Lisa Kuhn writes: i am a 57 year old woman who has a number of chronic disabilities. this is very isolating for me as i am pretty much bed-bound. i have faith in god which helps of course, but i do not really have any family so this makes things much harder. i used to [...]
Continue reading What if you’re Amish – and can’t work?
Alice Mary writes: About 6 years ago, my husband & “kids” (then ages 23 & 29 at the time, daughter & son, respectively) were coming back from some concert in Millennium Park (or Grant Park?) and a young Mennonite woman (late teens, I’d guess) greeted me (I guess it was obvious I was the “Mom”) [...]
Continue reading Do Amish evangelize?
Reader Stella shared some thoughts on the “Joining the Amish after 50” post: Perhaps I’m an unusual atheist but I’ve always admired the Amish philosophy and lifestyle, despite lacking the necessary Faith Trigger to join them. However, I was brought up by atheist parents and taught to respect all genuine engagements with life’s questions, religious [...]
Continue reading What do Amish think about atheists?
I’m happy to share the Amish Way winners with you today. It was a lot of fun to run this contest and I much enjoyed the interview with authors Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher (if you missed it: Part 1 and Part 2). I particularly appreciated the point they make about shunning–that it [...]
Continue reading The Amish Way: 10 contest winners and book excerpt
“Brimming with many children,” write the authors of The Amish Way, “most Amish homes produce eight or more sets of dirty dishes three times a day. That means at least twenty-four glasses, dozens of plates, and countless pieces of silverware, not to mention pots, pans, mixing bowls, platters, and serving utensils.” Yet you won’t find [...]
Continue reading Part 2 of The Amish Way interview and 10-book giveaway
Are Amish “born again”? Are cars immoral? When describing church, why do Amish use the term “Gmay” instead of “Kirche”? And who actually decides the rules that guide Amish life? The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World is the first book to explore Amish spirituality and religious practices in-depth, addressing these and many [...]
Continue reading The Amish Way: 10-book giveaway & interview with Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher
Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Nickel Mines Amish school shootings. I’d like to share two items with you. The recently-released paperback version of Amish Grace features a Q-and-A with Charles Roberts’ mother Terri, whom Donald Kraybill interviewed earlier this year. In it, she discusses her feelings on learning of the shooting, the Amish [...]
Continue reading Healing on both sides of the Nickel Mines tragedy, four years on
I just returned from Lancaster County yesterday. This was my 3rd visit in the past half-year. The corn began coming down early this year, on account of the especially dry conditions. Otherwise, it was beautiful autumn weather and I enjoyed a couple of sunny days, until torrential downpours hit as I was leaving the County. [...]
Continue reading Visiting Lancaster and Maryland; previewing The Amish Way
