A Pilgrimage of Faith: The Mennonite Brethren Church in Russia and North America, 1860-1990It is now [1990] one hundred and thirty years since the birth of the Mennonite Brethren Church and therefore time for someone in that church to take a backward glance to see how things have developed. Who better to do this John B. Toews. His life spans well over half of those years and he has experienced much of what he writes. "JB" as he is affectionately known by both students and colleagues is a patriarchal figure in the Mennonite Brethren Church. Born in Ukraine, the Russian Revolution and its aftermath were the crucible that shaped his youth and young adult years. After studying in Western Europe, Toews immigrated to Canada in the late 1920s. Much of his life has been in Mennonite Brethren educational institutions in Canada and the United States. During ten years as Executive Secretary of the Mennonite Brethren Board of Missions he traveled widely and came to know Mennonite Brethren people around the world. In between educational and mission administrative responsibilities he pastored in Kansas and California. After retiring from the presidency of the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary he became the founding Director of the Historical Commission of the Mennonite Brethren Church.
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... remained in session all night and throughout Sunday , as a day where the " church united for a day of prayer , repentance and fasting . " Having survived the initial struggle for the right to exist , as well as the pain of internal ...
... remained at the heart of the Mennonite Brethren fellowship even beyond 1910 . Among the congregations coming out of Russia to Western Europe in recent years , this practice continues to be a vital source of spiritual nurture and ...
... remained predominant . A mere crisis experience or verbal profession did not provide the proof of a genuine conversion . A new life was the proof required . They took passages like John 3 : 3 literally , " Except a man be born again ...
... remained a major concern for the move- ment.31 From early on , baptismal candidates faced an official examination in the form of an oral testimony before the con- gregation followed by probing questions related to the evi- dences of a ...
... remained a major dynamic in the life of the movement . In its better moments it matched Abraham H. Un- ruh's description when he wrote : " In the church every mem- ber is to be concerned for the welfare of fellow members and to ...