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“Driving the Back Roads:The Amish, In the World but Not of It”

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DISCOVER THE ANSWERS TO THE RIDDLES OF THE AMISH CULTURE IN THIS CHRISTIAN BOOK.

The author, Reynold Kremer, gives an insight into the fascinating world of the Amish, Hutterites, and Old Order Mennonites. This is a great Christian book for pastors, teachers, church libraries, and interested members. Here you will find the answers to the puzzle of the Amish as you explore their Anabaptist history, their family lives, and their religion.

“Mr. Kremer makes it clear that religion and life are inseparable for these people. Not only does he give us a healthy appreciation for their everyday lives, he examines the faith upon which they build their lives. This book is a pleasure to read.”

Prof. James F. Korthals, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon , WI

AMISH BOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: The Radical Reformers
	The Reformation Climate and Martin Luther
	The Swiss Reformation
	Anabaptism Is Born
	The Martyrs

Chapter 2: Anabaptist Foundations
	A Change of Life
	The Schleitheim Articles
	The Dordrecht Confession of Faith
	Methods of Evangelism

Chapter 3: A Home for the Hutterites
	A Fascinating History
	The Hutterite Life
	Hutterite Worship
	The Dining Hall
	Hutterite Education
	Hutterite Farming and Commerce
	Hutterite Women
	Courtship and Marriage
	The Hutterite Family
	Sports and Leisure
	Hutterite Dress
	Hutterites Today

Chapter 4: Menno Simons Takes Over
	Mayhem at Muenster
	Menno Simons Takes Control
	William Penn's Holy Experiment
	A Dangerous Journey
	The Mennonites Today
	Old Order Mennonites
	Moderate Mennonites
	Main Body of the Mennonite Church
	The German Baptist Brethren

Chapter 5: Amish Riddles
	Jacob Ammann Disagrees
	Gelassenheit
	The Ordnung
	No Telephone
	No Cars
	No Electricity

Chapter 6: The Amish at Worship
	The Church District
	The Worship Service
	The Singing
	The Communion Service and Foot Washing
	Choosing Bishops, Ministers and Deacons
	Amish Divisions
	Old Order Amish
	New Order Amish
	Beachy Amish
	Amish Mennonites

Chapter 7: Within the Amish Community
	Birth
	Education
	Rumspringa
	Courtship and Dating
	Baptism
	Weddings
	The Grandpa House

Chapter 8: Amish Traditions
	Dress
	Children's Clothes Women's Wardrobe Clothing for Men
	Sewing and Quilting
	Diet
	Barn Raisings
	Language
	Amish Names
	The Horse and Buggy

Chapter 9: An Amish Day
	A Day of Honest Housework
	Farming and Lunch-pail Work
	Recreation and Relaxation
	Health
	Folk Medicine
	Hospital Treatment
	Hereditary Diseases
	Mental Illness
	Funerals
	Tourism

Chapter 10: Personal Reflections
	It Seems So Good
	All Is Not as It Seems
	Problems with the Government
	Too Difficult to Discuss
	Never Certain of Salvation
	God Is a Gracious God
	Intimidation and Fear
	God is a Loving God
	Sharing with the Amish

PREFACE

           Amish is a religion! The Amish clock did not simply stop ticking. Amish is a religion. The Amish people are not museum employees trying to show outsiders how things were done 100 years ago, nor are they entertainers like those who put on Civil War reenactments. Amish is a religion. Many tourists love to sneak photos of these unique people who seem so vulnerable and helpless. They are neither. They are a religion. The Amish do what they do for one reason only: it’s their religion. And they are not ashamed to let the world know that they are different. They are proud to be a people “in the world, but not of it.”
            This is the study of a religion that began at the front door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, where a young man named Luther nailed Ninety-five Theses. Lutherans, Reformed and Anabaptists grew out of that movement. We are about to focus especially on the Anabaptists and their descendants, the Hutterites, Mennonites and the Amish.
            Many people enjoy the friendly shops, craft stores, restaurants and overall homey feeling they get when they visit Shipshewana, Indiana, or Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. These are fun and interesting places where millions of tourists walk the streets and sidewalks to contribute to the million dollar industry spawned by these Plain People. Few however take the time to learn much about them. Instead they just shrug their shoulders and admit that the sights are great, the products are well-made, but none of it makes any sense.
            In this book we will find some answers to the whys and wherefores of these people. It is indeed a difficult puzzle to piece together, but if we look at the puzzle pieces one by one, we begin to see what it is that makes this culture exist as it does.
            Throughout this book I have attempted to treat these people with utmost Christian respect. The Plain People deserve neither ridicule nor stoning, nor even odd looks. Instead we must begin to understand them in order to see their ways and their faith. Only then can we respond.
            I would like to give special thanks to author Ruth Irene Garrett, for the valuable time she spent with me. Thanks to Ruth and her husband Ottie, I was able to ask the tough questions that only a former Amish person could answer. Ruth left her Amish home in Iowa to marry an "English" man. As a result she was excommunicated (by her bishop uncle), and shunned. Her candid answers to a multitude of questions gave me insights that no books could have. To Ruth and her husband I am most indebted.
            I would also like to offer special thanks to Pastor Reuben Kleinsasser and the people of the Springfield Hutterite Colony just outside Winnipeg, Canada, for the hospitable tour, dinner and personal “concert” they gave my wife Edith and me, and to Hutterite Pastor Edward (last name withheld) for kindly answering my questions and reviewing the chapter on the Hutterites. Thanks are also in order for John and Esther (last name withheld), an Amish couple in Indiana, who took time to show us their home-based business and graciously invited us into their home, and to Mennonite pastor Joseph Yoder, head curator of the Mennohof Museum in Shipshewana, Indiana, for sitting down with me and answering my many questions. Very special thanks also go to best-selling author Beverly Lewis who gave of her time to clarify a number of important points.
            Now let’s jump into the car and head toward the back roads. Just maybe we’ll see one of those buggies clippety-clopping along the shoulder, or maybe we’ll happen to see an Amish woman hanging out her wash, or just maybe we’ll catch a glimpse of some Amish kids running barefoot on their way to school.

Reynold R. Kremer

For more Amish related products and information, please visit Reynold Kremer's website at www.amishinsights.com >