Trouble in Amish Paradise

My parents and I just watched a BBC documentary on the internet called “Trouble in Amish Paradise”. It was really wonderful. I would say probably the best thing I have seen on the internet in several months.

It traces the lives of two young Amish families who come to genuine faith in Jesus and get excommunicated from the Amish church. Yet they maintain a heart for their people and keep some of the external Amish cultural traits (haircuts, clothes, buggies) so that they are able to share the gospel with their family members more easily. (Somewhat reminiscent of the way Paul related to his Jewish kindred.)

Then there were a couple of twists to the story that grabbed my heart.

I don’t want to spoil the story for you. Suffice it to say that you may find it worth the hour it takes to watch the documentary. I think kids over about age 10 would also enjoy it and there are no “seedy” parts to the story that you need to cover their eyes for.

I think even the BBC film producers were impressed with these young evangelical families. The slant of the documentary is definitely favorable to them—does not make them look like crazy zealots.

Because of the YouTube 10 minute limit, the documentary is split into six segments. Here’s a link to the first. If you pay attention, you can follow the trail from 1 to 2 and from 2 to 3 and so on through all 6.

I hope it blesses you as much as it has me.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhoz_nLqMlI 

After you've watched it, you'll want to check out a web site which gives further updates from Ephraim and Amanda: www.troubleinamishparadise.com.

Daniel