Amish-olatry?

OK, I'm probably going to get blasted for this, but here goes anyway. Our hearts are broken by the recent tragedy in Amish country. And yes, we admire the Amish for their gentle demonstration of forgiveness. But the way some of my Gen-X blogmates tell it, the Amish pretty much have a direct line to God. These last few days, I've read that because the Amish live in isolated communities untainted by the modern world, they have a much deeper insight into the ways of God than the rest of the Christian fellowship. Oh really? Sure, there are some aspects of Amish life that resonate with the postmodern mind: things like withdrawal from the superficiality of modern society, distrust of technology, disenchantment with politics, commitment to pacifism, strong sense of community and the courage to stand alone on one's traditions, however unpopular they might be.

But let's get real. If just a few days ago someone had suggested that all Christians adopt the male-dominant gender roles of the Amish, you know the ridicule that would have come from those same postmoderns. "Well, that's just what you'd expect," they would have cried, "from a group that hides in insular communities, is mired in the horse-and-buggy era, and is composed entirely of people with eighth-grade educations." I don't think too many of them ever would have advocated leadership-roles-for-males-only based on the idea that the Amish hear God more clearly than the rest of us.

Here's the truth: like many Christian groups, the Amish have much to teach us. But like all Christian groups (including our own), they have their blind spots. Here's one: my friend Bill Reist is descended from Hans Reist, who had a famous falling out with Jacob Amman in 1693. The Mennonites trace their history to Reist's faction, the Amish to Amman. The Reist-Amman rift was so bitter that it nearly came to physical blows a few times (and this between two "peace" groups). It remains historically one of the most acromonious and uncharitable divisions ever between Christian camps. Amman was upset with Reist because he wasn't vigorous enough in excommunicating folk over petty doctrinal differences. As a result, even today I think most of us would find Amman's spiritual heirs to be just a tad too rigid, inflexible, and legalistic.

So, let's pray for the Amish in their time of sorrow. And let's be edified by their spirit of peace and forbearance. But let's not prop up our favorite doctrines and biases by idolizing a group that has no more claim to a monopoly on God than anyone else.