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

ngelical Mennonite Brethren and the Mennonite Brethren were born as a protest against, as they saw it, an unbiblical belief and practice with the purpose to return to the "pure faith," the preservation of the essential truth. The emphasis on the biblical teaching and righteous living needed, however, to be based in a supporting social and 211 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH cultural milieu. But since the old sub-culture had been re- jected a new sub-culture had to be substituted. But sub- cultures are not created overnight, so the E.M.B. and the M.B. have been searching for a sub-culture on which to base their "reformed" beliefs and world view, and have found it in the fundamentalist and evangelical "ethnicity" in American Christianity.19 Redekop's analysis, if correct, goes far in explaining the ambiguous nature of Mennonite Brethren theological identity. In his theory, the Mennonite Brethren relinquished one identi- ty and sought to replace it with another. That this shift took place precisely in the midst of a period of radical social change made their disorientation all the more pronounced. Comparing Mennonite Brethren conference records from before the Second World War with those of the post-war era produces some startling contrasts that bear out the social ob- servations of Bloom, Maclntyre and others. Before the war, conference attention was heavily weighted toward concerns of lifestyle, ethics and mission. In the period following, it be- gan paying more heed to matters of function and belief, re- flecting the shifting sands of the wider culture. The General Conference of 1948 concluded with an ex- hortation from the Committee of Reference and Counsel un- der the heading: "Watchfulness Over the Spiritual Welfare of the Churches of the Mennonite Brethren Conferences of North America." Specific areas of concern included: (1) Polity and practice related to the call of ministers and their affirmation in ordination needed to remain within the framework of the scriptural guidelines as articulated in the Confession of Faith. (2) The need to retain community hermeneutics and not give in to the tendency of individualism in adopting policies and practices in church life, other than those as understood by the larger Mennonite Brethren community of faith. (3) That the relationship of the church to the leadership and teachers of 212 WRESTLING WITH MODERNITY the church remain biblical (4) That Mennonite Brethren re- main faithful to Scripture in walk, practice and unity.20 In 1986, thirty-eight years later, the Mennonite Brethren Conference leadership enlar