What would you say are the most common Amish men’s names? As we saw in the Amish Name Game post, names repeat themselves among the Amish–not just surnames, but first names as well. Unsurprisingly, Biblical names are popular among the Amish, both from the Old and New Testament. Some given names, however, have little or no connection with the Bible. Below, you’ll find ten men’s and boys’ first names frequently…
What are the benefits and pitfalls of a marriage based on Biblical concepts of submission? Jim Cates is back today with part 3 of his series on Amish women, with a look at submission in marriage. If you missed them, you can also catch up with part 1 and 2 of Jim’s posts on Amish women. Submission and Responsibility Stanley Milgram was an unassuming man whose studies…
A few months ago we shared excerpts from 1001 Questions & Answers On The Christian Life, a small but broad book outlining Amish beliefs. I think many readers appreciated that look at Amish Christian thought and practice. For example, one reader commented on 1001 Questions that “These answers are not just for the Amish. Every Christian should read this book.” Another described it as “a wonderful book to help on…
For various reasons, I haven’t visited many Amish settlements lately. I managed just one trip in 2014 (though to a nice place). But my recent visit to a new–for me–community (Somerset County, PA) reminded me how much I enjoy visiting new Amish places. A little while ago I even put together a short list of settlements I’d like to visit. When I recently asked for your ideas, Al in KY suggested the same…
Are you surprised that the Amish-backed Bank of Bird-in-Hand has (so far) been a success? According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the bank has amassed more than $60 million in loans in its first year of business. In 2013, Bank of Bird-in-Hand was reported to be the first new US bank since 2010, when the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law was enacted. Now in 2015, it’s…
What do Hutterites speak? The Anabaptist cousins of the Amish communicate in a German dialect, but it differs from what you hear from the Amish. Manitoba Hutterite Linda Maendel explains her native tongue in today’s post. — Hutterisch – the Mother Tongue of the Hutterites Hutterisch, as Hutterites fondly call their language, is the Carinthian German dialect spoken by all Hutterites in Canada and the United States and some…
“Give me gas for my Ford, keep me truckin’ for the Lord!” That’s not a line you expect to hear in a song sung by Amish people. But that’s what I heard while visiting Amish last week in Lancaster County. I was being entertained by a friend’s children, who put on an impromptu concert one evening, helped along by their father. They had learned the line…
I paid a visit to Somerset County, Pennsylvania on my “way home” from last week’s stay in Lancaster County. I have “way home” in quotes here because it required a 3-hour detour west down the PA Turnpike in a snowstorm. But I was determined to get there. This had been a place I’d wanted to visit for a long time. Luckily road conditions weren’t slick,…
Just what is a skid house? And why would you want to move one? Karen Johnson-Weiner explains below, complete with photos of a skid house being loaded and moved in a Swartzentruber Amish community in upstate New York. — A “skid house” is the equivalent of a mobile home for more conservative Amish. It is built—on wooden skids—so that it can be taken apart and moved….
Last week’s look inside an Amish home drew quite a few comments, here on the website and on our Facebook page. Some of you felt the home was beautiful. One commenter “love[d] the simplicity.” Others felt the home looked “a little fancy for Amish”. It made me realize we all have different ideas of what an Amish home “should” look like. But the Amish, as tends to be…