Are Amish truly Christians? Sometimes people wonder that about the Amish.
Now you may or may not be familiar with the Amish depending on where you live in the United States and in the world. They live in about half of the States of the United States and there’s about 250,000 Amish people total in North America.
They also live in Canada and some, even in central America. And they are growing, but they’re not growing because people are joining them. They’re growing them because they have generally large families and there’s probably going to be a half a million Amish people in North America within about 20 or so years.
And so they’re hard to miss. They live mostly in more rural areas. They are characterized by their very plain dress, a somewhat plain living, and that they do not own a lot of modern technologies, including cars.
So you always see them driving their buggies along the roads and highways in the settlements and the communities where they live. It’s always for the most part in rural areas because that fits their lifestyle the best.
Now I know something about the Amish, not only because I’ve studied them but I also know many of them. I have Amish neighbbors and my family attends an Amish-Mennonite church.
The Amish are part of a larger group of Anabaptists that trace their beginnings back about 400 years ago in Europe.
The Amish that I know are very sincere and they have a genuine faith.
What is a Christian?
First of all, and in my humble opinion as I’m reading the Bible, a Christian is anybody who believes that Jesus Christ is the divine son of God. That he died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later. That Christ’s death paid for the sins of those who believe on him as their Saviour.
Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.“
You got to have that. Bare bones minimum.
That faith has got to be evidenced by some degree at least of obedience to the commandments of Christ. So that’s the Biblical definition of what a true Christian really is.
And as I have looked at the lives of the Amish, and of course, if you look at anybody close enough, you’re going to see flaws. And those of us who have logs in our eyes ought to be careful and looking at the specs and other people’s eyes. Right? Right.
That’s what we have to be very careful of when we’re looking at the Amish. A lot of their practices are rooted in biblical beliefs.
Now, I don’t believe that all of them are because of course you can’t find anywhere in the Bible says it’s wrong to use modern technology. And the Amish stayed right with technology, for the first few hundred years of their existence.
It’s only in about the last hundred years or so where they’ve parked and just said, we will go no further.
I might also add, all the the rules and regulations and, and those things which regulate Amish lifestyle and behavior varies from Amish community to Amish community.
There are several different groups of Amish. They’ve split many times, but they’ve split over mostly lifestyle debates and disputes. Things like is it okay to have buttons or should we be using straight pins to put our clothes together because some groups have felt that it’s wrong to use buttons.
Some groups will have allowed cell phone usage, others do not. It varies from group to group.Something that is not often known about the Amish amongst those who are outsiders is that they’re moving around quite a bit. They’re often moving to other communities.
Although they never say it’s because they like another group’s rules better, one cannot help but wonder if that isn’t a driving motivation. At least behind some of them in their restless wanderings from community to Amish community.
So are the Amish Christians?
Well, you know, just because you’re Amish doesn’t mean it doesn’t guarantee you’re a genuine Christian. Any more than being an evangelical Protestant guarantees that you’re a genuine Christian. You have to believe in Jesus and there’s gotta be some evidence.
It’s got to show up in your daily life. And that is certainly true amongst all the Amish that I know personally.
But I have to confess that there’s some that I’ve met where the question has entered my mind. Do they really believe in Jesus or are they just in the Amish culture?
Are they merely conforming to the Amish culture, but not out of a heart love for Christ. I know some former Amish people who left their Amish group and got some persecution because of it.
The Amish practice shunning. That’s a means of discipline in order to win people back into the fold. So if somebody strays all of their family members and all their friends will shun them to some degree, and it brings social pressure on them to think about what they’re doing and to hopefully reel them back into the fold and into conformity.
Oftentimes when Amish leave the Amish movement, they stick with the Anabaptist and they’ll wind up being Mennonites. Of course, the Mennonites have split and a lot of different ways over the years. And they’re just like the Amish.
There are more conservative, there are ultra-conservative, there are medium kind of brand Mennonites. And then there’s the liberal Mennonites.
And amongst the Amish there’s the spectrum of conservativism and liberalism you see in other Christian groups.There is a little bit of flux going on even within the various orders.
There are Old Order Amsih, Schwartzentruber Amish, Nebraska Amsih, Beacy Amish-Mennonites, and many, many other groups. Each group has its own standards.
But even every Old Order Amish community is not the same because they have different rules and regulations that they follow.
Despite the various rules, some of which seem odd to the non-Amish, they do hold to the basic tenants of the Christian faith that was once delivered to the saints.
Yes – the Amish are Christian.
In many areas, their faith and practice are far more Biblical than the mainline denominations. They take Jesus’ words very seriously.
They do not participate in the military, since Jesus has commanded us to love our enemies. They feel it is far better that they die and go to heaven than kill and send someone to hell.
Throughout history, the Amish, Mennonites and other Anabaptists groups have died violent deaths because of their refusal to defend themselves.
The Amish practice footwashing as part of their communion services, since jesus not only washed his disciples’ feet at the last supper, but commanded that they do likewise.
Contrary to an idea that circulates around the internet, the Amish DO PAY TAXES. Most do not pay into or collect Social Security, but they do pay income tax, property tax and all the other taxes other citizens pay.
Most do not vote, feeling there is to be a separation of church and state.
Again, not all Amish are Christians, but their religion is a Christian faith with a strong historic foundation. It is not a cult or heretical group, but is an orthodox faith grounded in the scriptures and lived out the way they believe the Bible teaches.
If you know any Amish people, chances are you know some good folks that are honest, hardworking family-oriented people who love God and are doing their best to serve him with a clear conscience.