A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

ir fervor of evangelism and mis- sions they were a burning flame used of God, despite their human frailties. The wounded feelings between the two groups showed signs of healing by the beginning of the twentieth century. The pains of birth, the struggle for legitimacy and their search for theological identity moved towards resolution, The 1902 Confession of Faith gave coherence to their understanding of soteriology and ecdesiology, the two issues at the center of the renewal struggle. Shaped by Outside Influences The theological openness of the early Mennonite Brethren 136 SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS TO PART ONE Church to outside influences left both negative and positive imprints. Pietism was a positive influence when it empha- sized personal salvation and the fellowship of all true believ- ers. The "benefit" of its rigid eschatology is open to question. More visibly negative was Pietism's casual approach to whole- life discipleship and the peace teachings of Jesus. Further- more, Pietism was rooted in the state churches of Germany and England; national patriotism and unconditional obedi- ence to the state were part of their basic theological orienta- tion. This influence diluted the long-standing peace stance of the Mennonites. The subsequent impact on North American Mennonite Brethren became a major factor in their identity struggle during much of the mid-twentieth century. What cannot be discounted, however, is the missionary vi- sion and motivation that Pietism brought to the Russian Men- nonites and which provided the heartbeat for the Mennonite Brethren movement. If growth had come only from within the Mennonite communities, the missionary outreach, which became a central purpose for their being, might not have oc- curred or possibly with less fervor. Amazing Grace What, then, is the answer to the question of "why" all these events and stirrings transpired in the nineteenth-century Russian Mennonite community? It certainly can be seen as a people returning to the missionary assignment that was so central to the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century and the New Testament church of the first century. Paul's word of 2 Corinthians 4:7-"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of ourselves"- can be claimed by many renewal movements. Though earthen vessels, fragile and inadequate, with many flaws and imperfections, the early Mennonite Brethren nonetheless became the catalyst to call people back to faithfulness in belief, walk and service. 137 CHAPTER 12 In the Shadow of the Russian Revolution