Bishop John

I commend to you the Hutchins School’s 2009 Webber Lecture by The Honourable Peter G Underwood AO, Governor of Tasmania, entitled “Electronic communication in the new millennium: is it affecting our social intelligence?”

This paper takes a look at the recent developments in electronic
communication and asks whether widespread use of this medium,
particularly by the younger generation, is affecting the capacity for
abstract thought and the ability to form satisfying interpersonal
relationships.

Plenty of food for thought and well constructed. It is an excellent lecture.

With thanks to our Governor and the Hutchins School. The lecture is named after Michael Webber, Dean of Hobart 1959-1971. View the text of the lecture.

The Riddle of Amish Culture by Donald B. Kraybill, The John Hopkins University Press, Maryland, 2001(rev. edn.) is an outstanding examination of the Amish people.

The ‘riddles’ of Amish culture are many and varied to the outsider. Professor Kraybill, an acknowledged authority on the Amish, takes the reader on a fascinating journey of discovery of these people. The book focuses on the culture of traditional or ‘Old Order’ Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, although other Amish and Mennonite groups are noted.

‘Riddles’ include: Why do the Amish use horses to pull modern farm machinery? Why can a car be used but not owned? Why can a telephone be installed in a shanty in the barn or yard but not in the house? Why the uniformity of beards, bonnets and buggies in the 21st century? Why can young Amish be allowed to ‘sow their wild oats’ during ‘rumspringa’ but not be permitted to attend local schools?

‘The big riddle, however, eclipses all the smaller ones: How is it that a tradition-laden people who spurn, electricity, computers, automobiles, and higher education are not merely surviving but are, in fact, thriving in the midst of modern life?’

The answer to these riddles lie in the social and cultural capital of the Amish. These are the resources needed for the Amish to engage creatively and productively as they negotiate with the forces of the modern world. Cultural capital is seen in Christian values: yieldedness, self-denial, obedience, trust and mutual aid. Social capital includes the social rituals, networks, extended family, locally based life and organizational structures.

The ability of the Amish to negotiate with the forces of the modern world in seeking to preserve their community is well illustrated in the book by stories and quotes.

Consider the car. Negatively, a car gives freedom to individuals, independence from the community, disrupts the slow pace of Amish life, mocks humility and equality and enables interaction with the modern world. Positively, the car helps in emergencies and with visiting distant family. The resolution: the Amish can use but not own a car.

Consider the telephone. A telephone is permitted if it is located away from the house so as to avoid it interrupting family life and work. Stopping incoming calls to the home gives control of the phone to the family regarding the people who can enter into conversation with family members and denies access from the world of violence, egotism and consumerism. On the other hand, the telephone can be very helpful in emergencies, for business and with family living further away in newly established Amish settlements. So a ‘telephone shanty’ that is away from the house is permitted. See photo below.

I found Chapter 2 which explores the cultural underpinnings of Amish life, of particular value. The Old Order Amish emphasis on ‘tradition before all else’ is based on Gelassenheit: the yielding of self to the family, church and God. As mentioned in earlier articles this underpins a process of socialization from cradle to grave in a cultivated social life of church, family, home, school, work and recreation.
A suggestion: This chapter lends itself to a reading group for discussion.

The book’s concluding chapter, Exploring our Common Riddles, presents this challenge:

Is it possible to forge a culture – a social habitat – where the individual and the community are not pitted against each other as adversaries, but where they supplement, complement, and enrich each other? That is the common riddle that begs all of us – Amish and Moderns alike – for a solution.

I highly commend this easily read, clearly structured and well illustrated book that answers many of the ‘riddles’ of the Amish and advances a challenge to ourselves.

Of related interest is Amish Studies, an academic website developed by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (Pa.) to provide reliable information on Amish life and culture. The principal investigator, Professor Donald B. Kraybill, is the author of the above reviewed book.

The ‘Riddle’ of Amish Culture is symbolized on the book’s cover by two young Amish women in traditional dress of bonnet and plain clothes and yet skating on modern roller blades. The Riddle: how are tradition and modernity held together by the Amish?

A ‘telephone shanty’ is located away from the house.

Horse drawn machinery – why persist with horses?

No quilt sales on Sunday: how can the Amish be in the world but not of it?

One of our more ‘interesting’ adventures was seeking out Ephraim, Amanda and family: see Amish Encounter No.4.

We did not have the family’s residential or church addresses or telephone numbers. And to cap it all off, their surname ‘Stoltzfus’ is the most common Amish name by a mile in Lancaster County! But, we prayed, ‘Dear Father God, we want to bring greetings, be it your will in Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit to find them’ and set off.

I will not recount the whole drama but suffice to say that through an amazing meeting caused by changed schedules at an Amish-Mennonite information centre we met a most gracious man who listened to us patiently, thought we could possibly be helped by one of the Amish ministers and drew a sketch map for us to find our way, see Map 1. We arrived to find the family at home, were received warmly and spent a most encouraging hour of fellowship with them. We were then sent on our way with another sketch map, see Map 2, although still no address. After further adventures along the way we found the family. What excitement as we brought greetings from Australia!

I invite you to check out the two sketch maps and our increased confidence in God:

Learning:  If God wants you there, it does not matter how creative or rough a map may be, you will get there.  Alternatively, if God does not want you there, no matter how good a map may be, you will not get there.

The rural lifestyle of the Amish and Mennonite communities is very attractive. The fact that they live in a rural setting epitomizes the value they place on ‘connectedness’ with the soil, family, community and God.

Homes are large to accommodate the 7 to 12 children plus grandparents. This of itself allows for significant social interaction and the support and learning. Barns, silos for winter corn feed and out-buildings add to the size of the establishment – normally about 100 acres. Dairy cattle and horses and mules share the barn during the snow covered winter months. One of our party was particularly taken by the mules. They were large, 17 to 18 hands, and in magnificent condition. A special visit was arranged so that we could pat a mule – the things you do 🙂

The whole family works on the farm together. The children learn in apprenticeship style the skills needed to live both from the produce of the soil and as God’s people separate from worldliness.

‘Worldliness’ is immorality, Godlessness, individualism, pride, selfishness and consumerism. In order to avoid these destructive influences on their calling to be a separate people holy unto God, the Strict Amish and Mennonites have no electricity, telephones, radios or televisions in the home. [sometimes a telephone is installed in an out-building]

Dress codes bring uniformity, modesty and binds members to the group. Men grow beards at marriage or at 40 years of age for a bachelor. Dress codes free the Amish from materialism and choice, thus demonstrating ‘Gelassenheit’– ‘submission’ to the church and God.

The horse and buggy enacts the life of separateness from the world, the shelter and the unity of the family, their connection with nature and hence dependence on God’s provision, and it prizes patience and humble work as opposed to quick and easy convenience.

In addition to the major crops and produce of the farm, a vegetable garden is maintained for family needs. The children earn some extra money by setting up a daily, except Sunday, roadside food stall with tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, green capsicums, etc.

One-room schools for the Amish children studying grades 1 to 8 dot the countryside. Usually a young single Amish woman who has finished year 8, teaches the students. Separate from non Amish, their education maintains traditions and values. Emphasis is on practical skills and English language as Pennsylvania German is spoken at home, in worship services and among the Amish community.

Amish quilting is a skilled art form of international renown. Quilting is displayed throughout Lancaster County and we marveled at the diversity and beauty. What a temptation to buy such gorgeous covers – put in our path by our Amish sisters!

Amish Country News is an interesting website with news, photos, events and links to longer articles about the Amish community in Pennsylvania.

A Joyful Chaos is an easy to read blog from a former Amish woman who answers some common questions about the (Old Order) Amish.

Amish houses are large – for large families

One-room school for the Amish children grades 1 to 8

Mules are magnificent, 17 to 18 hands, working animals

Quilts are diverse and a delight to the eye

We had a marvellous Sunday worshiping with Amish Mennonites and then visiting for lunch with the most gracious and warm family of Ivan and Ruth, their nine children, and grandparents.

But first, back to the 9am Sunday worship service. We were met near our B&B by the sons of Ivan and Ruth and led by car to the Amish Mennonite meeting house where men, women, boys and girls in traditional ‘plain dress’ were entering from the car park; about 100 in attendance. The carpeted meeting house had a large fellowship area and a worship area with rows of wooden pews with backs (not like the backless Old Order Amish pews).

We were met warmly at the door by Ruth with whose family we had spent the previous afternoon. Her husband, Ivan, a minister of the church was already seated having led the 7.30am baptism preparation class. The friendliness of people was evident. Although we were assured that we would be welcome to sit together, we decided to follow local custom: Gayelene sat with Ruth and the women while I was ushered to a pew on the men’s side.

The service began promptly at 9am when one of the men called out a hymn number and we all reached for the hymn books grouped in threes on the back of the pew in front. Everyone remained seated. The man who called the hymn then sang the first few words as the men joined and then the voices of the women soared in stirring song. No instruments were used. We sang five hymns, each one called by a different man; about 20 minutes.

During the last hymn four men entered the front area and sat behind the pulpit. The bishop, leader of the church congregation, welcomed all present including the guest preacher who was to speak on women’s head covering/veiling. We had been alerted to this and Gayelene had worn a scarf to respect the meeting.

The bishop gave a 25 minute devotional. The guest preacher then brought the message from 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 on women veiling as a symbol of God’s order of authority. Following the 45 minute message there was a time of testimony.

When prayer was announced we all partly stood, half-turned to face backwards and knelt with our hands resting on our pew seat. I found this movement very helpful in literally and spiritually moving into a new space to come humbly before God.

Eight young people stood before the congregation and each gave testimony as to their commitment to Christ and why they wanted to be baptized. They then left the worship area and two ministers went from member to member seeking their agreement to the baptisms and thereby the young people’s admittance into membership of the church. A significant time: very solemn.

Following the service the bishop shared with me the challenge posed by technology which makes families independent of each other and therefore threatens their connectedness; their church community. They have always worked together and indeed needed to work together. Amish had said to me, ‘the family that works together stays together’ and here I was hearing a further significant aspect, ‘the community that works together stays together’.

Their hospitality was most generous: we received three lunch invitations!

What a challenge to our own church: how many invitations do visitors at Sunday worship receive to lunch? One? Three? Or . . .?

Lunch at Ivan and Ruth’s home was literally one big happy family as we sat down at one table with Mum and Dad and their nine children. We had spent time with the family the previous day, arriving in time for the afternoon milking. We also saw turkeys being grown for Thanksgiving Day, corn crops and storage of the feed corn in silos to be used over the winter months when snow covers the ground.

Conversation roamed over life in Australia, life in the Amish Mennonite community and about what faith in Jesus means. The theme of Gospel and culture continues to fascinate me and exercise my discipleship.

And to top it all off we said farewell to Ivan and Ruth as we travelled in a genuine Amish horse and buggy with John & Naomi, the ‘New Order Amish’ couple that befriended us two days earlier and introduced us to their daughter Ruth’s family. Photographic proof follows!

We are so privileged to share in Christ’s fellowship.

Ruth & J. Ivan – corn crop in background

Horse and buggy with John & Naomi, the ‘New Order Amish’ couple that befriended us two days earlier and introduced us to their daughter Ruth’s family.

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