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

: it was not proper to question 72 sacred emotion. Unfortunately, the restricted cycle of emotional piety circumscribed the pursuit of discipleship. Discipleship, less interested in the issues of the everyday and less engaging of the world at large, increasingly reverted to a fixed pattern of goodness generally regarded as normative to faith. As disciple- ship became a measurable performance it tried to anticipate every possible behavioral deviation whether it pertained to hair and dress styles or the the kind of vocabulary used in religious conversation. Piousness (Froemmigkeit) emerged in stark con- trast to worldliness (Weltlichkeit). The shift in favor of the experiential did not produce a dramatic decline in religious vitality. The quality of Brethren peoplehood remained largely unchanged but its ability to appeal to a broader spectrum of Mennonite society was significantly reduced. In a sense the Evangelical Mennonite Brotherhood stepped into the gap left by the Brethren. Here was the same commitment to new life, holy living and evangelism. Ironically, the Brethren suffered significant losses to a movement with which they were in complete theological agreement. There was really only one difference: the Allianz invited all believers to communion regardless of baptismal mode. There were other kinds of losses. The experiential bias, seeking to sustain the status quo, led to a creedalized theology. Concepts traditionally associated with salvation — Basse (repen- tance) and Bekehrung (conversion) became narrowly prescribed pathways. The examination of baptismal candidates (Auss- prache) demanded a uniformity of response reminiscent of the catechism practices in the Old Church. Instead of rejoicing in the flexibility and expanding borders of the believer's church the experiential bias demanded a separated church, a confined peoplehood. Closely related was the desire for a discipleship associated with vigorously defined ethics. The enjoyment of the experiential bias may also have dampened Brethren social awareness. They were participants but not leaders in the quest for societal betterment among the Russian Mennonites. Religious ecstasy wanted to remain alone with Jesus. At times it forgot His mercy also extended to the aged, the orphans and the handicapped of every description. Brethren narrowness in an expanding religious world may have been related to something other than the subtle celebration of the experiential. The Brethren, like most dissenters in their search for stability, began to regard earlier group views and practices as sacrosanct and unassailable. Leaders, unsure of their 73 ground or simply conservative, appealed to the "faith of the fathers" or customary usage in order to defend their course of action. Some Brethren leaders of the late nineteenth century inadvertently fit such a pattern. Drawn from the congregation, self-educated or at best nurtured by a short Bibel