THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

for example, c. In regard to c) we are forced to declare that it is untrue that we consider ourselves the only true Christians, and are ready to concede at any time that there can be other true Christians known only to the Lord. That sentence, too, is exaggerated which states that we declare the entire Mennonite brotherhood to be enslaved by the devil; but the Lord forbid that we should call evil, good and good, evil. 2) “We have no other major position nor do we seek to establish a new religious society, but intend to live as Mennonites according to the confession of our fathers in peaceful co-existence with others, which is why no disorder need be feared. Nor do we seek to spread our opinions, but it shall always be and remain our joy to lead disconsolate souls to Christ. 3) “We have, as we have stated, no intention whatever to establish a new religious society; nor were we admonished with love and earnestness on the part of ministers from the Word of God, but were much more threatened from the very beginning and dealt with on a judicial level. We have not dissociated ourselves from the Mennonite brotherhood in our letter of January 6, but only from the decadent churches. “If the ministers would attempt to stem the tide of corruption within the churches with all sincerity and in accordance with the Word of God, we would be happy, even today, to set foot in them [in the document by Johann Harder of March 24 one reads: ‘. . . join the same . . .’], assist them and, with God’s gracious help, plant and help to build the congregations. Given in Ohrloff this March 19, 1860. “Ladekopp— David Claassen, Abraham Peters, Peter Stobbe. Lieb- enau— Heinrich Huebert, Simon Harms, Johann Claassen. Waldheim— Gottlieb Strauss, Johann Strauss, Friedrich Strauss, Johann Strauss, David Doerksen. Gnadenfeld— Jakob Reimer, Heinrich Bartel, Bernhard Penner. Rudnerweide— Jakob Becker, 39 Benjamin Becker, Abraham Regehr. Pastva— Jakob Wall, Isaak Regehr, Andreas Voth. Berdiansk— Wilhelm Bartel. Mariental— Diedrich Claassen. Elizabethtal— Isaak Koop, Abraham Comelssen, Franz Klassen, Abraham Wiens, Cornelius Wiens. Schardau— August Strauss, Daniel Hoppe, Heinrich Flaming, Lichtfelde— Martin Klassen, Jakob Kroecker, Abraham Wiens." 40 The Struggle 241 c) Elder Johann Harder’s Second Statement. “To the Molotschna Mennonite Area Administrative Office in Halbstadt! As a supplement to our letter of March 25, we declare the following, from the same position and point of view we established in the above letter, concerning the Mennonites who have left our congregation: 1) The aspiration of these people finds expression in the desire to establish their own church on the foundation and confession of all other Mennonite churches, and in keeping with our highly esteemed religious freedom, live according to their faith in the midst of the other churches in the hope that thus they will be able to establish a better church di