A Time of Sifting

A Time of Sifting, Volume 1, by Paul Peucker, examines a pivotal crisis within the Moravian Church during the late 1740s. This historical study explores the Sifting Time, a period of intense religious upheaval that many church leaders later attempted to erase from official records. Peucker investigates the theological shifts that led members to believe mystical union with Christ could be experienced through extramarital sex. By analyzing archival evidence, the author clarifies how these controversial beliefs emerged from existing Moravian teachings and radical-Pietist traditions.

This work of religious history details how the Moravian Church transitioned from a radical movement into a more conservative evangelical denomination. The book analyzes the intersection of piety and marriage, showing how leaders redirected the community toward a focus on the blood and wounds of Christ to resolve the crisis. A Time of Sifting provides a scholarly look at the religious aspects and social transformations of the eighteenth-century Moravian Church.