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

iblical docu- ments such as creedal statements and confessions. Such doc- uments are to be regarded as descriptive more than norma- 285 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH tive. They are never to be given equal status with the Bible* A confession such as this one is an echo of the brotherhood since it reflects the faith which such a fellowship believes and preaches, Its validity depends on its biblical character, its use- fulness depends on its ability to communicate. The Mennonite Brethren Church accepts God's revelation in its inscripturated form as final and considers the original doc- uments to have been inerrant and reliable. It is not the task of the church to summarize the message of the Bible in a way which respects contemporaneity in speech while setting forth cardinal truth simply and clearly. A confession of faith represents a brotherhood in conversa- tion, Here we can see how a group of believers respecting the Word speaks concerning those vital subjects which are the content of a biblical faith. A confession, however, cannot tell us how such a fellowship practices what it says.5 By the time the revised Confession of Faith was finally adopted in 1975 it had gone through seven drafts in a study process led by the Board of Reference and Counsel with the participation of area conferences and local congregations. It was truly an exercise in community discernment. The wide- spread participation also deepened the covenant between agreeing churches,6 This procedure, though sometimes ardu- ous and perhaps frustrating to some who would prefer the speed and convenience of unilateral decisions, is the tuition a group pays in the school of community hermeneutics. Throughout its history, the Mennonite Brethren Church has felt the ultimate benefit was worth the price. When the 1969 conference addressed the relationship of ethical integrity in the face of the changing environment, the comment was made that "the sum total of spiritual insight and understanding of any Christian group exceeds the sum total of such understanding of any one person of that group."7 Con- sensus was also recognized as a way to encourage and 286 FAITH IN TENSION Strengthen individuals with the commitment to a larger com- munity. The conference recognized that in order to contend for the faith "the living church must grow in all essential aspects, one of which is understanding of the Word and will of God." Growth amidst a changing external environment "may also call for a change in relationship and conduct. Such changes must always be made in uncompromising obedience