The Amish way of life has captured the imaginations of TV viewers and novel readers for decades. The romantic ideal of simple living within one’s own community is attractive, but the one thing that’s often missing is grace.
In 2014, Charles Morris traveled to Lancaster County to host an event featuring current and former Amish people who discovered grace in a world too often dictated by stringent rule-following and legalism. There are many wonderful tenants of Amish life, but today’s episode focuses on a core aspect of faith that too often cultivates a sense that believers must earn their place in Heaven.
Ephraim and Amanda Stoltzfus, who were also featured in the BBC documentary “Leaving Amish Paradise,” discuss how they became excommunicated from their church and shunned by family and friends after joining a local Bible study and getting baptized outside of their community. Jacob Dienner and Manny Zook are current members of the Amish church and talk about how they came to an understanding of grace within their congregation.
More Amish Stories
- View the BBC documentaries Trouble in Amish Paradise (part 1) and Leaving Amish Paradise (part 2) that document Ephraim and Amanda’s family journey as they get excommunicated from their local church and shunned by their community.
- Watch Ephraim Stoltzfus tell his family story in the more intimate setting of his home in Lancaster County:
Images from the Event
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