The Amish Way by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, David L. Weaver-Zercher Read Free Book Online Page B

the Christian faith to just a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” is inadequate in two ways: it shortchanges God’s demand for holy living, and it discounts the importance of a Christian community to help individuals understand and meet that demand. “In the multitude of counselors, there is safety,” said Jesse, citing Proverbs 11:14.
     

Reading the Bible the Amish Way
     
    This Amish accent on the community can also be seen in their approach to the Bible, which they consider to be God’s word. They believe its contents are literally true, though they rarely use the terms inerrancy or infallibility to describe it. 9 Like many other Christians, Amish people read the Bible as part of their private and personal devotional lives. Many families have morning and evening devotions together, during which the father reads scripture and a prayer from Christenpflicht or another Amish prayer book.
     
    But even though they use the Bible in devotional settings, they understand it to be primarily the church’s book, a resource that—like every other part of life—cannot be properly or fully understood by a lone individual, or even by a small group of individuals apart from their local church.Thus schoolteachers read aloud from the Bible at the beginning of the school day, but Bible classes are not part of the school curriculum.
     
    Even within the congregation, the Bible is an authority to be obeyed more than studied or analyzed. David Troyer, a noted nineteenth-century Amish bishop, epitomized this spiritual posture by concluding his religious essays with a paraphrase of Psalm 94:15: “Right must remain right, and to this all the upright in heart will submit.” 10 At least one full chapter of the Bible is read aloud in each Amish worship service—much more than is read in most Protestant or Catholic church services—but members do not carry their Bibles to church on Sunday mornings.
     
    Private devotional reading of scripture for personal inspiration is encouraged, but in-depth Bible study that might lead to individualistic interpretations is not. Those who show off their biblical knowledge or claim special revelation for their acts are seen as haughty and divisive because they turn the Bible on its head, using it as a tool for self-interest rather than as an authority to which individuals must surrender. Occasionally, some individuals study the Bible and declare a private revelation, such as “The Lord led me to start a new prison ministry program.” “We are not to make the Bible suit our way of thinking,” one minister warns. 11
     
    The Amish believe that the Lord guides a body of believers who diligently seek God’s will together. And in Amish life that body is the local congregation. Amish skepticism of small-group Bible study arises because sometimes unhappy church members (or former members) use small-group Bible study to challenge church authority. “The Bible,” said one Amish man, “is a mirror to examine ourselves, not a spotlight to shine on other people’s shortcomings.”
     

Letting Our Light Shine
     
    Many Christians think of personal evangelism—witnessing to one’s faith—as a verbal, one-on-one encounter. And although many believe it’s important to urge new believers to join a church, others take the “lone ranger” route: ride into town, save a few souls, and move on.
     
    Amish understandings of witness and mission could hardly differ more. Citing the words of Jesus, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14), they see their collective way of life as a public witness. In publications, sermons, and daily conversations, Amish people emphasize the importance of “letting our light shine,” but as one man said, “not shining it in the eyes of other people.”
     
    “A Christian can be a good witness in many ways,” notes an Amish writer in Family Life . “Living a good example has led more people to Christ than any amount