Donald B. Kraybill

In this completely revised 25th anniversary edition of his highly acclaimed book, Donald B. Kraybill explores Jesus' Upside-Down Kingdom. The kingdom of God announced by Jesus appeared upside-down in first-century Palestine. Jesus wins by serving and triumphs by losing. Moreover, the kingdom of God still looks upside-down as it breaks into diverse cultures around the world today. Translated into six different languages and selling over 60,000 copies, this book calls us to faithful discipleship. Book jacket.

The Upside-Down Kingdom

Steven M. Nolt

David L. Weaver-Zercher

On Monday morning, October 2, 2006, a gunman entered a one-room Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. In front of twenty-five horrified pupils, thirty-two-year-old Charles Roberts ordered the boys and the teacher to leave. After tying the legs of the ten remaining girls, Roberts prepared to shoot them execution with an automatic rifle and four hundred rounds of ammunition that he brought for the task. The oldest hostage, a thirteen-year-old, begged Roberts to "shoot me first and let the little ones go." Refusing her offer, he opened fire on all of them, killing five and leaving the others critically wounded. He then shot himself as police stormed the building. His motivation? "I'm angry at God for taking my little daughter," he told the children before the massacre. The story captured the attention of broadcast and print media in the United States and around the world. By Tuesday morning some fifty television crews had clogged the small village of Nickel Mines, staying for five days until the killer and the killed were buried. The blood was barely dry on the schoolhouse floor when Amish parents brought words of forgiveness to the family of the one who had slain their children. The outside world was incredulous that such forgiveness could be offered so quickly for such a heinous crime. Of the hundreds of media queries that the authors received about the shooting, questions about forgiveness rose to the top. Forgiveness, in fact, eclipsed the tragic story, trumping the violence and arresting the world's attention. Within a week of the murders, Amish forgiveness was a central theme in more than 2,400 news stories around the world. The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, NBC Nightly News, CBS Morning News, Larry King Live, Fox News, Oprah, and dozens of other media outlets heralded the forgiving Amish. From the Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates) to Australian television, international media were opining on Amish forgiveness. Three weeks after the shooting, "Amish forgiveness" had appeared in 2,900 news stories worldwide and on 534,000 web sites. Fresh from the funerals where they had buried their own children, grieving Amish families accounted for half of the seventy-five people who attended the killer's burial. Roberts' widow was deeply moved by their presence as Amish families greeted her and her three children. The forgiveness went beyond talk and graveside presence: the Amish also supported a fund for the shooter's family. AMISH GRACE explores the many questions this story raises about the religious beliefs and habits that led the Amish to forgive so quickly. It looks at the ties between forgiveness and membership in a cloistered communal society and ask if Amish practices parallel or diverge from other religious and secular notions of forgiveness. It will also address the matter of why forgiveness became news. "All the religions teach it," mused an observer, "but no one does it like the Amish." Regardless of the cultural seedbed that nourished this story, the surprising act of Amish forgiveness begs for a deeper exploration. How could the Amish do this? What did this act mean to them? And how might their witness prove useful to the rest of us?

How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy

Amish Grace

A sensitive and realistic look at the spiritual life and practices of the Amish This second book by the authors of the award-winning Amish Grace sheds further light on the Amish, this time on their faith, spirituality, and spiritual practices. They interpret the distinctive practices of the Amish way of life and spirituality in their cultural context and explore their applicability for the wider world. Using a holistic perspective, the book tells the story of Amish religious experience in the words of the Amish themselves. Due to their long-standing friendships and relationships with Amish people, this author team may be the only set of interpreters able to provide an outsider-insider perspective. Provides a behind-the-scenes examination of Amish spiritual life Shows how the Amish practices can be applied to the wider world Written by authors with unprecedented access to the Amish community Written in a lively and engaging style, The Amish Way holds appeal for anyone who has wanted to know more about the inner workings of the Amish way of life.

Patient Faith in a Perilous World

The Amish Way

Karen M. Johnson-Weiner

Draws on archival material, oral histories, and direct observations to provide an account of Amish life that explores the diversity within the community and its transformation and geographic expansion.

The Amish

Amish culture has been rooted in the soil since its beginnings in 1693. But what happens when members of America's oldest Amish community enter non-farm work in one generation? How will hundreds of cottage industries and micro-enterprises reshape the heart of Amish life? Will traditional eighth grade education still prove adequate? What about gender roles, child-rearing practices, leisure activities, and growing ties with outsiders? Amish Enterprise was the first book to discuss these dramatic changes that are transforming Amish communities across North America. Based on interviews with more than 150 Amish entrepreneurs, the authors trace the rise and impact of businesses in Lancaster's Amish settlement in recent decades. In this new edition, the authors update demographic and technological changes, and also describe Amish enterprises outside of Pennsylvania in a new chapter.

From Plows to Profits

Amish Enterprise

Discover why the Amish still flourish in the midst of twenty-first-century life in this gentle journey among a people known for their commitments to simplicity, peace, community, and family.

An Essential Guide from the Foremost Expert on Amish Life

Simply Amish

In this completely revised edition of his acclaimed book, Donald B. Kraybill says Jesus calls us to foster an Upside-Down Kingdom favoring those suffering at society's margins. The King is Jesus, who wins by serving and triumphs by losing.

The Upside-down Kingdom

In this digital short, Kraybill considers the nuances of this important rite of passage into Amish adulthood.

An Excerpt from The Amish

From Rumspringa to Marriage

Conrad L. Kanagy

This textbook uses the `riddles' metaphor to introduce social analysis and to communicate the critical, questioning aspects of sociology which are at the heart of its tradition. The book teaches the student how to be aware of the social `riddles' around them and how to solve those riddles using sociological analysis. Case studies, in-depth social analysis, illustrations and discussion questions make it the perfect book for active learning.

The Riddles of Human Society

Since its publication in 1989, The Riddle of Amish Culture has become recognized as a classic work on one of America's most distinctive religious communities. But many changes have occurred within Amish society over the past decade, from westward migrations and a greater familiarity with technology to the dramatic shift away from farming into small business which is transforming Amish culture. For this revised edition, Donald B. Kraybill has taken these recent changes into account, incorporating new demographic research and new interviews he has conducted among the Amish. In addition, he includes a new chapter describing Amish recreation and social gatherings, and he applies the concept of "social capital" to his sensitive and penetrating interpretation of how the Amish have preserved their social networks and the solidarity of their community.

The Riddle of Amish Culture

James P. Hurd

Examining how the Wengers have cautiously and incrementally adapted to the changes swirling around them, this book offers an invaluable case study of a traditional group caught in the throes of a postmodern world."--Jacket.

Hoofbeats of Humility in a Postmodern World

Horse-and-buggy Mennonites

The Upside-Down Kingdom calls readers to imagine and embody the reign of God on earth as it is in heaven. Since its publication in 1978, The Upside-Down Kingdom won the National Religious Book Award and has become the most trusted resource on radical Christian discipleship. In this completely updated anniversary edition, author Donald B. Kraybill asks: What does it mean to follow the Christ who traded victory and power for hanging out with the poor and forgiving his enemies? How did a man in first-century Palestine threaten the established order, and what does that mean for us today? Jesus turned expectations upside down. The kingdom of God is still full of surprises. Are you ready? Free downloadable study guide available here.

Anniversary Edition

Nonresistance: No Pushback22. Death: A Good Farewell

Plain Living in a Busy World

What the Amish Teach Us

Built on Kraybill’s deep knowledge of Amish life and his contacts within many Amish communities, Renegade Amish highlights one of the strangest and most publicized sagas in contemporary Amish history.

Beard Cutting, Hate Crimes, and the Trial of the Bergholz Barbers

Renegade Amish

The Amish are one of America's most fascinating and colorful religious communities. But how does a traditional group that shuns high school, computers, and the ownership of motor vehicles survive amid a high tech society? This concise and authoritative overview describes both the diversity and common practices of the Amish of North America as well as some of the changes underway in their communities. In a lively text, Donald B. Kraybill, a leading scholar of Amish culture explains many of their puzzling practices and shows how the Amish flourish in the midst of modern society. Some interesting facts from The Amish: Why They Enchant Us Many elderly Amish live in a Grossdawdy (grandparent) house or apartment adjacent to the homes of one of their adult children. Children in most Amish communities dress in similar styles to their parents. Amish churches have been established in some 200 communities in about 25 states as well as in Ontario, Canada. In some ways, the Amish trouble us, even torment us. We worry that without modern technology, higher education, the latest fashions, and unfettered freedom, they might, in fact, be just as happy, if not happier than the rest of us. And so the Amish enchant and trouble us at the same time. They prod us to reflect on the sources of meaning and purpose, on the roots of human happiness.

Why They Enchant Us

Donald B. Kraybill shows how the kingdom of God announced by Jesus appeared upside-down in first-century Palestine. Jesus wins by serving and triumphs by losing. Today, God's way still looks upside-down as it breaks into diverse cultures around the world. According to Kraybill, worldly authorities seek power and prestige, but Jesus' counter-cultural message is a clear call to turn the social ladder upside-down. Jesus demonstrates radical opposition to the dominant culture by making friends with social outcasts and rebelling against authorities. This message calls Christians from many cultures to actively participate in God's upside-down kingdom.

Distinguished College Professor and Senior Fellow Emeritus Donald B Kraybill

Carl Desportes Bowman

Carl F. Bowman

On the Backroad to Heaven is a unique guidebook to the world of Old Order Anabaptist groups. Focusing on four Old Order communities -- the Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren -- Donald B. Kraybill and Carl Desportes Bowman provide a fascinating overview of their culture, growth, and distinctive way of life. Following a general introduction to Old Order culture, they show how each group uses a different strategy to create and sustain its identity. The Hutterites, for example, keep themselves geographically segregated from the larger society, whereas the Brethren interact more freely with it. The Amish and Mennonites are more alike in how they engage the outside world, adopting a complex but flexible strategy of compromise that produces an evolving canon of social and religious rules. This first comparative study sketches the differences as well as the common threads that bind these groups together.

Old Order Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren

On the Backroad to Heaven

Examines the series of beard-and-hair-cutting attacks on Amish victims perpetrated by members of a maverick Amish community near Bergholz, Ohio, chronicling the attacks, the investigation, the trial, and the aftermath of the violence.

Donald B. Kraybill

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