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

ry, into which He shall in the end lead all His believers. That is the biblical teaching of Christ’s future [one and only one resurrection, that is a simultaneous resurrection of all men] and also the original Mennonite teaching; for the doctrine concerning a future kingdom of Christ was not accepted in the Mennonite churches until the previous century. Menno Simons never held to the doctrine of a millennium, and he who believes in it is no Mennonite, nor does the name of Menno save anyone since . . . ‘salvation is in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’ except that of Jesus. Amen.” Thus far concerning the old-Mennonite faith of Isaac Peters. d) That the teaching of the mille nnium is contrary to early Mennonite doctrine is certain: Menno and his fellow workers were vigorous opponents of the teaching; they considered it a dangerous error. (Compare also above #1, point 2.) We allow the question, whether or not this teaching is biblical, to remain entirely without discussion here, but we have asked ourselves a hundred times: what have we gained from the manner in which this teaching has been practiced among us for half a 310 THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH century, and particularly during the last eight years, in regard to our “being sanctified wholly” (I Thess. 5:23), and our greater fitness to be the “salt and light of the world” for the benefit of mankind now and in keeping with God’s eternal purpose? We ourselves have no positive answer. Though I am not really an “Old” Mennonite, I have for years been tired, tired, tired of the foreign influences and would like to urge all reformers (“Old” Mennonite and Brethren), especially the leaders: Stand still for a moment and ask yourself this question from the perspective of church history: What is Mennonitism? Have we perhaps forgotten to relearn that which was good, as a balance to the endless new, new, new?! Are we not losing a large and essential part of our Mennonite psyche, in the good sense? What does God want of us as a group, a fellowship: that we, while calling ourselves Mennonite, become a conglomerate of Lutheranism, Baptist, and Plymouthism, etc. (we mean in the understanding and manner of expressing our Christianity)? What is the specific direction that God has assigned to us through our original doctrines, history and present situation? Certainly we should now more seriously begin to study our own background, examine the newly acquired for its values, throw away the ballast and deliberately, discreetly, bring the good old and the good new— for "every scribe fit for the kingdom” brings forth old and new from his treasures— into a proper relationship. e) And to that, an added word about baptism. This comes from an outstanding person, qualified and called to teach, a man whom we have learned to appreciate and love, an elderly spiritual leader of the Russian Mennonite Church. We may