What happens to a religious movement when the charismatic founder is no longer around to carry the torch? What changes in the next generation? What stays the same? This is the subject of next year’s Pietism Studies Group session at the American Society of Church History. If you’re interested in more information, here’s the description:
American Society of Church History, 2013 Winter Meeting New Orleans January
3-6, 2013
This panel, sponsored by the Pietism Studies Group, will discuss the effect the death of religious leaders had on the movements they founded. Religious groups have very different reactions to the death of their leaders. Some groups try to be as faithful as possible to the heritage of their founders, others take this as an opportunity to explore different ways. And there are religious groups that do not survive the death of their leader and fall apart.
We are interested in papers on any movement associated with international Pietism during the 17th-19th centuries. After the death of Zinzendorf, Moravians abandoned anything that could remind the public of their previous enthusiasm. Instead of holding on to the heritage of their recently departed leader, Zinzendorf's successors lost no time in dismantling important aspects of his heritage. How, for example, did the Methodists respond to the death of Wesley? And how did small religious group fare after their charismatic leaders passed away?
The purpose of this panel is to compare different Pietist groups and to come to a better understanding of matters of continuity and change.
If you are interested in joining this panel, contact Paul Peucker at the Moravians Archives: paul@moravianchurcharchives.org
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