No one would equate today’s evangelical church with horse-drawn buggies and straw hats, but I would argue that there is an alarming similarity between the Amish and many of today’s evangelical churches. As odd and out of place as it might seem to zoom past an Amish buggy in the back country of Pennsylvania, a similar trend is manifesting itself in the evangelical world.
Now, without getting into the theological side of the equation, there’s a very practical aspect that marks the Amish as unique: technology and cultural progression. They decided that the late 1800s was as far as they were going to advance technologically in their churches and culture. Culture and technology were fine up to that point, and then they stopped. They planted a stake in the ground and said, “No further.” Their religious movement now has become not just about their theological beliefs but their way of life. They’re trying to defend not just religious principles but a cultural and historical moment in time. That’s what makes them stand out: culturally they have not advanced in 150 years, and holding onto the good ole days of the late 1800s seems just as important to them as advancing their religious beliefs.
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