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

participation in various mutual events and institutions. The tensions rooted in the withdrawal of the Mennonite Brethren from the old church and the injuries re- sulting from it, gradually lessened. In 1910 the General Con- 119 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH ference, renamed as "The General Conference of the Menno- nite Ministry," marked the official participation of the Menno- nite Brethren in deliberations related to concerns to all groups of Mennonites in Russia, One-third of the delegation was Mennonite Brethren. The two major groups of Mennonites in Russia recognized each other as equals and established a working relationship that previously had been much less than compatible. They formed a continuation committee for this ongoing inter-Mennonite relationship. According to the testi- mony of Mennonite Brethren in prominent leadership, even their more conservative members felt at ease. They had found true Christian fellowship with members of the old church,7 With the beginning of World War I in 1914, however, new tensions arose between the two groups. A group of influen- tial leaders questioned the eligibility of Mennonite Brethren for military exemption and other privileges contained in the original charter given to the Mennonites by the Russian gov- ernment. The Mennonite Brethren, they said, had violated the conditions of the charter by engaging in continuous religious propaganda-evangelizing Russian people. The intensity of this conflict was reflected in a document written by P.M. Ftiesen under the title Konfession Oder Sekte (Confession or Sect),8 A second obstacle in the relationship arose when members of the Ktrchliche sought an official government de- cree forbidding baptism in the open, as practiced by Menno- nite Brethren. The Mennonite Brethren reacted strongly to these charges. To be called propagandists was to attack their commitment to be witnesses to the saving power of the gospel. A lengthy document submitted to the government brought clarity in the marten This incident notwithstanding, the conflict, accusations and counter accusations between the Mennonite Brethren and the Kirchliche greatly diminished during the half-century since 120 MENNONITE BRETHREN AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY I860. The Mennonite Brethren, though sincere in their I860 decision to withdraw, must nonetheless assume their share of responsibility for the tensions that existed between the two groups for so many years. Peter M Friesen wrote with pain about the shortcomings of the Mennonite Brethren in their re- lationship to the Kirchliche. He particularly denounced then- sin