A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

Russia. 3 124 THF. POWERS OF DEATH HAVE NOT PREVAILED 125 The tracing service established not only the location of Mennonites in Russia, but it also brought forth information about the religious, cultural, and economic life of the scattered groups. In some places Mennonites worshiped alone, in some together with the Baptists, in others with the Lutherans. Meetings were held in private homes, and in a few churches. The degree of freedom for religious assembly depended to some extent on the attitude of local authorities/ Mennonites in Soviet Perspective It might be of interest to view the activities and contemporary developments among the Mennonites of Russia through the eyes of Soviet writers. Until recently, mention of the Mennonites in the U.S.S.R. occurred only rarely in the Soviet anti-religious press. These references were usually of a negative character, dealing largely with Mennonite preachers who were reported to have been brought to trial for their "anti-Soviet propaganda." The impression created by these references was that the former large Mennonite communities had been dispersed and their remnants absorbed by the Protestant body nearest to them in matters of faith — namely the Evangelical Christian Baptists.* In 1965, however, a book by F. Fedorenko entitled The Sects: Their Faith and Their Affairs, devoted a few pages to the Mennonites in the U.S.S.R., remarking that they had experienced a revival in the years since 1957. 6 In 1967 V. F. Krestyaninov published a booklet on the Mennonites in the series of popular anti-religious publications entitled "Contemporary Religions," in which he describes their faith and life from a Marxist perspective. 1 Discussing the relative numerical strength of the various groups, Krestyaninov expresses the view that today the New Mennonites (name for Mennonite Brethren) are in the majority: in the Omsk Oblast, for example, they constitute two-thirds of the total. 8 Krestyaninov is especially disturbed by the remarkable activity of the traveling preachers among them. Mennonite preachers pay special attention to young people. They have considerable experience as educators, and are able to arouse the interest of young people in religious questions by organizing activities such as performance in choirs and orchestras, Bible classes (at which prizes are offered for knowledge of Scripture), dressmaking and embroidery courses. Krestyaninov is impressed with the ethics and industry of the Mennonites, but he questions their motives. The following summary of his views is given by Teodorovich: The Mennonites do not drink or smoke, and pay particular attention to bodily cleanliness as a symbol of spiritual purity. Their life tends to be concentrated upon the family, and their cultivation of reading, handicrafts, singing and other music serves as a protection against the distraction of political 126 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH and