Mennonite Handbook of Information/Chapter 5
CHAPTER V
HOW MENNONITES ARE CONFRONTING THE MENACE OF MODERNISM
The wave of Modernism which has engulfed so many churches and institutions of learning has not failed to leave its impress upon certain classes in the Mennonite Church.
Twenty years ago, or more, it began to be evident that there were certain educational leaders, then members of the Mennonite Church, who had imbibed the idea that our doctrinal creed and methods of government had become obsolete and out of date to such a degree that the entire fabric needed reconstruction.
This species of heterodoxy was for years impressed upon students, and it became evident that some of them were imbibing the corroding and deadly influences of socalled higher criticism. That further inroads upon our young people's faith and life might be prevented, the Mennonite Board of Education became more alert, adopted more drastic measures, until the official roster and faculty of Goshen College was reformed to conform more nearly to the standards of the Church.
Meanwhile the fundamentals of the Christian faith and the dangers from modern liberalism were ably discussed in our church papers, in Bible conferences, from the pulpit, and in a number of books written on these subjects. Among these publications may be named such books as "Fallacies of Evolution," by J. D. Charles; "The Conservative Viewpoint" and "The Mennonite Church and Current Issues," by Daniel Kauffman; and "Modern Religious Liberalism" and "The Mennonite Church and Modernism," by John Horsch. These books were put in circulation throughout the Church.
The Mennonite General Conference likewise put itself on record by a carefully prepared statement on Christian Fundamentals. While some had gotten the idea that these articles of faith were adopted to supplant the eighteen articles of faith adopted at Dortrecht, Holland, in 1632, that was entirely foreign to the aims of our General Conference, as the statement of Fundamentals which we herewith submit was intended to cover an entirely different field. The paper adopted at Dort is still the recognized Confession of Faith in the Mennonite Church. Following is the Statement:
CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALS
(Adopted by Mennonite General Conference
August 25, 1921)
ARTICLES OF FAITH
In order to safeguard our people from the inroads of false doctrines which assail the Word of God and threaten the foundation of our faith, we, the Mennonite General Conference, in regular session assembled at the Sycamore Grove Church near Garden City, Missouri, August 25th, 1921, herewith make the following declaration regarding the fundamental doctrines of our faith:
ARTICLE I.—Of the Word of God
We believe in the plenary and verbal inspiration of the Bible as the Word of God; that it is authentic in its matter, authoritative in its counsels, inerrant in the original writings, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. Ex. 4:12; II Sam. 23:2; Ps. 12:6; 119:160; Jer. 1:9; Matt. 5:18; 24:35; II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:20,21.
ARTICLE II.—Of the Existence and Nature of God
We believe that there is but one God, eternal, infinite, perfect, and unchangeable, Who exists and reveals Himself in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Deut. 6:4; Psa. 90:2; Gen. 17:1; Ps. 147:5; 139:7-12; Isa. 40:28; 57:15; Mal. 3:6; Gen. 1:2,18; Heb. 1:8.
ARTICLE III.—OF the Creation
We believe that the Genesis account of the Creation is a historic fact and literally true. Gen. 1:1,21,27; Ex. 20:11; Mk. 10:6-9; Heb. 11:3; Heb. 1:10; 4:4.
ARTICLE IV.—Of the Fall of Man
We believe that man was created by an immediate act of God, in His own image and after His likeness; that by one act of disobedience he became sinful in his nature, spiritually dead, subject to physical death and to the power of the devil, from which fallen condition he was unable to save himself. Gen. 1:26,27; 2:7,16,17; Eph. 2:1-3,12; John 6:44; Rom. 5:6.
ARTICLE V.—Of Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin—the perfect God-man; that He was without sin, the divinely appointed substitute and representative of sinful man, paying the penalty for man's sins by His death on the cross, making the only adequate atonement for sin by the shedding of His blood, thus reconciling man to God; that He was raised from the dead, ascended to glory, and "ever liveth to make intercession for us." John 1:1,14,18; Heb. 1:8; 13:8; Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; Lu. 1:35; Matt. 1:20-25; Isa. 53:5,6; II Cor. 5:14,21; Gal. 3:13; I Pet. 2:22,24; 3:18; Rom. 5:8-10; Matt. 28:6; Acts 3:24; 10:39-41; 17:31; I Cor. 15:20; Acts 1:11; Eph. 1:19,20; Rev. 1:18; Col. 3:1; Heb. 6:20;. I Jno. 2:1,2; Heb. 7:25.
ARTICLE VI.—Of Salvation
We believe that man is saved alone by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ; that he is justified from all things on the ground of His shed blood; that through the new birth he becomes a child of God, partaker of eternal life and blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ. Eph, 2:8; Rom. 3:20-26; Acts 13:38,39; Jno. 1:12,13; 3:4,8,16; 5:24; Eph. 1:3.
ARTICLE VII.—Of the Holy Spirit
We believe in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit: that He convinces the world of Sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He indwells and comforts the believer, guides him into all truth, empowers for service and enables him to live a life of righteousness. Acts 5:3,4; II Cor. 3:3,17; Jno. 16:7,8,13; I Cor. 3:16; Gal. 4:6; Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:1-4.
ARTICLE VIII.—Of Assurance
We believe that is is the privilege of all believers to know that they have passed from death unto life; that God is able to keep them from falling, but that the obedience of faith is essential to the maintenance of one's salvation and growth in grace. I Jno. 3:14; 5:13; Rom. 8:16; II Cor. 12:9; Jude 24,25; Rom. 16:25,26; 1:5; Gal. 3:11; Jno. 8:31,32; II Pet. 1:5-11.
ARTICLE IX.—Of the Church
We believe that the Church is the body of Christ, composed of all those who, through repentance toward God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, have been born again and were baptized by one Spirit into one body, and that it is her divinely appointed mission to preach the Gospel to every creature, teaching obedience to all His commandments. Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:23; Col. 1:18; Acts 20:21; Luke 24:47; Acts 17:30; 16:31; Gal. 3:26; I Cor. 12:13; Matt. 28:19; 20; Mk. 16:15; Acll 1:8.
ARTICLE X.—Of Separation
We believe that we are called with a holy calling to a life of separation from the world and its follies, sinful practices and methods; further that it is the duty of the Church to keep herself aloof from all movements which seek the reformation of society, independent of the merits of the death of Christ and the experience of the new birth. I Pet. 2:9; Tit. 2:11-14; II Cor. 6:14-18; Rom. 12:1,2; Eph. 5:11; I Jno. 2:15-17; II Thes. 3:6; Acts 4:12; Jno. 3:3,6,7.
ARTICLE XI.—Of Discipline
We believe that the Lord has vested the Church with authority in accordance with Scriptural teaching: (1) to choose officials, (2) to regulate the observance of ordinances, (3) to exercise wholesome discipline, and (4) to organize and conduct her work in a manner consistent with her high calling and essential to her highest efficiency. Acts 6:1-6; 13:1-3; II Tim. 2:2; Tit. 1:5-9; 2:15; Matt. 28:19,20; 18:15-18; Eph. 4:11-16; Heb. 13:17; Acts 14:21-23; 2:15.
ARTICLE XII.—Of Ordinances
We believe that Christian baptism should be administered upon confession of faith; tha*t the Lord's Supper should be observed as a memorial of His death by those of like precious faith who have peace with God; that feetwashing as an ordinance should be literally observed by all believers; that Christian women praying or prophesying should have their heads covered; that the salutation of the holy kiss should be duly and appropriately observed by all believers; that anointing with oil should be administered to the sick who call for it in faith; that marriage between one man and one woman is a divine institution dissoluble only by death, that on the part of a Christian it should be "only in the Lord," and that consistency requires that the marriage relation be entered only by those of like precious faith. Acts 2:38; 8:12; 18:8; Luke 22:19,20; I Cor. 11: 23-28; John 13:17; I Cor. 11:2-16; 16:20; Jas. 5:14-16; Mk. 10:6-12; Rom. 7:2; I Cor. 7:39; Amos 3:3.
ARTICLE XIII.—Of Restrictions
We believe that all Christians should honor, pray for, pay tribute to, and obey in all things those who are in authority in state and nation, provided however, that should instances arise in which such obedience would violate the higher law of God, "we ought to obey God rather than man," that Church and State are separate, and while believers are to be subject to, they are not a part of the civil, administrative powers; that it is contrary to the teachings of Christ and the apostles to engage in carnal warfare; that Christians should "adorn themselves in modest apparel, not with broidered hair or gold or pearls or costly array;" that the swearing of oaths is forbidden in the New Testament Scriptures; that secret orders are antagonistic to the tenor and spirit of the Gospel; and that life insurance is inconsistent with filial trust in the providence and care of our heavenly Father. I Pet. 2:13,14,17; Rom. 13:1-7; I Tim. 2:1,2; Acts 5:29; Matt. 22:21; Mk. 10:42-44; Jno. 18:36; II Cor. 10:4; I Tim. 2:9,10; I Pet. 3:3-5; Matt. 5:34-37; Jas. 5:12; Jno. 18:20; Eph. 5:11,12; I Jno. 3:17; Gal. 6:10; Jer. 49:11; Eph. 1:22,23.
ARTICLE XIV.—Of Apostasy
We believe that the latter days will be characterized by general lawlessness and departure from the faith; that on the part of the world "iniquity shall abound" and "evil men shall wax worse and worse;" that on the part of the Church there will be a falling away and "the love of many shall wax cold;" that false teachers shall abound, both deceiving and being deceived; and further, that present conditions indicate that we are now living in these perilous times. j[ Tim. 4:1,2; Rom. 16:17, 18; II Tim. 3:1-5,13; II Pet. 2:1, 2, 10; Matt. 24:11, 12; II Thes. 2:3.
ARTICLE XV.—Of the Resurrection
We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the bodily resurrection of all men, both of the just and the unjust of the just to the resurrection of life, and of the unjust to the resurrection of condemnation. Jno. 20:20,24-29; Luke 24:30,31; I Cor. 15:42-44; Acts 24:15; Jno. 5:28,29; I Cor. 15:20-23.
ARTICLE XVI.—Of the Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal, imminent coming of our Lord as the blessed hope of the believer, that we who are alive and remain, together with the dead in Christ, who will first be raised, shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and thus ever be with the Lord. Jno. 14:2,3; Acts 1:11; Matt. 24:44; Heb. 10:37; Tit. 2:11-13; I Thes. 4:13-18.
ARTICLE XVII.—Of the Intermediate State
We believe that in the interval between death and resurrection, the righteous will be with Christ in a state of conscious bliss and comfort, but that the wicked will be in a place of torment, in a state of conscious suffering and despair. Lu. 16:19-31; 23:43; Phil. 1:23; II Cor. 5:1-8; I Thes. 5:10; II Pet. 2:9 (R. V.).
ARTICLE XVIII.—Of the Final State
We believe that hell is the place of torment, prepared for the devil and his angels, where with them the wicked will suffer the vengeance of eternal fire forever and ever and that heaven is the final abode of the righteous, where they will dwell in the fullness of joy forever and ever. Matt. 25:41,46; Jude 7; Rev. 14:8-11; 20:10,15; II Cor. 5:21; Rev. 21:3-8; 22:1-5.