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Are Amish Women Happy?
Erik Wesner posed a question on his latest post on the blog Amish America that asked, “Are Amish women happy?” I responded with these comments: The answer to this first question posed is probably as varied as the question of “Are American women happy?” It is impossible to make a generalization. Yes, Amish women have…
Read MoreAutumn Bounty
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust Monica's post is a hard act to follow. What a heartfelt and important message! Thank you again, Monica. While I am on the subject of gratitude, as we go into the harvest…
Read MoreDisquiet in the Land
Today I have another guest blogger. Some of you are probably familiar with Monica the Mennobrarian, but if not, you'll want to visit her blog. If you've every tried any of her recipes, you know she has got to be a great cook. Her recipe for Bruschetta is phenomenal! Besides being a good cook and homemaker,…
Read MoreAmish Church Singing
Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days. ~Doug Larson On a late Sunday morning, around the time many Amish church services have progressed to the last "song", I am listening to Amish church singing or chanting, which sounds much like a Gregorian chant. The German songs from…
Read MoreAn Introduction to Pietism
by Dr. Lucinda Martin Saloma has asked me to write a guest blog to explain what Pietism is. By way of introduction, I should say that I have studied and written extensively on various aspects of Pietism. I am currently a Research Fellow at the Universitaet Halle in Germany where I am working on…
Read MoreMore about Sexual Abuse among the Amish
Thank you all for your supportive and insightful comments. I'm sorry that I don't have time to respond to each individually. Susan, you are absolutely right… I've written and said those words many, many times. — "I think people over-romanticize the Amish. They are people like everyone else, and the same problems exist among them…
Read MoreSexual Abuse among the Amish
I have been enjoying writing the fun posts about my stay in Germany. However, today I turn to a more serious topic. On September 2, 2010, there was a report in the New York Times about sexual abuse within an Amish community in Missouri. I commend Malcolm Gay for reporting on this little known problem…
Read MoreWhat a Difference One Connection Can Make, Conclusion
Then, sadly, the enchanted summer did come to an end. As my classes wound down, David and I began preparing for our departure. Our last full day there, we had brunch with the Kaisers in their garden. What a lovely couple! We talked about Fussball (soccer), and what it had done for Germany to be…
Read MoreWhat a Difference One Connection Can Make, Part III
Lucinda’s love of flowers fit right in to German culture — her balconies were laden with flowers of all shapes and colors. She and I had many talks among her flowers. We had intellectual discussions about German and American culture and about religions such as Quakers and Anabaptists. We discussed her research on Pietism. She…
Read MoreWhat a Difference One Connection Can Make, Part II
We first met over lunch in Hamburg. Lucinda had moved to Germany to carry out research for her PhD and then stayed when she was offered a job at a German university. A few years later, she met and married Helge, who grew up in middle Germany. Lucinda is energetic, vivacious, has a great sense…
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