Groups enlist unity
Opposition to military service continues to unify Anabaptists. An unprecedented number of Anabaptist groups found common ground this summer to sign a letter outlining concerns to the National Commission on...
[read more]Consultation offers peace-church voice on military service
As a federal commission reviews the Selective Service System and other issues regarding the American public’s relationship with military service, Anabaptists have given their input. A diverse collection of...
[read more]Broad census counts more Anabaptists
The most inclusive census of Anabaptists in the United States counts 100,000 more members than the 2018 Mennonite World Conference tally. The survey, by the Lancaster (Pa.) Mennonite Historical Society, counts...
[read more]Don’t just assume
Two cow carcasses lie piled onto each other, just off the parking lot. The Shipshewana (Ind.) Auction Barn has some actual barns attached to it, and two of its residents must have died recently. A few hours...
[read more]Book review: ‘German Language: Cradle of our Heritage’
How is it that Old Order Amish and some Old Order Mennonites remain bilingual more than 10 generations after their arrival in North America? Most immigrants give up their native tongue after the third...
[read more]Amish teachers serve Old Colony schools in Mexico
Two of the most traditional Anabaptist groups — Old Order Amish and Old Colony Mennonites — were only vaguely aware of each other 24 years ago. Since then, they’ve built a relationship of trust based...
[read more]Dark side to Amish religious freedom?
Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wisconsin v. Yoder decision has traditionally been hailed as a religious freedom victory for the Amish, some Amish people want to challenge the 1972 ruling. That’s one thing...
[read more]Opinion: Intrusion of dissenters
Seventy-four years ago, I was part of a national experiment unlikely to be repeated. On June 5, 1941, a camp for conscientious objectors to war opened at Templeton Gap on the northwest edge of Colorado...
[read more]Opinion: Chasm between ‘plain’ and ‘liberal’
I attended parts of the Anabaptist Identity Conference (“Conservative Anabaptists Reject Fundamentalism”). I had not been aware of these conferences, which have been occurring for some time. Such is the...
[read more]Simple, sophisticated
In the summer of 1963, David Wagler and Joseph Stoll, two Amish farmers, were threshing oats in a field close to Aylmer, Ont. They reflected on the need for more literature that spoke to the interests and...
[read more]About Me
