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

ur Johann Arndt, our Philip Jakob Spener, who desires to call us to reflection, spiritual awareness, and ultimately to repentance and renewal. May God grant that we heed his call. Abraham Friesen Chair, Historical Commission of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches CHAPTER 1 The Mennoiiite Brethren: A Phenomenon of Renewal INTRODUCTION Trie story of God redeeming a fallen human race is a story of actual events happening to real people. In other words, it is given to us in the context of histo- ry. The Old and the New Testaments are the records of the divine revelations of God to people not much different from ourselves, culminating with the ultimate personal revela- tion-Jesus Christ- The biblical figures of the past, though long dead, still speak to us through their faith (Heb. 11.4). Through the language of history they speak to us today as we "remember." The word "remember" serves as a continuous exhortation to review the past so we can understand the pre- sent1 A French statesman, philosopher and orator coined the phrase; "take from the past the fire: not the ashes."2 Today's generation has a tendency to distance itself from the lessons of history, preferring instead to seek inspiration in slogans for the future. The interrelationship of the present with both the past and the future receives marginal attention. Biblical history is different. The people of God, future-ori- ented as they are, "remember the works of the Lord" (Ps, 77:11) to equip them for the challenges of the present and the hope of the future. In that vein a group of evangelical church leaders, pastors, and professors felt called to issue "An Appeal to Evangelicals", which reads as follows: A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH We confess that we have lost the fullness of our Christian heritage, too readily assuming that the Scripture and the Spirit make us independent of the past. In so doing, we have become theologically shallow, spiritually weak, blind to the work of God in others, and married to our culture.3 Amid the swirling change of the late twentieth century we need to hear the exhortation of Robert Schrag, editor of Men- nonite Weekly Review^ calling us to a stronger sense of history: Cultivate a sense of history. The ideas and events that shaped the present came out of the past. To really know your own identity, you need to examine the roots from which you came. The lessons of history are a valuable re- source for intelligent living today and in the future. Con- sider, too, that Christianity is an historical religion. Our faith is