I recently was given a copy of Why be Plain? by some dear ex-Amish friends who told me that it was mailed to them by their still-Amish relatives. The Old Order Amish authors, Larry S. Weaver and Terry B. Zimmerman, are clearly concerned that Old Order Amish people, and especially Amish youth, are being deceived regarding Amish faith and lifestyle, resulting in their abandoning both to join more liberal churches, or worse, embrace “the world.” The fact that they’ve written a book to address their concern reveals that the problem they are addressing is widespread and likely increasing.
I can certainly sympathize with the authors of Why be Plain? All parents love their children, and they do not want them to be led astray in any way. For Amish parents, however, the thought of their children abandoning their Amish faith and lifestyle is extremely distressing, because their Amish faith requires that they sever relationships with wayward children, excommunicating and shunning them to some degree (which varies from one Amish group to another). That in itself is distressing. But worse, their Amish faith also informs them that wayward children have no hope of eternal life, and that they will spend eternity suffering in hell. Thus, there is no greater fear shared by Amish parents than that their children will stray from their Amish faith. Second to that is the thought of Amish relatives and friends doing the same.
Naturally, anyone who is attempting to influence Amish people to question Amish beliefs or practices is perceived as a threat to be resisted. There is no room for non-resistant Amish parents to “turn the other cheek” to such threats. Loved ones are at risk. Children may become estranged. Those who now have some hope of attaining heaven could become destined for hell.
So, again, I have the greatest sympathy for Amish people who are plagued by the fear of eternally losing children, relatives and friends. I have become acutely aware of that plaguing fear since I became involved in publishing a magazine for Amish people titled, The Awakening! The stated goal of that magazine is to help Amish people discover and reclaim their Anabaptist heritage, the centerpiece of which was a spiritual rebirth that resulted in a lifestyle of heart-motivated obedience to the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a heritage that was not at all characterized by shattered and estranged families—as is the case in so many modern Amish circles. There is no doubt in my mind that, unless the Amish return to their original roots and the “faith of their fathers,” the current exodus of Amish youth and older people will only accelerate every year.
Some Amish people are blaming The Awakening! magazine for the current exodus, but anyone who is honest will acknowledge that tens of thousands of Amish people had already left the Amish over the past decade, long before we ever started publishing The Awakening! Moreover, we have never encouraged our readers to leave the Amish and, in fact, have encouraged them to remain Amish for as long as possible (as I will also do in this book). But there is nothing we can do to stop Amish communities from excommunicating Amish people who have reclaimed their Anabaptist heritage, been born again, and then been excommunicated for “adopting a new faith.” I can assure you—upon God’s holy Word—that those who excommunicate people who are born again are not born again themselves, and they are headed for hell unless they, too, repent and are born again.
I hope you can be honest enough to admit that those who excommunicate family members for making Jesus their Lord and being born again, and then blame The Awakening! for the shattering of their families, are only fooling themselves. They themselves are actually the ones to blame. They excommunicated and are shunning God’s children (see Gal. 3:26).
The never-ending exodus of Amish people from Amish communities should give all Amish people reason to pause and ask why so many do leave, especially in light of the fact that everyone who does fully understands the dire consequences. They all know that their families, friends, and entire communities will disapprove of them, officially vote to excommunicate them, and then shun them to some degree for the rest of their lives. Some know that they will lose their jobs if their employers are Amish (and those employers are willing to break federal laws that forbid religious discrimination). Some employers know that they will lose their employees if those employees are Amish. Some know that they will be disinherited. Yet, still, they make the decision to leave. This all begs the question: Why?
“The lure of the world” is often blamed for their defection. “They just want to drive cars, have smart phones, and wear the world’s clothing.”
But think about those commonly-heard accusations for a moment. Does anyone really believe that some Amish people are willing to permanently forsake their relationships with their families, relatives and friends, lose their jobs, and forfeit their inheritances just so they can drive cars, own smart phones and wear different clothing? Of course, no honest person could actually believe such absurd conclusions. Obviously, there is something else that has motivated tens of thousands of Amish people to be willing to pay such a high price in order to escape Amish life. What is it?
Tellingly, the large majority of Amish people who leave Amish life do not abandon church life or Christianity. Granted, some tragically begin attending churches that de-emphasize and downplay the necessity of holiness and obedience to Christ’s commandments. It becomes very clear that Jesus is not their Lord (and He likely never was). But with most others, that is not the case. They may no longer be keeping the peculiar practices that uniquely mark Amish people, but they are very much striving to obey all of Jesus’ commandments. Many will tell you that they are living much more obediently to God than they ever were when they were Amish, and their lives are the proof. They can enumerate the differences. I know many such ex-Amish people.
If you are an Amish person, have you, or has your family, ever left one Amish community to join another one? From my observations, Amish people frequently do that. Many do it multiple times over the years. And the reason, most often, has something to do with the ordnung. They don’t agree with some of the rules, so they move to where they think the rules are a little different. Their moving often results in tension, or worse, within their immediate and extended families. Yet the reasons to leave outweigh their reasons to stay. So, they leave and pay the price, whatever it is.
Can you see that what I have just described is no different than what happens when Amish people leave the Amish entirely, but only on a smaller scale? In both cases, those who move don’t agree with something, so they move. And in many cases of those who leave the Amish entirely, what they don’t agree with are all the Amish rules that can’t be found in the Bible. They disagree on spiritual, biblical grounds, and so much so, they are willing to pay a huge price to escape.
My claim is certainly supported by the book, Why be Plain?, and even its title. It is an attempted refutation against the reasons Amish people give for leaving the Amish. The authors do their best to find the flaws in those reasons. In some cases, they do a good job. But in other cases, they do not. It is my intention, in the pages that follow, to examine their arguments in light of Scripture. Again, in some cases the authors do a good job at upholding the clear truths of the New Testaments. In other cases, it is obvious that they are interpreting Scripture through Amish lenses (which is quite understandable, since they’ve been wearing Amish lenses all their lives).
You will find in the chapters that follow that I am very respectful of the authors as well as all Amish people. I love Amish folks. All of them have been born—without a choice—into a religious system that has been passed down from their ancestors for hundreds of years. Most don’t realize, however, that what has been passed down has not remained pure to what was taught and practiced by the original Anabaptists, which is why I will not only be frequently referring to the Bible, but also to the eighteen articles of the 1632 Dordrecht Confession, to which all Anabaptists, including the Amish, subscribe.
If you read with an open mind, you will discover that, as we travel upstream to the source of the Anabaptist River, that it was once biblically pure and safe to drink from, whereas downstream centuries later, it has been polluted. You will realize that modern Amish are very different from their Anabaptist ancestors in some very significant ways.
May God help us on our journey!
It is no surprise that the title of the first chapter of Why be Plain? is titled, “The Lure of the World.” As I mentioned in my introduction, it is “the lure of the world” that is so often blamed for Amish people leaving the Amish. Most Amish folks have heard their share of sermons warning them about the dangers of “the world.” They are familiar with the following New Testament warnings:
And do not be conformed to this world (Rom. 12:2).
Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4).Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15).
Clearly, according to the apostles Paul, James, and John, Christians should not be (1) conformed to the world, (2) be friends of the world, or (3) love the world and its “things.” Otherwise, they make themselves God’s enemies and prove that they don’t love Him.
The question is, what were those three apostles referring to when they spoke of “the world”?
The Amish Definition of “the World”
At the beginning of every chapter of Why be Plain?, authors Weaver and Zimmerman depict an ongoing fictitious conversation between two young, Amish cousins, Dan and Steve, who have both decided, against their parents’ wishes, not to join the church. In the first chapter’s conversation, Dan and Steve are discussing reasons for their doubts about the ordnung’s prohibitions against modern technology. Their conversation ends with Dan asking: “So if Christians can own cars, have smart phones, and still go to heaven, then why be Plain?”
There is little doubt that the authors included mention of cars and smart phones in Dan and Steve’s conversation because those are hot issues in Amish circles.[1] And, as the authors begin to address Dan and Steve’s common complaints against ordnung restrictions, they help readers understand the Amish perception of the “the world.” It is practically a synonymous phrase with “modern technology.” Here are the opening sentences of the authors’ response to Dan and Steve’s conclusion:
“Why be Plain?”
More and more youth are asking that question. Even older people, as well as entire churches, are asking it.
There are still a multitude of Plain People in America who are well separated from the world. But it’s not getting easier. With all the wonders of modern technology beckoning with its lure of an easy, comfortable and entertaining lifestyle, fewer people want to shun what the world has to offer and live the Old Order and Scriptural lifestyle of nonconformity (emphasis mine).
So, modern technology that makes one’s lifestyle “easy” or “comfortable” or is “entertaining” has lured some Amish people to succumb to the “lure of the world.” For that reason, in Amish thinking, modern technology should be shunned.
I would first like to address the authors’ concern about modern technology that makes life “easier” or “comfortable,” and later address modern technology that is entertaining.
Amish Tech
From a perspective of all of human history, it cannot be disputed that all Amish people regularly use relatively-modern technology that makes their lives easier and more comfortable.
For example, chain saws are generally permitted by Amish communities. Chain saws are a relatively-modern technology that certainly make life much easier for Amish loggers, as well as any Amish people who heat their homes with firewood. For most of human history, people have not enjoyed the immense benefits of chain saws.
Combustion engines are very often permitted in Amish groups to power mechanized woodworking tools. Both combustion engines and mechanized woodworking tools are relatively-modern technologies that certainly make life easier for any Amish person who uses them, and especially for Amish cabinet makers and woodworkers who use them practically every day.
Tractors are often permitted to power certain farm machinery, as long as they are not used for plowing fields, something reserved for horses. Tractors and farm machinery are certainly relatively-modern technologies that make life much easier for Amish farmers.
Some Amish groups totally forbid the use of cell phones, smart phones, computers, or internet connections, whereas some allow them with restrictions. For example, they are only allowed to be used to conduct business. Regardless, when Amish businessmen use any of those modern technologies, it certainly makes their lives easier. Just about all Amish people regularly use community pay phones, a modern technology that certainly make their lives easier. When pay phones are used by any Amish people to communicate during emergencies, they even save lives.
Most Amish groups allow women to wash clothes utilizing old-style wringer washers (powered by combustion engines), a relatively-modern technology that certainly makes life easier for busy mothers.
All Amish groups allow the ownership and use of rifles, bullets, and scopes, all relatively-modern technologies that make it much easier for them to shoot deer by which they feed their families.
No Old Order Amish groups allow the driving of automobiles, but some do allow truck ownership for a business, as long as those trucks are driven by non-Amish drivers. All Amish adults regularly pay non-Amish people who own autos to transport them, a modern technology that certainly makes Amish lives much easier and more comfortable (especially in winter).
All Amish people use 12-volt automobile batteries to power night time headlights and tail lamps on their buggies. Both batteries and lightbulbs are relatively-modern technologies that make life, easier, as well as safer, for all Amish people.
The list of modern and semi-modern technologies and products used by the Amish that make their lives easier and more comfortable would almost seem to be endless. Amish people purchase modern products in Walmart, just like all non-Amish people do, that make their lives easier and more comfortable, products that were unheard of just a few years ago. They wear eyeglasses to make their lives easier. They clad the exterior of their homes with vinyl siding that never needs painting. They wear clothing made with cloth woven by modern industrial machines. They live in homes that feature drywall and double-hung windows. They draw water from the ground with pumps and direct spring water through pipes manufactured in modern factories, all making their lives easier and more comfortable. Even Amish buggies were at one time in the past a new technology, and one that makes Amish life easier and more comfortable.
The Inevitable Questions
When you think about it, Amish people accept 95% of modern technology that appeared in the past 130 years, and they shun about 5%. All of that acceptance of technologies that make their lives easier and more comfortable provokes thinking Amish people to question why certain modern technologies are forbidden. Amish children, for example, inevitably ask their parents, “Why can we ride in cars, but we can can’t own cars or drive them ourselves?” It doesn’t make any sense to them. And when parents can’t provide any logical or biblical reason, it doesn’t build their confidence in the Amish lifestyle or faith. They are unwittingly setting up their inquisitive children—who are using their God-given brains—to ultimately abandon their Amish lifestyle when they become adults.
Thinking Amish people also wonder why all of the modern and semi-modern technologies that they use every day to make their lives easier and more comfortable are not considered to be “worldly.” If technology that makes life easier and more comfortable is “worldly” and inherently evil, why don’t Amish people winnow their wheat by riding donkeys over wheat stalks, as did their ancestors? In fact, why don’t they live in caves, sleep on the ground, wear only animal skins, and cook over campfires?
Thinking Amish people also wonder how modern technology is all “worldly,” when there are so many differences among Amish groups regarding which modern technologies are acceptable and which are not. How could a certain technology be “worldly” in one Amish community and not in another one? And why do all Amish groups allow certain technologies today that they once forbade?
Obviously, the determination of which technologies are “worldly” and which are not is completely arbitrary.
Thinking Amish people who search the Bible and the 1632 Dordrecht Confession[2] to find warnings against any kind of technology that makes life easier or more comfortable discover that there are none, in spite of the fact that in Bible times and in the 17th century—as in all times of human history—people were inventing ways to make their lives easier and more comfortable. Making one’s life easier or more comfortable is not inherently evil. It is God-given human nature. That is why we all wear coats when it is cold outside.
What About Enduring Hardship?
Of course, there are passages in the Bible that admonish and encourage Christians to endure hardship, but they always refer to hardships related to being “persecuted for the sake of righteousness” (Matt. 5:10). Amish people who, for example, decide to repent and follow the Lord Jesus Christ (which results in their spiritual rebirth), knowing that they will be excommunicated and shunned by their unregenerate Amish community, are choosing a path that will not result in an easier or more comfortable life. They are choosing a path of persecution and hardship.
On the other hand, Amish people who resist the call of obedience to Christ alone in order to remain accepted by their Amish group and avoid being persecuted for following Jesus are choosing a path that is certainly easier and more comfortable. And that is why it is somewhat ironic that the authors of Why be Plain? accuse those who leave the Amish of pursuing an easier and more comfortable life (by adopting the 5% of modern technology that Amish people shun), but at the same time, they are encouraging Amish people to continue following an easier and more comfortable path of seeking the acceptance of their Amish group even at the expense of seeking acceptance by God.
The Biblical Definition of “the World”
Now, let us return to the original question: “What were the apostles Paul, James and John referring to when they warned of “the world”?
Of course, it could not have been cars or cell phones, because neither existed when they wrote their letters to the ancient churches. Neither could it have been any of the modern technologies that Amish people regularly employ that didn’t exist in the days of the apostles. It must have been something else.
Thankfully, Paul, James and John elaborated on what they meant when they warned against “the world.” Let’s look again at their warnings in context:
Paul: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2, emphasis added).
Obviously, Paul was not referring to “the world” in a geographical sense. Rather, he was referring to the body of people in the world who are not submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. “The world” is not “proving what the will of God is” because the world is not obeying God’s commandments. As Christians progressively renew their minds with God’s Word, however, they are transformed as they obey His Word. They stand in contrast to the world in their behavior. They “prove, by their lifestyle, what the will of God is,” because they obey His commandments. That is what it means to “not conform to the world.”
James: “You adulteresses [the KJV says “adulterers and adulteresses”], do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas. 4:4)
According to the dictionary, friends “share a bond of mutual affection.” They often have similar interests, beliefs and behaviors. The reason true followers of Christ cannot be friends with the world is because they are submitted to Jesus as His devoted bride, whereas unbelievers have not submitted to Jesus, making themselves enemies of God. If Christians become friends with the world, they not only make themselves God’s enemies, but even worse, they make themselves spiritual adulteresses, because they previously pledged to be faithful to Him.
This, of course, does not mean that Christians cannot associate with unbelievers. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians:
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one (1 Cor 5:9-11, emphasis added).
True Christians should not associate with professing Christians who are “worldly,” that is, professing Christians who are sexually immoral, greedy, drunkards, and so on, because such professing Christians stain the church, and they will, in face, not inherit God’s kingdom (see 1 Cor. 6:9-10).
Finally, John: “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15).
According to John, three characteristics of “the world” are the “lust of the flesh,” the “lust of the eyes” and the “boastful pride of life.” These three characterize those who are not born again and not submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s first consider the “lust of the flesh.”
We should not assume John was writing only about sexual lust when he mentioned “the lust of the flesh.” The Greek word translated “lust” in 1 John 2:16 is epithumia, which is often translated “desire” in other places in the New Testament. For example, Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire [epithumia] of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire [epithumeo] against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please (Gal. 5:16-17).
So, when Christians “walk by the Spirit,” they do not carry out the “desire of the flesh.” One verse later, Paul enumerates the deeds that are committed by those who yield to the “desire of the flesh”:
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21).
Putting this all together, those who “love the world” are those who yield to the “desire of the flesh,” which then manifests as sexual immorality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and similar sins. So, when John warned about “the world,” those are the things he was warning against. People whose lives are characterized by those behaviors are “worldly.”
Those who are familiar with Amish culture know that many (not all, of course) Amish people are frequently involved in “enmities, strife…disputes, dissensions and factions” with other members of their communities as well as with other communities, strife that all revolves around ordnung rules. Not being able to get along, they are no different than “the world” in that respect. They are “worldly.” Some Amish people (not all), who would never own a smart phone or car, are frequently or sporadically guilty of sexual immorality. The percentage of Anabaptist people, for example, both Mennonite and Amish, who have suffered sexual abuse as children, by older siblings, fathers, or relatives, is shocking. Those who commit such vile acts are certainly “worldly,” and even worse than worldly (see 1 Cor. 5:1).
Regarding John’s second identifying characteristic of those who love the world—“lust [or desire] of the eyes”—it must be something different than the “lust [or desire] of the flesh” since John listed it separately. The expression “lust of the eyes” is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it is not similarly defined anywhere in Scripture as is the phrase “lust of the flesh.” So, we must speculate.
I suspect that “the lust of the eyes” refers to coveting and greed, as both generally involve the eyes, and they are all sins condemned elsewhere in Scripture.
Finally, John wrote that “the boastful pride of life” is also a behavioral characteristic of the “loving the world.”
“Boastful pride” is easy to understand. It is vocalizing one’s superiority. Then perhaps the “boastful pride of life” is vocalizing one’s superior lifestyle. In the next chapter, I will address how some (not all) Amish people are guilty of possessing such a “boastful pride of life” that exposes them as being “worldly.”
Evil Hammers?
So now we hopefully better understand Paul, James and John’s warnings about “the world.” Clearly, they were all warning about sins that characterize those who are not submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ and His commandments (not manmade rules). All three warned believers of the dangers of the world, but notice that none of them invented hundreds of fence laws in an attempt to corral the Christians into some semblance of obedience while creating a unique culture whose peculiarities had nothing to do with biblical morality.
Moreover, the sins they warned about that make people “worldly” could all be committed in the first century in which they lived. There are no warnings against material things or technology that make life easier or more comfortable.
Of course, just about any material thing that is used for good could be used for evil. A hammer, for example, that is used to drive nails to construct houses could be used to kill someone. But that doesn’t make hammers inherently evil.
Similarly, an automobile that is frequently used to transport Amish people could be used to transport illegal and harmful drugs. But that doesn’t make automobiles inherently evil. In fact, 99.99% of the time that automobiles are used, they are used for good purposes. Why then are Amish leaders so fearful that Amish people, who are supposed to be lovers of God and followers of Christ, will use them for evil? It is insulting to them. And are Amish leaders actually concerned that their flocks will use cars for evil? Or has it just been hammered into them from childhood that driving cars is simply something that Amish people don’t do? So, they perpetuate a nonsensical and unbiblical tradition?
Smart phones are often used to communicate via voice, text or email with loved ones or customers, to check the weather or the news, to make purchases and donations to charity, to read an electronic Bible, to schedule an appointment on a calendar, to watch a video on how to repair a broken item, and so on. Of course, a smart phone could be used to view pornography, but that doesn’t make smart phones inherently evil. Again, 99.99% of the time that smart phones are used, they are used for good purposes. Why are Amish leaders so fearful that their flocks, who are supposed to be lovers of God and followers of Christ, will use them for evil? Millions of non-Amish people have smart phones which they never use for evil.
Of course, Jesus told His followers to “cut off” anything that causes them to stumble into sin (Matt. 5:29-30). If a Christian owns a phone that causes him to stumble into sin, he should get rid of his phone. But there is no scriptural basis for Christian leaders to forbid their flocks from owning and using modern technologies when 99.99% of them will use those technologies for good (just as do the people of the world).
What about Entertainment?
Authors Weaver and Zimmerman also decry entertainment that is available through modern technology. Recall their early statement in chapter 1 of Why be Plain?:
With all the wonders of modern technology beckoning with its lure of an easy, comfortable and entertaining lifestyle, fewer people want to shun what the world has to offer and live the Old Order and Scriptural lifestyle of nonconformity.
There is no doubt that much of the entertainment that is available via cable television and the internet is evil and worldly, as it promotes the world’s rebellion against God. On the other hand, there is also wholesome, helpful, and Christian content available on the internet. Lots of it.
I discovered that, when I was born again, my inward nature changed, and I no longer enjoyed anything that was contrary to God’s will, including ungodly entertainment. That is just one of the big blessings of being born again. God changes the inward desires of those who are regenerated through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He also breaks the power of sin that once held them captive (see Rom. 6:1-7). For the first time in their lives, “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:30). As free moral agents, born-again believers are still capable of sin, but obedience, which formerly seemed impossible, is now very possible.
All of this is to say, if religious leaders feel they must prohibit technology that has the potential to convey entertainment that is sinful, when in fact millions of non-Amish born-again Christian believers utilize that same technology only for good, it would seem they are admitting that the people whom they are restricting are not born again.
Moreover, restricting non-born-again people from owning cell phones does not prevent them from secretly owning cell phones, as any honest Amish leader will admit. In fact, prohibiting them only makes them even more desirable to those who are unregenerate.
Finally, there is nothing inherently evil about entertainment. In fact, God has provided many means of pleasurable entertainment, none of which is evil.
It is entertaining and pleasurable, for example, to watch children play, flowers bloom, autumn leaves change colors, and glorious sunsets. It is entertaining to fish and hunt, hike in beautiful places, sew quilts, engage in wholesome conversation, and play croquet and volleyball. It is entertaining and pleasurable to make love with your spouse. It is entertaining and pleasurable to enjoy good food. And it is entertaining to view a clean, redemptive movie, or look at photos of beautiful places in the world, or listen to uplifting, God-glorifying music. The apostle Paul wrote that God “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). Like all good fathers, our Heavenly Father loves His children, and He takes pleasure in our enjoyment of all He has graciously given us. Praise God!
Forbidding Food to Prevent Gluttony?
Contained within Dan and Steve’s fictional conversation in the first chapter of Why be Plain? is this complaint by Dan:
“Almost everything that our church forbids is in no way sin. Just because it could be used wrong surely doesn’t make it wrong to own. The thing is, almost everything in the world that is good can also be used for evil. Should we forbid food because of gluttony? It seems to me our church comes close to making rules as ridiculous as that.”
Authors Weaver and Zimmerman subsequently address Dan’s complaint on page 9 of Why be Plain?:
As for Dan’s statement that some church guidelines are like forbidding food because of gluttony, it must be pointed out that there is a big difference. For one, food is essential for life. The world’s gadgets usually are not. Two, God Himself made food for the stomach and the stomach for food, calling both “good.” God has not made modern technology—man has. God has not called the high things of the world good, but rather, [an] “abomination” (Luke 16:15).
The authors employ the same scripture, found in Luke 16, two paragraphs later:
This deception is not only found among the youth, but also among discontented church members who are subconsciously trying to attain the forbidden while hiding behind a cloak of “Scriptural” reasons. “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15, emphasis is the authors’).
Dan’s analogy of forbidding food to prevent gluttony, like all analogies, is imperfect, but still appropriate. If you ask any Amish leader why owning or driving an automobile is wrong, they will likely either say that they don’t know, or that the prohibition prevents potential sin. But what sin, exactly, are they trying to prevent? The robbing of banks? All Amish people regularly employ “English” automobile drivers, and those English drivers will take them anywhere that their English consciences will allow. So do Amish people need English people to help them avoid sinning?
In any case, notice that authors Weaver and Zimmerman state that, unlike food, “God has not made modern technology—man has.” Then they state that, unlike food, God never declared “the high things of the world good, but rather, [an] abomination (Luke 16:15).”
Clearly, in the minds of the authors, God thinks that modern technology is one of “the high things of the world” that Jesus condemned in Luke 16:15, and thus it is an abomination in God’s eyes. Let’s consider the validity of that conclusion.
First, that conclusion begs the question of why Amish people have embraced 95% of all modern technologies. Why isn’t that 95% considered the “high things of the world” that were condemned by Jesus? As I asked previously, why aren’t Amish people winnowing wheat by riding donkeys over wheat stalks, as did their ancestors? Why aren’t they living in caves, wearing animal skins, sleeping on the ground, and cooking over campfires?
Second, since there was no modern technology when Jesus walked the earth, He obviously wasn’t condemning it to His ancient followers in Luke 16:15.
Third, on what grounds do the authors have to declare that modern technology, such as automobiles, is one of the “high things of the world”? There are hundreds of millions of automobiles on roads around the world. In North America, vehicles are more common than houses. And if cars qualify as one of the “high things of the world” that are an abomination to God, why are Amish people frequently paying to be transported in cars? That is not consistent with an alleged belief that vehicles are an abomination to God.
Fourth, we know exactly what Jesus was talking about when He condemned the “high things of the world.” If we read His words in context, it is obvious that He was warning about the love of money:
Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:14, emphasis added).
If you read even more of the preceding context (Luke 16:1-13), it becomes even more obvious that Jesus was warning about the love of money.
The love of money, of course, is manifested in two ways: (1) by breaking any of God’s commandments to obtain it, and (2) by breaking any of God’s commandments regarding how it is used once it is obtained.
Regarding the second of those two manifestations of the love of money, those who possess more money than they need and don’t share some with those who lack what they need are breaking God’s commandments to care for the poor. In so doing, they display their love of money. Money is their god, because money, not God, controls their lives. The Pharisees were lovers of money, which is why they scoffed when Jesus taught His followers about faithful stewardship, as recorded in Luke 16:1-13.
What Does the World “Highly Esteem”?
What, exactly, was Jesus referring to when He said, “That which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God”?
Clearly, He was referring to the world’s love of money. The world highly esteems wealthy people, who often spend exorbitant sums clothing themselves, who often live in elaborate, massive homes, and who often drive cars that cost exponentially more than an average car. Worldly people gawk at the rich, wishing they could live a similar lifestyle.
God, however, considers such a lifestyle to be an abomination, and for at least two reasons.
First, because many (not all) wealthy people gain their wealth by breaking God’s commandments. They have not treated others how they would want to be treated, or they have sinned in other ways to get rich. Many wealthy movie actors, for example, make money in their acting roles by promoting things that God hates.
Second, because many wealthy people ignore the cry of the poor whom they could easily help if they cared. They are like the rich man at whose gate Lazarus was laid. And they will share a similar fate as that rich man if they don’t repent. (Incidentally, the rich young ruler who asked Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life likely gained his wealth righteously. Jesus, however, told him he needed to care for the poor.)
It should be noted that there are people like biblical Job, who gained his wealth without breaking any of God’s commandments, and who faithfully stewarded what God entrusted to him—by fairly employing workers as well as by caring for widows, orphans, and the disabled. I know quite a few wealthy people like that.
In any case, to use Luke 16:15 to condemn hard-working Amish people who have decided to use their money—that they’ve previously been spending on horses, harnesses, horse feed, buggies and English taxi drivers—to purchase a car is to twist Luke 16:15. My friend Jonas Kurtz, a former Amish minister, previously employed—for his concrete business—an English taxi driver five days a week, paying him about $50,000 per year. If, instead of employing a chauffeur (like only the very wealthy people do in the world), Jonas had driven himself, he could have saved himself $50,000 a year, and he could have given some of it to the poor! But Jonas is now, as a born-again follower of Jesus, living less like the wealthy people of the world who employ chauffeurs, because he is driving himself in his own used car!
All of this is to say, it is not worldly to own and drive a car. It is, however, potentially worldly to regularly employ a chauffeur, which can be a waste of God’s money that potentially robs the poor.
The Twisting of Scripture
Authors Weaver and Zimmerman certainly know better than to twist Luke 16:15 to condemn car ownership. They admonish their readers on page 9: “The Bible should not be read for justification but for truth.” That, however, is exactly what the authors have done with Luke 16:15. Worse, after finding a solitary scripture to justify their tradition that car ownership is an abomination to God, they exalt their justification to the level of God’s commandments, excommunicating and shunning anyone from their ranks who buys a car, and telling them they will go to hell for it.
The authors also write on page 11:
When we hear criticism against the Plain Churches, the question to ask is not, what does this or that book or person say, but rather, “What does the Bible say on this topic?” The Bible is its own best commentary, often explaining itself in another verse. If a belief cannot be proven by more than one verse correctly taken in context and not contradicted by another verse, then it is very dangerous to build on it.
I could not agree more. Why then have authors ignored the context of Luke 16:15, which so plainly reveals exactly what Jesus was condemning? And where are all the other scriptures that support their idea that modern technology, like automobiles, is an abomination to God?
Nonconformity?
Let me close this chapter by once again quoting from page 3 of Why be Plain?:
With all the wonders of modern technology beckoning with its lure of an easy, comfortable and entertaining lifestyle, fewer people want to shun what the world has to offer [that is, modern technology] and live the Old Order and Scriptural lifestyle of nonconformity.
The authors are claiming that the Old Order lifestyle is a “Scriptural lifestyle of nonconformity.”
So, first of all, is the Old Order lifestyle scriptural?
The indisputable fact is that there is nothing in the New Testament that remotely resembles the ordnungs of Old Order Amish communities. There is nothing in the New Testament that remotely resembles the vows that Amish young people are expected to make to Amish churches and ordnungs. And there is nothing in the New Testament that remotely resembles the excommunication and shunning of people who don’t keep hundreds of manmade rules contained in ordnungs. All that being so, it is clear that the Old Order lifestyle is not scriptural. The Old Order lifestyle is not from God, but rather, is “manmade,” just like the modern technology that Amish folks shun. Why do Amish people shun manmade technology but embrace manmade traditions?
Second, is the Old Order lifestyle one of nonconformity?
It is true that Christians are not to “be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds” (Rom. 12:2). As we have already discussed, however, Christian nonconformity is expressed by obedience to the commandments of Christ, because sin and disobedience are what characterize the world.
What is ironic about the authors’ claim, however, is that Amish life is all about conformity—to the hundreds of manmade rules of each community’s ordnung. If you don’t conform, you will lose your family, friends and livelihood. So, everyone conforms out of fear.
The truth is, the only people among the Amish who are nonconformists are those don’t conform in some way to the ordnung and who are subsequently excommunicated and shunned. Some of those nonconforming, excommunicated Amish folks then conform to the world in the biblical sense. That is, they embrace a lifestyle of disobedience to Christ. Others, however, do not conform to the world in a biblical sense, because they adopt a lifestyle of obedience to Christ, even though they no longer keep the peculiar requirements of their former community’s ordnung.
Tragically, many such Christ-following former Amish people are judged and condemned by their own Amish family members as having “gone to the world” to travel “on the road to hell.” Won’t those family members be surprised when they meet in heaven (if they make it themselves) those whom they so condemned?
