"If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36)." Jesus Christ addresses his listeners with this marvellous promise. His message of the Gospel brings people into communion with God and frees them from the bondage of sin, guilt, fear, and despair. At the same time, he establishes the fellowship of believers and unites them by his Spirit and his love: "Blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above (John Fawcett, 1782)." Therefore it is not surprising that people throughout the centuries have been attracted by communities marked by Christian faith, love, and hope. The expectation to believe, live, and serve together within a group of fellow Christians has inspired countless people to join these organizations, some of which have therefore grown to an amazing size.
Obviously, these organizations – like all others – need a certain structure. For whatever reason, this structure is often strongly hierarchical, giving a lot of power to the leader(s). Due to the comprehensive spiritual setting of these organizations, the position (and decision) of the leadership is normally justified by spiritual arguments as well: The leader(s) have been intrusted by God with their responsibility for the group and therefore the members should respect them accordingly and obey their instructions. Unfortunately, there seems to be a tendency that such leadership breaks away from its biblical basis and turns into a kind of authoritarian rule substantiated by Bible verses.
This means that the freedom of the Gospel and the rules of the structure often enter in conflict. If aberrations from the basis of faith in Jesus Christ are detected, they should be corrected. This presupposes, however, that the teachings and rules of these organizations are known and can be verified on the basis of the Bible. From the very beginning the Christians have been exhorted to check the preaching and teaching which they receive from their leaders, whether it matches with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The two authors of this book, Marianne and Riitta, have experienced the attraction of Christian fellowship within the Sisterhood of Mary in Darmstadt, Germany. Subsequently, they have lived and suffered the conflict between the spiritually and psychologically rigid structure of the organization and the freedom of the Gospel which they came to know. They describe their experiences of the time after "the walls had come tumbling down." And they undergo the arduous task to decipher the code of the spiritual system of the Sisterhood and assess it on the basis of the Biblical Gospel.
It is my hope that their work might serve as an example to many Christians to become aware more clearly of the treasure of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And that this awareness enables them to listen to preaching and teaching more attentively, joining themselves with the people at Beroea who welcomed Paul's message very eagerly "examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:11)." If in this way this book contributes to further Christian maturity, Riitta's and Marianne's painful pilgrimage would not have been in vain.
