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

he lifestyle, ethics and values that dominate the lives of worldly people. Mennonite Brethren accept the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) as the biblical standard of ethics expressed in love, forgiveness, self-surrender and a love even for enemies. The early Mennonite Brethren seldom addressed issues of doc- trine. Their concern was consistency of life-How do we live after the example of Jesus and the teachings of the apostles? The Mennonite Brethren concern to harmonize what they believed with how they lived was linked closely with their understanding that "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). The indwelling of Christ in the believer (John 17:21- 23) can only be recognized in a corresponding Christlike character.25 A second aspect in the theology of the kingdom for Men- nonite Brethren is the ongoing conflict between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. 1 John 5:19, 2 Timothy 3:13 and 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 describe the kingdom of this 203 A PILGRIMAGE OF FATTH world: "the whole world lieth in wickedness ... the evil man and the seducer (imposter) shall wax worse and worse, de- ceiving and being deceived,"2* For Mennonite Brethren, being a people in the world but not of the world can be summarized as follows: The character and relationship of the church-the people of God-is rooted in a personal relationship with God, a response to his forgiving mer- cy on the basis of the atonement of the cross, and a volitional commitment to jesus Christ. True conversion produces a new creature (2 Con 5:17). Those who are redeemed and trans- formed cannot conform to the values and lifestyle of this world. A Missionary Movement The emphasis on conversion naturally provided the basis for a world view which recognized only two kinds of peo- ple-"saved" and "unsaved," There was no third category. The redeemed community thus bears the responsibility to wit- ness to the unsaved. To be the church and to evangelize were interdependent, if not identical Like the early Anabap- tists, the Mennonite Brethren considered evangelism and mis- sions as mandates of the gospel,37 The Mennonite Brethren witness contributed to the gener- al renewal that came to the Mennonite churches in Russia and North America in the second half of the nineteenth and early years of the twentieth century. Their outreach extended from Russia and North America to India, Africa, South America and Japan, Today, the combined Mennonite Brethren in those re- gions outnumber the members in Europe and North America. Missions has been and continues to be the heartbeat