhut in the far east of Germany they prayed without ceasing for a hundred years, they established radical and challenging models of discipleship and relationship, and they launched the first great missions thrust of the reformation. These often flawed but always faithful men and women have shaped the world in which we live, and were the example which many who came after them would follow.

In 1999, Zinzendorf and the Moravians became the accidental inspiration for the birth of a remarkable, international movement known as 24-7 prayer. Five years later, Phil Anderson and Justin Blake climbed into a tiny 4-seat aeroplane and set off across Europe for Herrnhut, on a remarkable journey to uncover the history of Zinzendorf and the movement which he led.

This book is Zinzendorf’s story, told through the eyes of a pair of twenty-first century pilgrims seeking to rediscover it afresh. Part biography and part road-trip, it brings the history into vibrant life, while raising deeply prophetic challenges about life and faith today.

The UK edition has just been released (as of 3rd November 2006). If you are in the USA then officially you will have to wait until March 2007 for it to hit the shops. However, if you drop the nice people at the 24-7 UK shop a line, they may be able to sort you out ;o)