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

regularly included in congregational worship and business sessions. 5. Conference structures and agencies must exist to serve the local churches through programs that can best be pursued jointly and independently. 314 A CALL TO COMMITMENT 6, We must be willing to change conference structures and programs when they have fulfilled their purposes; conference agencies should not be rigidly institutional- ized. 7. The name of a local congregation reflects a large identification. When the connection with the Mennonite Brethren Church is not made explicit, we contribute fur- ther to denominational fragmentation. Theological Cohesion The Anabaptist movement followed the early Reformers in their acceptance of salvation by grace and of the Scrip- tures as the authority for matters of faith and life. It dif- fered from them in their emphasis on radical discipleship and on the church as the context of discernment rather than relying upon purely individual interpretation. The will of god was to be found in the corporate searching of the Word of God in fellowship and prayer (Acts 2:42^7; 15; 17:11). The 20th century Mennonite Brethren Church is no longer an isolated community. Its members listen to a di- versity of voices about the Christian faith, and they are strongly influenced by social forces that promote the gospel of popular evangelicalism. Hence, the church is part of a pluralistic world with many "stories, " including its own. How it listens to these voices and carves out a theological cohesiveness is of utmost importance. Can the Mennonite Brethren church develop a theology that is consistent with the Scriptures and true to its own unique history? The data suggest two conclusions regarding theological diversity. 1. There is clearly a tension between pietistic and sec- tarian views of Christianity. As Mennonite Brethren have become more affluent, they have adopted a more subjec- 315 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH tive view of Christianity. 2. There is a lack of consensus on the historic peace position of the Mennonite Brethren Church. The following implications are offered: 1. We again must commit ourselves to reading the Word of God together as we seek to do God's will. Indi- vidualism destroys the interdependence within a covenan- tal community of God's people. 2. We must learn to listen to all members of our com- munity as we seek unity in matters of faith and practice. It was women who demonstrated the highest commitment to reconciliation in our survey and it was single individu- als who showed the strongest commitment to a social/eth-