ABSTRACT
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries witnessed a number of revivalist movements which resulted in the foundation of new churches. For this chapter, six have been selected: the Moravians, Methodists and the Swedenborgians belonging to the eighteenth century; and the Disciples of Christ, the Catholic Apostolic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, from the nineteenth century. These have been chosen either because of their distinctive theology and practice, or, in the case of Methodism and Mormonism, their growth to be a mainline and/or world-wide denomination. The first three have the common link of Pietism, and their founder figures, Count Zinzendorf, John Wesley and Emmanuel Swedenborg met one another, and both Wesley and Swedenborg at one time worshipped with the Moravians in London.1 However, Swedenborg claimed to receive visions and revelations of heavenly things and a ‘New Church’, and the new church which was founded upon his writings was a Restorationist Church. The three nineteenth-century churches are all examples of Restorationist Churches, which believed they were refounding the Apostolic Church, and preparing for the Second Coming of Christ.
