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

The Mennonite Brethren Understanding of Salvation and Baptism 29 The Mennonite Brethren Understanding of a New Testament Church 39 5 Leadership and the Teaching Ministry 53 6 In The World But Not Of Hie World 69 7 A Missionary Movement 81 8 Early Mennonite Brethren Missionaries 95 9 Eschatology: Not With One Voice 107 10 Mennonite Brethren at the Turn of the Century 115 11 Summary Observations of Parts One and Two 133 SECTION 3 A Time Of Transition 12 The Shadow of the Russian Revolution 139 13 Mennonite Immigration from Russia to Canada in the 1920s (Implications for the Mennonite Brethren Church) 155 14. Mennonite Brethren Education 167 15. Identity and Diversity 189 SECTION 4 The Mennonite Brethren Church in the Context of Modernity 16 Wrestling with Modernity 205 17 How Shall We Then Be Led? 217 18 Mennonite Brethren Evangelism 239 19 Missions in Context of Change 26l 20 Faith in Tension 281 21 A Call To Commitment 299 22 "The Race That Is Set Before Us* {Hebrews 12:1) 323 Endnotes 329 ii Preface This book seeks to provide a biblical and theological framework for the Mennonite Brethren search for identity amidst the blinding cultural changes of the late twentieth century. Typical of pilgrims, the Mennonite Brethren have experi- enced much movement-spiritually, geographically and cultur- ally. In periods of great social change there is energy and ex- hilaration, as well as anxiety and fear There is a determina- tion to preserve the old ways, and an equal desire to embrace the new. The search for a place for the current church to stand is done through a selective invocation of the past, In writing this book I have brought to bear not only historical research but also my personal observations from a lifetime of ministry and my experiences of working closely, as a young teacher and preacher, with leaders whose own ministries had over- lapped with the founders of the Mennonite Brethren Church. The stoiy of the Mennonite Brethren is told under four broad categories: Historical Background (Part I); the Early Mennonite Brethren Church (Part II); Mennonite Brethren in Transition (Part III); and Mennonite Brethren in the Context of Moderni- ty (Part IV). The quest for Mennonite Brethren spiritual integrity in matters of faith, polity and lifestyle became most pronounced in the period following the Second World War, 1945-1970. The fact that no fewer than fifteen study conferences were held during these twenty-five years bears witness to this con- cern. The findings of the 1972 inter-Mennon