Mennonites in Texas: The Quiet in the Land

A Spiritual Journey

THE MENNONITES in North America are a relativelyfamiliar ,yetoftenmisunderstood,groupwithin the larger society that both surrounds and includes them. In that regard, they have much in common with other minority communities that are identifiable by any one of a number of racial, ethnic, spiritual, or other characteristics. Most of the stereotypes that “outsiders” have of minorities in their midst are relatively benign oversimplifications; however, at the same time they are rarely positive, reflecting the fact that “otherness” makes all of us uncomfortable to one degree or another. Complicating matters is the fact that some (but by no means all) stereotypes have a kernel A Spiritual Journey Mark L. Louden University of Wisconsin–Madison of truth to them, which makes the task of dispelling them that much trickier. The stereotypes about Mennonites typically derive from an association with the Old Order Amish or other familiar (though not necessarily well understood) religious groups, including Quakers, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christian Scientists, all of whom can attest to being subject to false portrayals, especially by the popular media. Mennonites are sometimes even associated with religious groups that no longer exist (the Pilgrims or English Puritans) or with out-and-out cults such as the Branch Davidians. Most of these stereotypes deal   .  with outward symbols of appearance and lifestyle that are regarded as offbeat (“They dress funny”), illogical (“They think technology is bad”), or downright “un-American” (“I hear they don’t pay taxes”). At best, the stereotypical Mennonite lives a “quaint” or “old-fashioned” life. When it comes to stereotypes regarding their faith, Mennonites and other groups are sometimes associated with religious fanatics or cult members who are brainwashed into denying themselves a happy, “normal” life (“You’d have to be crazy to want to live like that”) and would leave their communities in droves if only they knew how good the rest of us have it. In what follows, I hope you will get a clearer sense of the modern reality of those spiritual communities who identify themselves as Mennonite, two of which are the subject of the photographs and text in this book. The Mennonite congregations near Lott and Seminole, Texas, aptly reflect the historical and modern diversity of expressions of Christian faith within the Mennonite tradition. Though quite different from one another in their geographical and cultural origins (and not just because they are separated today by a “Texas-sized” distance of hundreds of miles), these communities share core beliefs that have sustained them and many others like them for several centuries, from severe persecution in Europe in the wake of the Reformation and beyond, to emigration to North America in search of the freedom to lead their lives in accordance with their abiding faith. TherootsofallChristiangroupsofcourseextendback two thousand years and more, but the more recent history of believers who came to be known as Mennonites began almost five hundred years ago, during the Reformation in central and western Europe. This was a time of tremendous religious, social, political, and economic upheaval, the consequences of which are still very much in evidence today. Throughout Western Christendom, many believers , both clerics and laypeople, felt the need to reform the institution of their church, some of whose practices they felt had strayed from core tenets of biblical doctrine. In the German-speaking areas of central Europe, one of the most vocal advocates for spiritual renewal and ecclesiastical reform was Martin Luther (–). Like many of those calling for change, Luther originally hoped to work from within the church, rather than forming a new institution (such as a “Lutheran” or “Protestant” denomination ), yet the doctrines he advanced were so much at odds with those of the Roman church that a major rift between his followers and Rome was almost inevitable. In general , Luther emphasized the importance of the individual believer’s direct relationship with God through a personal faith grounded in the ultimate authority of Scripture. For Luther, the church was in many ways an impediment to this relationship, and the various abuses he and others spoke out against inspired many believers to reject Roman practices. One crucial practice that he continued to support , however, was the sacrament of infant baptism.     In the first half of the sixteenth century Luther’s ideas gained widespread support, including from many German princes who were eager to assert their political independence from Rome. Indeed, Luther understood secular and religious authority as...