A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

e unruly elements of the church. It was the unfair treatment and unscriptural deposition of Huebert that prompted these brethren to take united action. Daniel Fast prepared a statement on behalf of the group in which he refuted the errors of the Froehliche Richtung, and more specifically the views of the "ruling brethren." The declaration, dated April 1, 1865, contains the following points, given here in brief nummary. 3S (a) Concerning the deposition of ministers. In their demands for blamelessness of character for ministers the "ruling brethren" go beyond the demands of Scripture. The passage in 2 John 7 cannot be applied to the brethren that have been banned, since none of them has denied the deity of Christ. (b) Concerning the use of the ban. The ban is not exercised according to Scripture. 1 Timothy 5:20 and 1 Corinthians 5:4 do not give a few brethren the right to excommunicate those who are not in agreement with them. Excommunication is the prerogative and responsibility of the whole church. (c) Concerning the respect of persons. Respect of persons is manifested in that only those members are accepted by the "ruling 64 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH brethren" who zealously defend their views; others, who serve the Lord in meekness and love, are declared to be evildoers. (d) Concerning the nature of the godly life. True godliness does not find expression in dancing, leaping, and shouting as some teach on the basis of certain Old Testament passages. According to the New Testament, the mark of a true faith is not an outward happiness, but a genuine love. The statement concludes with a plea for acceptance of the above principles, since otherwise there will be no possibility of further cooperation with brethren who are "not of the same mind with us." 40 This statement paved the way for Claassen to lead the Mennonite Brethren Church to final triumph over the entire Froeliche Richtung. 3. Church Restoration Through June Reform In response to an urgent request of the Molotschna Brethren, Claassen left his responsibilities in the young Kuban settlement and spent two and one half months (from May 4 to July 20, 1865) in the congregations of Chortitza and Molotschna to assist the brethren in the reestablishment of a scriptural church order. At this time Claassen was perhaps the only leader who enjoyed a certain amount of prestige and confidence among all groups within the Mennonite Brethren Church. (During the entire two and a half months Claassen had to stay in hiding because local authorities wanted to arrest him on charges of having violated certain state laws!) After numerous private contacts and discussions, Claassen called several brotherhood meetings {Bruder- beratungen). Since these meetings were held at intervals throughout the month of June, they are often referred to as the "June Reform." 41 Some of the more important issues that were resolved by the June Reform are