Perilous Journey: The Mennonite Brethren in Russia 1860-1910, John B. Toews, 1988

nada, November 14-15, 1986, pp. 26ff. 16 J.B. Toews, "The Early Mennonite Brethren: Some Outside Views," Mennonite Quarterly Review, LVIII (1984), no. 2, 96. 17 Ibid., 97. i« Ibid.. 100. 19 Friesen, 224-25. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid.. 225. 22 Ibid., 279. 23 Ibid., 280. 24 Ibid. 25 Ibid., 234. 26 Ibid., 280. 27 Bekker, 84. 2« Ibid., 85. » Ibid., 84. «> Toews, 118. ■•" Ibid., 120-121. "2 See Harry Loewen, "Echoes of Drumbeats: The Movement of Exuberance Among the Mennonite Brethren," Journal of Mennonite Studies, vol. 3 (1985), 118-127. 33 Jakob Epp Diary (Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba), April 15, 1862. 34 Ibid., April 30, 1865. 3r ' Toews, 98. 36 Ibid., 100. 37 Heinrich Epp, Notizen aus dem Leben und Wirken des verstorbenen Aeltesten Abraham Unger (Halbstadt, 1907), 14. 35 Toews. 119. 39 Friesen, 279. 4 " Toews, 112-113 46 CHAPTER V BECOMING GOD'S PEOPLE Several years of dancing and shouting brought exhaustion. The heroic energy dedicated to reform and the creation of a new order was spent. The experiental pendulum, which had swung as far left as possible, began its counter stroke. Amid all the ecstasy and noise, novel religious modes had emerged. There was a new style of preaching, a new form of baptism and a new pattern of worship. There were also new songs. As the search for stabilization began, the demands for normalcy in all these areas intensified. Sincere repentance culminated in the so-called "June Reforms" of 1865, which among other things unanimously declared that "the wild expressions of joy, such as dancing," were not pleasing to God. 1 The moderates, so abused by the early radicals, were again in control. In 1872 the young movement convened its first general conference: now the will of the many, not the few, would prevail. The task which confronted the Brethren was formidable. If they were to become God's people they would have to solve the dilemma which so marred Wuest's ministry — the balance between a Christian experience which felt good and a discipleship which demanded more than emotion. Survival depended on the moderates. They had to transform a reckless, individualistic emotionalism into a sober yet vital piety capable of sustaining and spanning successive generations. From that perspective the accomplishments after 1870 far surpassed those of the previous decade. In most instances the early celebrations of joy, however excessive they may have been, reflected a genuine conversion. Unfortunately, the documentation left by P.M. Friesen contains few "conversion stories" of either laity or leaders, though the Brethren belief in the necessity of the new birth is clearly 47 portrayed. The little we know about early Brethren conversions suggests that they set few pre-conditions for their spiritual quest. The processes associated with their new life experiences were therefore rather diverse. Conversion was predominantly an adult