New Testament Precision, vs. Orthodoxy
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
It is interesting to consider the mindset of the Amish when it comes to their beliefs—their religious beliefs that is. What is intriguing is the fact that they, like any Christian group, believes they are the ‘most’ precise as it pertains to understanding and living out the New Testament. I mean, after all, why wouldn’t they? They created their own group several hundred years ago. That’s why we have so many factions of Christianity. Usually everyone thinks their group is the rightest, unless they are simply there out of convenience or because they have friends of that particular group.
The obvious question then becomes, “Are the Amish the most accurate in following the New Testament of any current day Christian group?” I’m certainly not going to answer that (lol), but, knowing the New Testament decently well, and some general Christian customs, I can provide some insight I think from my perspective (me being of the main-stream Protestant). I would say, right off the bat, that I do, in fact, think the Amish follow a few things more accurately from the New Testament versus any other ‘denomination,’ if we can call the Amish a denomination (this is true if we were to interpret things absolutely literally). What stands out in my mind is the women wearing the caps as a form of head-covering. Paul definitely talked about head-coverings, and yet we see that most churches in our day and age do not practice that part.
One of themes of the New Testament, whether you consider what Jesus said, or the epistles, is that Christians are to be separate from the world. I think the Amish clearly have accomplished that task, and in a big way. Again, they practice the differentiation of clothing from the world, and perhaps take it even further than Paul said it had to be. They seek to be moral, upright people as most Christians do (in comparing the actions with what the New Testament labels as sin). This separation in American society is most notable in the lack of the use of electricity and the lack of the use of cars—at least, owning cars (they do use cars owned by the outsiders). Physically, they separate their own group so that they have limited interaction with outsiders. Typically, interaction is limited to business transactions and dealings.
In what particular way are the Amish similar to other groups of Christianity, like the main-stream Protestants (if we can group the rest of the Protestants together, lol), Roman Catholics, or Orthodox? Well, they certainly are similar to other groups in that they are orderly. Of course, here in twenty-first century America, orderliness seems to be going out the window, at least in the form of following specific rituals within a church service. Of course, the Roman Catholics probably hold the crown when it comes to the structure of things outside of the Amish. Though, there are other orderly groups like the Orthodox Christians or even Methodists or Presbyterians to name a few.
Now, the Orthodox Church, for instance, seeks to be as precise as possible to the original, early New Testament church. This would include the original church found in The Book of Acts and the epistles as well as the church life several hundred years afterward. They believe they are the most ‘accurate’ of all the churches available today. This is because of their closeness with the original practices of the early churches. And for that I think there is a lot to be said. In fact, present-day Orthodox Archpriest Josiah Trenham wrote an excellent book called ‘Rock and Sand’ sort of defending his faith I guess you would say (he even briefly talks about the Amish directly and talks about their roots for sure; the roots of all Protestantism from his perspective).
I bring up Dr. Trenham and his book because I think what he talks about is particularly noteworthy as pertains to seeing a different perspective of Christianity from a person who thinks their way is right. Both the Orthodox and the Amish are pretty firm in that theirs is the correct way of living compared to early church living. I already stated that the Orthodox trace back themselves back to the beginning, for they’ve pretty much always been the same (they are basically the early church in present day, say, from at least 400 A.D. to now). The Amish, like the other Protestants led by Martin Luther, believed the church (then the Catholic Church) had erred so much that they weren’t even close to what the New Testament originally prescribed. That’s why Luther changed and lead the rebellion that he did.
The Amish, then, are born out of that path of Christianity. It seems reasonable to consider and believe that the Catholics changed things up a bit back then, right? Surely, even to this day, they have implemented changes (not that other groups don’t). I mean, from the original Orthodox way, the Catholics were formed in 1054 A.D. And so they branched off from the Orthodox. So, as Luther read the New Testament in the early 1500s, he saw things that he believed weren’t accurate to what the writers’, or God himself, intended. So, he too, like the Catholics had done, created his own way with people following along with him. And thus began the Protestants, hence the name ‘protest’ ‘ants’.
It seems like Luther and these around him would have gone back to the Orthodox way in light of their newfound truths, right? But they didn’t. They branched off with their own, new, creative way (at least, they didn’t think it was new, but what had been lost). One could cite the fact that the Orthodox doctrine of saved by grace alone isn’t as clear cut as Luther’s. One could even argue that the Orthodox require works, though, I’m not so sure I would directly say that (Dr. Trenham would provide a good answer for that). I’m sure he did in his book, I just don’t remember. So, anyway, Luther came up with a way that he felt was most accurate at that time, and countless others have ‘improved’ upon that way.
One thing I found to be interesting when I first went to study the Amish is that they sprinkle (or pour; however you want to look at it) water for baptism. I figured they would be dunkers, but they are not. So, that’s kind of perplexing to me because they take so much other stuff so literally. One would think that they would take the method of baptism literally. The Orthodox, by comparison, do in fact dunk fully three times. So, that is particularly interesting. The New Testament examples provide a literal dunking into water, though, they don’t say for sure whether it is one or three dunks. So, the Orthodox seem to be more exact as it pertains to a literal, specific interpretation of Scripture.
Or, so it seems. The Amish would say, “Hold up. They baptize infants.” Ah, there’s a particular difference. The Amish baptize people when they are grown up and decide to join the church group. The Orthodox, on the other hand, want infants to be baptized as soon as possible. So, that’s a pretty big difference. Remember the Orthodox claim to be the most precise to the early church. I guess one could argue that in the New Testament infants actually were (indirectly) baptized in the passages where it talks about a whole household being baptized. Compelling, and I think not that easily dismissed either. (I have heard Dr. Trenham talk about this on YouTube).
Another similarity between the Amish and the Orthodox is the use of sacred books. The Amish, we know, use prayer books and other historical books like Martyrs Mirror or the Ausbund (a hymnal) that they reference besides the Bible. The Orthodox, on the other hand, make use of the Apocrypha and, of course, the writings of the early church ministers (saints). In fact, unlike the Amish, they do not practice Sola Scriptura, where only the Bible is used to establish doctrine and church practices. But really, I’m not so sure I would count the Amish as being purists when it comes to only having the Bible as their authority. We know that each community has it’s own Ordnung, which are unwritten rules for the way church practices are done, supposedly based on the Bible (there are practices I think that cannot be directly linked to the Bible, like obviously the use of the horse and buggy).
So, really, in the final analysis, the Amish and Orthodox are particularly similar in their use of other texts, and clearly that they both rely on traditions that have been handed down. For the Amish, we know that the last hundred years have been full of that. That’s why the Amish do things the way they do them. By word of mouth the prohibition against the use of electricity and motor vehicles thrive. The order of the services, in particular, have been passed down where I believe all Amish services that meet everywhere sing the same hymn at about the same time (I think it’s the second hymn they sing if I remember correctly, something like that). Obviously, the Orthodox pride themselves on the fact that their traditions remain the same through the centuries, like the practice of the eucharist, or communion, as the Amish and other Protestants call it.
This is also true in the use of calendars, whereby the Amish and the Orthodox follow their own traditions days for special days. I definitely believe that the Amish calendar is more similar to what the typical, Protestant American is used to. Perhaps there are just a few extra days added, like Pentecost Monday or Ascension Day. These days occur after the celebration of Easter. The Orthodox, however, I think go to a whole new level perhaps, with lots of special days that are celebrated by neither the Amish or other Protestants, like observing different kinds of saints days. Seems more in-depth.
The other side, the other way, to look at the original question that was posed is to ponder what is experientially true? So, here, we are flipping from the logical, or methodological, to what can be seen, what can be observed. I mean, we could re-phrase the original question. Since we are not Amish, we really don’t know what their ‘experiences’ are like for sure. But, we could ask the question: “In ‘observing’ the Amish, is it true that they are the most accurate in following the New Testament.” And I think in considering that question, we will understand that the Amish do in fact live and act in a lot of ways that are wholesome, likable, moral, and of which produce happiness.
I think the concept of happiness is the ultimate guide because it shows us, again by observation, the success or lack thereof of a group of people, right? I mean if a group is successful, they will be genuinely happy. Now, I’m not talking about satisfaction. I see a difference between happiness and satisfaction. I think people can be satisfied but not truly happy. For example, an Amish farmer can work the field, and at the end of the season, he can be satisfied with the crop he produces, but is he happy with the work he has done? An Amish woman can create quilt after quilt, and at the end of the year have created many. Surely she’s satisfied, but is she happy? There is nothing completely even across the board, but if I was to have to guess, I would say the people in both of these types of scenarios are usually both satisfied and happy at the same time.
In this area, then, of happiness, I think the Amish, for the most part, thrive in it with leaps and bonds. At last, that seems to be my impression. In person that has been limited, but most of them I have met and talked to seem to be genuinely happy and contented people. Their writings seem to show the same (I am currently reading a lengthy book filled with Amish writings). Interestingly enough, we know that mental health issues, as well as many other issues, seem to be less with them (though, I suppose one could say that’s because it is unreported; and certainly there could be some validity to that). But, like I’ve said before, we don’t see the violent crime or adultery and things like that to the level that we see with the English. I don’t think we would expect to see these things either. And the Amish are quite a large population.
Even though this may be true, this doesn’t mean the Amish are inherently better than everyone or that their way is superior. I’m sure there are other religious groups, even non-Christians ones, of which the same could be said. And the Amish without a doubt still face problems that challenge their happiness.
You know, whatever one believes about following the New Testament, and the way in which it should be done, I think the ‘experience’ of doing that is important. Like, for instance, if a person or group of people is completely miserable at living their lives in a religious way, then no matter how ‘technically’ accurate, there must be something wrong because, at least me personally, I don’t think that’s the way the Creator intended us to live. The Creator I see I don’t think made us to be miserable beings. So, no matter what way of following the New Testament is devised, it should produce happiness. And with the Amish, I think that is true. Why, they have an 85% to 90% retention rate. Again, one could argue that is out of pressure or even force, but that still doesn’t deny the happiness that is exhibited, that is experienced, by many.
- Daniel Litton
To comment on this post, tap here to go to the comments page.
The obvious question then becomes, “Are the Amish the most accurate in following the New Testament of any current day Christian group?” I’m certainly not going to answer that (lol), but, knowing the New Testament decently well, and some general Christian customs, I can provide some insight I think from my perspective (me being of the main-stream Protestant). I would say, right off the bat, that I do, in fact, think the Amish follow a few things more accurately from the New Testament versus any other ‘denomination,’ if we can call the Amish a denomination (this is true if we were to interpret things absolutely literally). What stands out in my mind is the women wearing the caps as a form of head-covering. Paul definitely talked about head-coverings, and yet we see that most churches in our day and age do not practice that part.
One of themes of the New Testament, whether you consider what Jesus said, or the epistles, is that Christians are to be separate from the world. I think the Amish clearly have accomplished that task, and in a big way. Again, they practice the differentiation of clothing from the world, and perhaps take it even further than Paul said it had to be. They seek to be moral, upright people as most Christians do (in comparing the actions with what the New Testament labels as sin). This separation in American society is most notable in the lack of the use of electricity and the lack of the use of cars—at least, owning cars (they do use cars owned by the outsiders). Physically, they separate their own group so that they have limited interaction with outsiders. Typically, interaction is limited to business transactions and dealings.
In what particular way are the Amish similar to other groups of Christianity, like the main-stream Protestants (if we can group the rest of the Protestants together, lol), Roman Catholics, or Orthodox? Well, they certainly are similar to other groups in that they are orderly. Of course, here in twenty-first century America, orderliness seems to be going out the window, at least in the form of following specific rituals within a church service. Of course, the Roman Catholics probably hold the crown when it comes to the structure of things outside of the Amish. Though, there are other orderly groups like the Orthodox Christians or even Methodists or Presbyterians to name a few.
Now, the Orthodox Church, for instance, seeks to be as precise as possible to the original, early New Testament church. This would include the original church found in The Book of Acts and the epistles as well as the church life several hundred years afterward. They believe they are the most ‘accurate’ of all the churches available today. This is because of their closeness with the original practices of the early churches. And for that I think there is a lot to be said. In fact, present-day Orthodox Archpriest Josiah Trenham wrote an excellent book called ‘Rock and Sand’ sort of defending his faith I guess you would say (he even briefly talks about the Amish directly and talks about their roots for sure; the roots of all Protestantism from his perspective).
I bring up Dr. Trenham and his book because I think what he talks about is particularly noteworthy as pertains to seeing a different perspective of Christianity from a person who thinks their way is right. Both the Orthodox and the Amish are pretty firm in that theirs is the correct way of living compared to early church living. I already stated that the Orthodox trace back themselves back to the beginning, for they’ve pretty much always been the same (they are basically the early church in present day, say, from at least 400 A.D. to now). The Amish, like the other Protestants led by Martin Luther, believed the church (then the Catholic Church) had erred so much that they weren’t even close to what the New Testament originally prescribed. That’s why Luther changed and lead the rebellion that he did.
The Amish, then, are born out of that path of Christianity. It seems reasonable to consider and believe that the Catholics changed things up a bit back then, right? Surely, even to this day, they have implemented changes (not that other groups don’t). I mean, from the original Orthodox way, the Catholics were formed in 1054 A.D. And so they branched off from the Orthodox. So, as Luther read the New Testament in the early 1500s, he saw things that he believed weren’t accurate to what the writers’, or God himself, intended. So, he too, like the Catholics had done, created his own way with people following along with him. And thus began the Protestants, hence the name ‘protest’ ‘ants’.
It seems like Luther and these around him would have gone back to the Orthodox way in light of their newfound truths, right? But they didn’t. They branched off with their own, new, creative way (at least, they didn’t think it was new, but what had been lost). One could cite the fact that the Orthodox doctrine of saved by grace alone isn’t as clear cut as Luther’s. One could even argue that the Orthodox require works, though, I’m not so sure I would directly say that (Dr. Trenham would provide a good answer for that). I’m sure he did in his book, I just don’t remember. So, anyway, Luther came up with a way that he felt was most accurate at that time, and countless others have ‘improved’ upon that way.
One thing I found to be interesting when I first went to study the Amish is that they sprinkle (or pour; however you want to look at it) water for baptism. I figured they would be dunkers, but they are not. So, that’s kind of perplexing to me because they take so much other stuff so literally. One would think that they would take the method of baptism literally. The Orthodox, by comparison, do in fact dunk fully three times. So, that is particularly interesting. The New Testament examples provide a literal dunking into water, though, they don’t say for sure whether it is one or three dunks. So, the Orthodox seem to be more exact as it pertains to a literal, specific interpretation of Scripture.
Or, so it seems. The Amish would say, “Hold up. They baptize infants.” Ah, there’s a particular difference. The Amish baptize people when they are grown up and decide to join the church group. The Orthodox, on the other hand, want infants to be baptized as soon as possible. So, that’s a pretty big difference. Remember the Orthodox claim to be the most precise to the early church. I guess one could argue that in the New Testament infants actually were (indirectly) baptized in the passages where it talks about a whole household being baptized. Compelling, and I think not that easily dismissed either. (I have heard Dr. Trenham talk about this on YouTube).
Another similarity between the Amish and the Orthodox is the use of sacred books. The Amish, we know, use prayer books and other historical books like Martyrs Mirror or the Ausbund (a hymnal) that they reference besides the Bible. The Orthodox, on the other hand, make use of the Apocrypha and, of course, the writings of the early church ministers (saints). In fact, unlike the Amish, they do not practice Sola Scriptura, where only the Bible is used to establish doctrine and church practices. But really, I’m not so sure I would count the Amish as being purists when it comes to only having the Bible as their authority. We know that each community has it’s own Ordnung, which are unwritten rules for the way church practices are done, supposedly based on the Bible (there are practices I think that cannot be directly linked to the Bible, like obviously the use of the horse and buggy).
So, really, in the final analysis, the Amish and Orthodox are particularly similar in their use of other texts, and clearly that they both rely on traditions that have been handed down. For the Amish, we know that the last hundred years have been full of that. That’s why the Amish do things the way they do them. By word of mouth the prohibition against the use of electricity and motor vehicles thrive. The order of the services, in particular, have been passed down where I believe all Amish services that meet everywhere sing the same hymn at about the same time (I think it’s the second hymn they sing if I remember correctly, something like that). Obviously, the Orthodox pride themselves on the fact that their traditions remain the same through the centuries, like the practice of the eucharist, or communion, as the Amish and other Protestants call it.
This is also true in the use of calendars, whereby the Amish and the Orthodox follow their own traditions days for special days. I definitely believe that the Amish calendar is more similar to what the typical, Protestant American is used to. Perhaps there are just a few extra days added, like Pentecost Monday or Ascension Day. These days occur after the celebration of Easter. The Orthodox, however, I think go to a whole new level perhaps, with lots of special days that are celebrated by neither the Amish or other Protestants, like observing different kinds of saints days. Seems more in-depth.
The other side, the other way, to look at the original question that was posed is to ponder what is experientially true? So, here, we are flipping from the logical, or methodological, to what can be seen, what can be observed. I mean, we could re-phrase the original question. Since we are not Amish, we really don’t know what their ‘experiences’ are like for sure. But, we could ask the question: “In ‘observing’ the Amish, is it true that they are the most accurate in following the New Testament.” And I think in considering that question, we will understand that the Amish do in fact live and act in a lot of ways that are wholesome, likable, moral, and of which produce happiness.
I think the concept of happiness is the ultimate guide because it shows us, again by observation, the success or lack thereof of a group of people, right? I mean if a group is successful, they will be genuinely happy. Now, I’m not talking about satisfaction. I see a difference between happiness and satisfaction. I think people can be satisfied but not truly happy. For example, an Amish farmer can work the field, and at the end of the season, he can be satisfied with the crop he produces, but is he happy with the work he has done? An Amish woman can create quilt after quilt, and at the end of the year have created many. Surely she’s satisfied, but is she happy? There is nothing completely even across the board, but if I was to have to guess, I would say the people in both of these types of scenarios are usually both satisfied and happy at the same time.
In this area, then, of happiness, I think the Amish, for the most part, thrive in it with leaps and bonds. At last, that seems to be my impression. In person that has been limited, but most of them I have met and talked to seem to be genuinely happy and contented people. Their writings seem to show the same (I am currently reading a lengthy book filled with Amish writings). Interestingly enough, we know that mental health issues, as well as many other issues, seem to be less with them (though, I suppose one could say that’s because it is unreported; and certainly there could be some validity to that). But, like I’ve said before, we don’t see the violent crime or adultery and things like that to the level that we see with the English. I don’t think we would expect to see these things either. And the Amish are quite a large population.
Even though this may be true, this doesn’t mean the Amish are inherently better than everyone or that their way is superior. I’m sure there are other religious groups, even non-Christians ones, of which the same could be said. And the Amish without a doubt still face problems that challenge their happiness.
You know, whatever one believes about following the New Testament, and the way in which it should be done, I think the ‘experience’ of doing that is important. Like, for instance, if a person or group of people is completely miserable at living their lives in a religious way, then no matter how ‘technically’ accurate, there must be something wrong because, at least me personally, I don’t think that’s the way the Creator intended us to live. The Creator I see I don’t think made us to be miserable beings. So, no matter what way of following the New Testament is devised, it should produce happiness. And with the Amish, I think that is true. Why, they have an 85% to 90% retention rate. Again, one could argue that is out of pressure or even force, but that still doesn’t deny the happiness that is exhibited, that is experienced, by many.
- Daniel Litton
To comment on this post, tap here to go to the comments page.