I recall a visit with my father not long before he died. He was sitting in his easy chair, eyes closed, surrounded by my wife, his caregiver, and me. We were discussing the onerous task of remembering our various passwords, assuming my dad was not tracking with us. Dad suddenly opened his eyes, looked straight at us, and said, “I don’t have any passwords and I’m happy about it.” Whereupon he smiled, closed his eyes, and resumed his apparent slumber. There are times in this tech-crazed, complex world, that I am wistful for a simpler way of life.
In yesterday’s post, I shared Menno Simon’s story, who led a community of God’s people to adopt a plain-style, Christ-centered life. They became known as Mennonites. A century later, Jacob Ammann sounded the alarm that Mennonites were becoming too worldly, so he broke ranks and started a more rigorous order. Those who followed him were called Amman-ites or Amish, for short.
Together, Amish and Mennonites became known as the “the Plain People” for good reason. They wore plain clothes, outfitted their homes with plain furniture, and assembled in plain houses of worship or no church buildings whatsoever. Amish are more stringent about living separate from the world, based on Paul’s admonition in 2 Corinthians, “Come out from them and be separate” (2 Cor, 6.17). Most Amish orders do not drive automobiles, use electricity, or educate their children beyond eighth grade. Mennonites, by contrast, are more moderate in their simple life practices. Amish and Mennonites alike ascribe to essentials of the Christian faith: the Lordship of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the Trinity, and the power of the gospel to change lives. They also share a prayer book that dates to the early 1700’s. We join them in praying: