A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

eption of the opening and closing hymns, which were sung according to the melodies in the traditional hymnal, the songs were of a more lively nature, accompanied occasionally with handclap ping and other manifestations of joy. Singing was followed by a brief exhortation of Becker, based on 1 Corinthians 2, in which he stressed Christian simplicity. He also made 58 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH reference to the ministry in the Mennonite Church, stating that it is not sufficient to preach the Word of God from the pulpit — it must also be taken into the homes. The exhortation, given in the Low German language, was interrupted from time to time by comments from others, to confirm and complement what had been said. A worship season fol- lowed, in which singing and prayer alternated. The prayers reflected a sense of missionary obligation to the whole world. Benjamin Becker, a brother of the leading minister, spoke briefly on the importance of a present and personal assurance of salvation. Before closing the service, another brother spoke briefly on Psalm 87 on the basis of which he justified the special manifestations of joy. The representatives from Ohrloff (three ministers and six members) conclude their report with these words: "On the whole, they do conduct themselves more freely than is customary in our services, but, with the exception of the unusual expressions of joy, we observed nothing that was offensive." 23 The other two reports recorded by Becker describe a similar pattern in their worship services. The "unusual expressions of joy," however, degenerated into some very unwholesome and unscriptural tendencies that almost wrecked the young church. These tendencies crystallized in the views and practices of the Froehliche Richtung (the joyous or exuberant movement) 24 which constitutes a painful episode in the early history of the Mennonite Brethren Church. 4. The Danger of Excessive Emotionalism In every great revival movement there is the danger of "strange fire." The "great awakening" among the Russian Mennonites is no exception — it manifested all the "positive and at the same time dangerous features" of a radical renewal movement. 26 Since the Froehliche Richtung bears some resemblance to the modern charismatic movement, it is of particular interest to the student of church history of our day. Early Beginnings 26 1. In the Molotschna A general misconception needs to be dispelled at the outset. Contrary to popular opinion, the Froehliche Richtung did not begin with nor in the Mennonite Brethren Church — neither in the Molotschna nor in Chortitza. The movement originated in the congregation of the Evangelical Separatists at Neuhoffnung several years before the founding of the Mennonite Brethren Church. As a result of Pfarrer Eduard Wuest's preaching, a genuine revival had taken place in that church. This revival provided the occasion for the origin of the movement. Some mem