The Amish and the State (Center Books in Anabaptist Studies) [Paperback]

Donald B. Kraybill (Editor), Martin E. Marty (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0801872367 | ISBN-13: 978-0801872365 | Publication Date: May 28, 2003 | Edition: 2nd

In this new edition of The Amish and the State Donald Kraybill brings together legal scholars and social scientists to explore the unique series of conflicts between a traditional religious minority and the modern state. In the process, the authors trace the preservation—and the erosion—of religious liberty in American life. Kraybill begins with an overview of the Amish in North America and describes the "negotiation model" used throughout the book to interpret a variety of legal conflicts. Subsequent chapters deal with specific aspects of religious freedom over which the Amish and the state have clashed. Focusing on the period from 1925 to 2001 in the United States, the authors examine conflicts over military service and conscription, Social Security and taxes, education, health care, land use and zoning, regulation of slow-moving vehicles, and other first amendment issues. New concluding chapters, by constitutional expert William Ball, who defended the Amish before the Supreme Court in 1972 in the landmark Wisconsin v. Yoder case, and law professor Garret Epps, assess the Amish contribution to preserving religious liberty in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The second edition... is... a resource book that will be of considerable interest not only to scholars of the Amish and other Anabaptists but to those concerned with religious freedom—and its recent decline—in the United States.

(Timothy Miller Utopian Studies 2005)

Invaluable... provide readers with updated insights into the workings of the small religious community.

(Thomas E. Gallagher Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 2005)

Review

An excellent reference work on the subject of religious freedom in twentieth-century America and how negotiation has been used to maintain Amish distinctive practices and identity.

(James A. Jolly Journal of Church and State )

[Reveals] how the legal battles fought by the Amish have safeguarded the rights of other American citizens to exercise their faith according to conviction.

(Washington Post Book World )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 2nd edition (May 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801872367
• ISBN-13: 978-0801872365
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,144,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Donald B. Kraybill, Ph.D., is senior fellow at the Young Center of Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa. Among his many publications, he has authored, coauthored, or edited eight books on Amish society. The Riddle of Amish Culture (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001)is his flagship book that explains why the Amish are thriving. Amish Grace and The Amish Way (both by Jossey-Bass) explore Amish forgiveness and spirituality. His Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonites is the only book that provides an overview of some 200 Anabaptist groups in North America. Kraybill's The Upside-Down Kingdom, which won the Religious Book of the Year Award, in print for more that thirty years, it is still widely read. His books have been translated into more than half a dozen languages. The Young Center, where he is based, is the premiere national institute for Amish studies. Kraybill's commentary on Amish life has been featured in dozens of broadcast and print media including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian (London), The Australian, Newsweek, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, NPR, and BBC Radio to name a few.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Amish, April 30, 2011

By 

Casper Denck (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Amish and the State (Center Books in Anabaptist Studies) (Paperback)

One of the key gauges to measure the health of a political society is to assess how a society deals with difference; it is for this reason that the study of Amish life is important for political scientists as well those interested in Anabaptism and religious movements in general. Fortunately I have a foot in both camps so this book was especially interesting. What makes the Amish particularly is that it is more commonly asserted that the often-cited public-private distinction in religion applies in far fewer instances than that of most people (it is a bogus distinction but is still often cited). Consequently there is far more willingness to concede that what some may deem to be innocuous actions by the state really to infringe on religious sensibilities. The essays in `The Amish and the State' offer a number of lines in the sand at which the free-exercise of Amish religion is directly threatened and detail how these have been addressed by both the (multiple varieties of) the Amish and the State, in doing so they exhibit how the Amish have often been treated as a special case.

While not addressed in this book this raises the question as to whether this really is fair, for example in the extremely important Wisconsin vs. Yoder US Supreme Court decision of 1972 the special treatment is based on the observable history of religious identity. What then of the many New Religious Movements who likewise have a religiosity that does not fit neatly into the public-private distinctions modern liberalism has come to love.

This book will be of interest to those interested in communal versions of Christianity and general religious topography, however it is also a fascinating case-study of the sustainability of the ideal of religious freedom in modern democracies. Definitely recommended.

Contents:

i) Negotiating with Caesar - Donald B Kraybill
ii) The Amish View of the State - Paton Yoder
iii) Military Service and Conscription - Albert N Keim
iv) The National Amish Steering Committee - Marc A Olshan
v) Education and Schooling - Thomas J Meyers
vi) The National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom - William C Lindholm
vii) Social Security and Taxes - Peter J Ferrara
viii) Slow-moving Vehicles - Lee J Zook
ix) Health Care - Gertrude Enders Huntingdon
x) Land Use - Elizabeth Place
xi) The Role of Outsiders - Robert L Kidder
xii) Canadian Government Relations - Dennis L Thomson
xiii) First Amendment Issues - William B Ball
Appendix) Significant Legal Cases - Elizabeth Place