The following is from an article that was published in the Lancaster Newspaper about Mr. Donald Kraybill to introduce his newest book, "What the Amish Teach Us"
It was an ordinary day. Just finished reading a story posted in the Lancaster Newspaper about a fellow by the name of Donald Kraybill. Mr. Kraybill is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Elizabethtown College as well as a Senior Fellow Emereitus at Elizabethtown's Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. He is a year younger than me and graduated from Lancaster Mennonite High School and attended Millersville State Teachers College for two years. He eventually earned a bachelor's degree from Eastern Mennonite University, a master's degree from Temple University and a PhD in sociology from Temple University in 1976. While at Temple he was a research assistant to John Hostetler, a recognized authority on Amish society who had himself grown up Amish and who was influential in Mr. Kraybill's interest in studying the Amish.
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| Donald Kraybill |
Mr. Kraybill is widely recognized for his studies and expertise on Anabaptist groups and in particular the Amish. He has authored or edited nearly 30 books on various aspects of the lives of Plain sects and writes on groups within the Anabaptist faith such as the Mennonites, Amish and Bruderhof in addition to academic books published by Johns Hopkins University Press. He is one of two experts frequently quoted by reporters to give background to news stories involving the Amish and serves as a consultant for the PBS show "The American Experience series The Amish." In 2014 he published a book related to five beard-cutting attacks on Amish people in eastern Ohio in the fall of 2011 which led to the arrests of 16 members of a maverick Amish community in Bergholz, Ohio. He assisted federal prosecutors in understanding Amish beliefs and practices and served as an expert witness at the federal trial in 2012. He later wrote a book about the attacks, investigation, trial and aftermath titled Renegade Amish: Beard Cutting, Hate Crimes, and the Trial of the Bergholkz Barbers. In August of 2014, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the hate crimes convictions, a ruling that generated much response. I could write quite a bit more about the gentleman, but I believe you can see the profound knowledge that Mr. Kraybill possesses. The story I just finished reading that was in the Lancaster Newspaper tells about what the Amish have taught Mr. Kraybill over his lifetime. The book is a short collection of 22 readable essays that follows the cycles of typical Amish life including essays on child care, education, spirituality, entrepreneurship and death. Mr. Steve Nolt, a professor of history and Anabaptist studies at Elizabethtown says that if you purchase the book and read it, you will learn about Amish life, but also find yourself thinking about your own life, what things you value and what things you might want to reconsider. Mr. Kraybill grew up in a Mennonite farming family who didn't have any close Amish neighbors, but viewed them as sort of stuck in the mud...pretty much like everyone else in Lancaster County did who wasn't Amish. Many in Lancaster County thought they would more or less disappear as farm land was sold and more housing was built for non-Amish families. But, the more Don got to know the Amish, he found his assumptions were wrong. He began to see them in a different light. He noticed things such as...why would you go to a doctor but refuse to let your children go to higher education and become a doctor? Why would you get a tractor and keep it in the barn while you use horses to pull modern machinery? Why would you pay a neighbor to take you somewhere but not own or operate a car? Don began to accumulate thousands of hours of field work and interviews and eventually made friends with many people in Amish communities inside, as well as, outside Lancaster County. He finally saw that patterns that to us didn't make sense, but from their perspective, made a lot of sense. And, he found that the Amish are doubling in size every 20 years in North America. It seems that one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the Amish is that they shun technology. They actually use technology, but it must be based on their values and traditions. That is known as "Amishize"! They are more careful and thoughtful with technology than we are. They still drive buggies, but may also ask their non-Amish neighbors to drive them in their car if needed. One of the biggest issues at present is the use of the smartphone. About a year ago I visited an Amish business that built buggies. I used a notepad to write notes for myself while they wondered why I didn't use a cell phone, as they would have done. In Mr. Kraybill's book "What The Amish Teach Us," the key to Amish life is in maintaining a small-car localized community with tight-knit relationships. There are lessons to be found in every essay in his book. Mr. Kraybill's interactions with the Amish shows how their views on child care and education successfully prepare their children for Amish life and strengthens their communities. There are also essays that share stories about family life as well as stories about how Amish hack technology and deal with retirement. Mr. Kraybill's book also explores many of the spiritual aspects of Amish life such as patience and forgiveness. In 2006 a tragedy at an Amish school at Nickel Mines left many dead and many wondered afterward how the Amish could be so forgiving of the shooter. One of the Amish Bishops said, "It was already a decided issue to forgive, it's just what our people do!" Basically, forgiveness is at the heart of Amish faith and culture. Donald Kraybill's book, "What The Amish Teach Us" is filled with many lessons that many of us would find interesting and will help us all learn more about the Amish culture. His book can be found in local book stores a well as through John Hopkins Press. I plan to purchase it and perhaps you might enjoy his book also! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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