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

held to the doctrine of a millennium, and he who believes in it is no Mennonite.4 Meanwhile, the chiliastic vision of the Pietist Jung-Stilling5 pro- vided the impetus for the Claas Epp6 movement resulting in the "Great Trek" of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia in the 1880s.7 The early years of Mennonite Brethren history also record some inroads of the Temple movement (sometimes referred to as Friends of Israel), under the leadership of Johannes Lange, They believed the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth would be centered in Jerusalem,8 Early in the twentieth century Peter M. Friesen expressed distress over the influence that invaded the Mennonite Brethren fellowship via the Blankenburg Alliance Bible Con- ference in Germany.9 He worried that their dispensational in- terpretation of Scripture, with its undue focus on eschatology, obscured the central calling for believers to serve as salt and light in the world,10 Friesen felt that ecumenical toleration of these views, aimed at preserving long-term unity of all believ- ers, threatened clarity for the church in the present. What does God want of us as a group, a fellowship: that we, while calling ourselves Mennonite, become a con- glomerate of Lutheran-ism, Baptist, and Plymouth ism, etc. (we mean in the understanding and manner of expressing our Christianity)? What is the specific direction that God has assigned to us through our original doctrines, history and the present situation?"11 108 ESCHATOLOGY: NOT WITH ONE VOICE Friesen's concern was particularly notable, given that he normally placed strong emphasis on the unity of all believers and tolerated fellowship at the Lord's Table with those who had not been immersed and were not members of the Men- nonite Brethren Church.12 A STRONG ESCHATOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS A review of eschatologicai understanding in Mennonite Brethren history reflects a fascinating tension. Mennonite Brethren were passionately interested in the Lord s return and devoted much attention to it. They listened intently as lead- ers promoted various views imported from other fellowships, allowing some even to get carried away with calendarizing and predicting events. Yet they stopped short of adopting any official positions that went beyond awaiting the second coming with watchfulness and holy living, An analysis of articles appearing in the Zionsbote indicat- ed that no other topic related to the life of the believers church received as much emphasis as eschatology. Between 1884 and 1950 a total of 398 articles were published on the theme of the hope of