A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

s provocative study New Wineskins for Old Wine, Delbert Wiens calls attention to the dilemma of perpetuating a religious experience under vastly different conditions. 36 To preserve the integrity of the Mennonite Brethren Confession as well as the validity of the conversion experience, a new and more comprehensive definition of the experience is needed. The relation of Christian nurture to Christian experience needs to be set forth in the context of New Testament teaching. 3. Personal Witnessing Among early Mennonite Brethren witnessing to God's saving grace was not the prerogative of a select group, but the privilege and responsibility of every member. Among the charter members of the M.B. Church there were no ordained church officers, and this fact may have been a blessing in disguise. Lay members began to spread the message of salvation in the framework of their own contacts within their communities. New converts frequently witnessed to their families and friends. This missionary activity of ordinary members was an important factor in the expansion of the M.B. Church. In the early years Mennonite Brethren were known for their zeal in witnessing. The "joyous assurance" ot sins forgiven (a dimension of Christian experience that can be traced to the influence of Pietism) gave them great liberty and boldness in sharing their faith. This is how C. Krahn describes it: The new emphasis upon a strong personal experience of the grace of God with its accompanying assurance of salvation produced a very sturdy and active type of Christian, and led to the development of an almost unbelievable zeal for witnessing for the Gospel in home and foreign missions. 31 Although personal evangelism still constitutes an integral part of the "practical theology" of Mennonite Brethren, it has lost much of its original spontaneity and dynamic in recent years. The emphasis has shifted from a simple sharing of the experience of God's grace to a knowledge of the techniques in personal work. In the new approach method has often been more important than motivation. Courses in personal work and "institutes for evangelism" have emphasized the "know-how" rather than the constraining love of Christ. Without the latter, the most eloquent testimony is but a "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." 4. Christian Discipleship Like their Anabaptist forefathers, Mennonite Brethren have considered discipleship as belonging to the very essence of the new life. UNDERSTANDING BIBLICAL REVELATION 371 It is a concept which implies the transformation of the entire way of life of the believer so that it might be fashioned after the teachings and example of Christ. The secession of the Brethren was not primarily related to doctrinal issues, but to ethical concerns. In the document submitted to the elders the Brethren do not take issue with the teaching in the Mennonite Church, but with the life and practice of its members. "We fear t