Weaver and Zimmerman ask their readers:
If Jesus were on the earth today, would He own the world’s leading technology? Would He dress like them? Would He join them in their boisterous entertainment and sensual pleasures? Would He spend a lot of time in front of screens? (p. 88).
Those are misleading questions on several levels. First, in a list of four behaviors, the authors include one (sensual pleasures) that nearly all readers would agree is wrong. But are the other three behaviors guilty by association, just because they are in the same list?
Second, even the one behavior that most readers would agree is wrong is described vaguely, so that readers are left to question what is meant. Does “sensual” mean “sexual” or “arouses God-given senses in a harmless way”? Does “boisterous” mean “drunkenly wild” or “enthusiastically happy”? And what do the authors mean by “dressing like the world”? Do they mean “walk around half-naked” or “wear clothing that didn’t make Him stand out, as Plain clothing does”?
Regardless, in one sense Jesus is on the earth today. Through His Holy Spirit, He’s living inside everyone who believes in Him—all of whom can say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Countless millions of these Christ-indwelt people own smart phones and cars. I am one of them. Are none of those people actually Christians? Does Jesus actually live only in people who don’t own smart phones or cars?
Weaver and Zimmerman ask whether Jesus would “dress like the world.” I’ll answer that question with another question: “Would Jesus only wear dark-colored trousers, dark leather shoes, a shirt and suspenders, and a straw hat with a three-inch brim, and shave off His mustache?” There is no evidence in the New Testament that Jesus dressed any different from those around Him during His earthly ministry. So yes, Jesus dressed like the world.
Of course, Jesus would not engage in immoral sensual pleasures, but if Weaver and Zimmerman are referring to things we enjoy daily through our five God-given senses, why would Jesus have denied Himself those things? God created our senses and everything in the physical world that we perceive.
Similarly, Jesus would not have patronized the gladiator battles in Roman arenas, but millions of Christians enjoy sports contests, and no New Testament verse would discourage us from participating in them. Weaver and Zimmerman would be hard pressed to find a single verse in the Bible that condemns what has always been a part of every culture. Even the apostle Paul used analogies from sports contests in his letters to the churches, and without a hint of condemnation (see 1 Cor. 9:24–27; 2 Tim. 2:5).
Would Jesus Ride in a Taxi?
The authors continue:
[Jesus] lived plainly and simply and warned that the world’s possessions and ways lead away from God. He did not ride around in chariots, the fastest means of transportation at the time. He walked or rode a donkey, the slowest means of transportation. He did not attend the places of worldly entertainment such as the arena. He said that those who would be His disciples must forsake the world’s pleasures. He did not dress in fancy clothes. As one fulfilling the law He must have worn the simple, regulated garb as commanded by God in the OT (p. 88).
This entire paragraph is also misleading on several levels.
Generally speaking, Jesus lived like just everyone else in His culture, His region, and His time. For the most part, everyone in Galilee lived simply—because there were no other options. No one in Galilee could have afforded a chariot. Chariots would have been reserved for government officials and perhaps ranking soldiers. But Jesus used every means of transportation that everyone else did. He walked, rode a donkey at least once, and crossed the Sea of Galilee in a boat. He didn’t live at a standard below His culture. And every Plain reader would have to agree that, if Jesus was physically walking on the earth today, He would not hesitate to ride in an English taxi, right? Of course, because Plain ordnungs allow that!
The authors’ claim that Jesus “warned that the world’s possessions and ways lead away from God” is also misleading. Jesus warned only about the world’s sinful ways, that is, behaviors that transgressed God’s commandments. Just because the world uses toothbrushes, for example, doesn’t make it wrong for me to use a toothbrush.
Jesus did have plenty to say regarding wealth and possessions, but He never forbade any specific material item. He never told anyone their house was too big or their field was too large. On the other hand, He twice miraculously blessed His disciples with boatloads of fish. On the first occasion, He filled two boats with so much fish that both were sinking (see Luke 5:7). The second time, His disciples “were not able to haul [their net] in because of the great number of fish” (John 21:6). When they dragged their full net to the shore, they counted 153 large fish, and the disciples were astonished that their net had not been torn.
Jesus did these miracles for fishermen. He blessed their businesses. But He blessed them to be a blessing. In each case, He gave them much more than they needed. So they had the option of using their extra blessing to serve the poor, which is what Jesus expected and presumably what they did. These same disciples had twice watched Jesus multiply fish to feed thousands of hungry people. And both times, there were fish left over.
The ”World’s Possessions”
When Weaver and Zimmerman refer to “the world’s possessions,” they are referring to modern technology and, of course, only to the modern technology that Plain people shun, not all the modern technology that Plain ordnungs allow. Jesus, however, never referred to “the world’s possessions.” The only time “the world’s possessions” (or “the world’s goods”) are mentioned in the New Testament is in 1 John 3:17. And as we know, there was no modern technology in the first century. So John must have been referring to something else. It is therefore misleading for Weaver and Zimmerman to use a biblical phrase to mean something that it could not have meant in the Bible.
As noted previously, John neither stated nor implied that it was wrong for believers to possess “the world’s goods.” He assumed that some believers did possess them, which is why he told them to share them with those in need. Clearly, John did not refer to them as “the world’s goods” because they were inherently evil, but for some other reason—perhaps because the world has no “heavenly treasure” but only “earthly treasures” (a biblical topic we will explore shortly).
Similarly, when Weaver and Zimmerman say Jesus “said that those who would be His disciples must forsake the world’s pleasures,” they are referring to what Plain ordnungs, and not the Bible, often define as such. Jesus mentioned “the world’s pleasures” one time, in His parable of the sower and soils. He warned there that “the worries and riches and pleasures of this life” can choke the influence of the gospel in people’s hearts so that they bear no fruit (see Luke 8:14).
What kind of pleasures was Jesus warning about? Obviously, not all pleasures are wrong or evil, as some human pleasures find their origin in God, who Himself is repeatedly described in Scripture as one who “takes pleasure” in various things (see Ps. 149:4; Is. 46:10; 48:14; 53:10; Phil. 2:13; Col. 2:19). Was Jesus warning about the pleasure of eating a crisp, sweet apple, or of catching a large fish (or 153 large fish)? Obviously not. He was warning about “the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb. 12:25). The world “takes pleasure in wickedness” (2 Thess. 2:12). So there are legitimate and illegitimate pleasures. We need to go the Bible, not the ordnung, to know which pleasures are actually sinful. One formerly Amish Christian woman told me that when she was a young girl, she asked her mother how people sinned in Bible times before there were telephones, radios, and cars. Obviously, those ordnung-restricted things were the main sins her church talked about!
As for the authors’ claim that Jesus “did not dress in fancy clothes,” that is likely true. Like most everyone else in His culture, He wore an outward tunic and an inward garment (according to John 19:23–24), both of which would have been draped around Him. But neither did Jesus dress like a modern Plain person, so if He is our example to follow, why don’t Plain people say we must dress like Him? If I asked any Plain person that question, I suspect they would answer that Jesus lived at a different time and in a different culture. That would be an admission that time and culture should be considered as we apply Scripture to ourselves.
In Jesus’ time, cloth was woven by hand and was thus relatively expensive, and most people in Jesus’ day and region were quite poor by modern standards. So most people in Galilee would have owned no more than a few garments. Jesus’ disciples apparently owned at least two tunics each (see Mark 6:9; Luke 9:3), so Jesus probably did as well. Some people were so poor that John the Baptist told his audience, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none” (Luke 3:11).
As for the authors’ statement that “As one fulfilling the law [Jesus] must have worn the simple, regulated garb as commanded by God in the OT,” there is no basis for that claim, which is probably why Weaver and Zimmerman offer no biblical reference for it. The only two requirements regarding clothing style in the Mosaic Law were a prohibition against blended cloth (see Lev. 19:19; Deut. 22:9–11) and a requirement that men’s garments should have tassels on each corner—a reminder of God’s commandments (see Num. 15:37–40). Jesus, no doubt, wore tassels on His garments all of His life.
If any Plain person were to add tassels hanging from the corners of his clothing, those tassels would be considered “fancy,” and that person would probably be placed under the bann until he repented. By the way, God required priests under the Mosaic Law to wear very fancy clothing—all designed by God “for glory and for beauty”—as described in Exodus 28. Moreover, there are no uniform specifications or requirements in the New Testament. Ordnung rules regarding clothing are entirely unbiblical.
A Biblical View of Money and Possessions
I was happy to see Weaver and Zimmerman address, in the final pages of chapter 4, the issue of money and material possessions. This topic is too often ignored or neglected in Christian circles. Much of what they say about it is true. Yet they definitely lack balance. For example, they write:
Jesus warned often about the snare of possessions, even saying that it is almost impossible for a rich man to be saved. How can that be? Possessions are not evil. In fact, we say they are a gift from God. But Jesus knew that treasures on earth will turn our hearts away from Him. This shows that He doesn’t want us to freely possess just anything. He taught us to only own those things that are necessary. Most technology isn’t necessary, and tends to be a temptation and snare. Just like the rest of the world’s possessions, the more we own the harder it is to keep our hearts in heaven (p. 90).
That paragraph contains some truth, but it falls short—as does much of the authors’ teaching on the subject of material possessions—of painting a full biblical picture.
The reason why it is “hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:23) was illustrated by Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler. Jesus told Him to liquidate his wealth and give to the poor. By so doing, he would “lay up treasure in heaven.” But the rich ruler, like many other wealthy people, was unwilling to part with any of his wealth for the benefit of the poor.
Jesus told all His followers, during His Sermon on the Mount, to similarly lay treasure up in heaven:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:19–21).
Many, like Weaver and Zimmerman, seem to focus on just half of that commandment. Jesus didn’t just say, “Don’t store up treasures on earth,” as if there is some virtue in being poor. Rather, Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures on earth, but store them up in heaven.” That is a single commandment that consists of two steps. That commandment is obeyed, according to Jesus, by caring for the poor (see Matt. 19:21; Luke 12:33). Those who obey both parts of that single commandment show that their hearts are in heaven rather than on earth. And they haven’t lost any wealth in the process. Rather, they have secured it eternally.
So one could say that every Christian has two piles of treasure, one on earth and one in heaven. The goal of wise Christians is to make their heavenly pile as large as possible in proportion to the earthly pile that God entrusts to them. Jesus’ words about the widow who gave two copper coins (see Luke 21:1-4) are an excellent illustration of God’s view of who the greatest givers are. Those whom God has given the opportunity to gain a large earthly pile should remember that “from everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). This also means that gaining earthly wealth can be virtuous if the goal is to lay up as much heavenly treasure as possible.
In an earlier chapter I mentioned the biblical character Job, whom God considered the most righteous man on earth at the time. He had a very big pile of treasure on earth, owning 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants who took care of all that livestock (see Job 1:3). He not only provided opportunities for his workers to earn an income, but he also used his profits to care for the poor. In doing so, he laid up a big pile of treasure in heaven.
I don’t know why Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor rather than telling him to use his wealth to gain income that he could then continually give to the poor. Perhaps it was because Jesus was also calling the young man to “follow Him” in a literal sense, something that would have been impossible if he would have had to maintain all his assets. In any case, Weaver and Zimmerman, in the above-quoted paragraph, don’t focus on the second half of Jesus’ commandment. Let’s again read what they focus on:
But Jesus knew that treasures on earth will turn our hearts away from Him. This shows that He doesn’t want us to freely possess just anything. He taught us to only own those things that are necessary. Most technology isn’t necessary, and tends to be a temptation and snare. Just like the rest of the world’s possessions, the more we own the harder it is to keep our hearts in heaven.
They don’t say a word about laying up heavenly treasure or caring for the poor. Again, there is no virtue, in itself, in owning less. There is virtue, however, in owning less in order to care for the poor, and particularly those whom Jesus referred to as “the least of these” (see Matt. 25:31–46). That involves “denying oneself.”
Think about it from this standpoint: If every person in the world were a millionaire, there would be no need (or opportunity) to share with the poor. So there would be nothing wrong with being a millionaire, or even a millionaire who didn’t share his wealth. But God looks at people’s wealth in light of those who are suffering lack through no fault of their own, as is illustrated in Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus. He thus expects those to whom He has entrusted wealth to be generous and care for the poor.
The authors’ claim that “Jesus knew that treasures on earth will turn our hearts away from Him” is not actually true, and Job and many other biblical characters are proof of that. Earthly wealth will turn our hearts away from Jesus only if we foolishly allow it to do so. As David (a very wealthy man) wrote, “If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them” (Ps. 62:10). Earthly wealth can help us demonstrate our love for God as we obey Him in how we use it.
Weaver and Zimmerman, in the paragraph quoted above, focus on “drawing a line” regarding what and how much one can own. That is exactly what ordnungs do. Those standards are arbitrarily set by Plain leaders, depending on what they think is “necessary”—which, according to Weaver and Zimmerman, does not include most technology. But as we have seen, technology is normally used for good purposes. It is often used to create more earthly wealth, which then allows its possessors to help more poor people and also lay up treasure in heaven.
Many Plain ordnungs, however, hinder that process, which is why successful Plain businessmen often gravitate away from Plain communities that limit their business success. I’ve seen it firsthand. I know of one Plain community that clearly and calculatingly drove away all the families who owned successful businesses, and I wonder if the reason was jealousy among the leadership.
In any case, it is foolish to set arbitrary rules regarding how much one can earn and own. Jesus didn’t do that. Neither did any of the apostles who wrote New Testament letters. They followed and imitated Jesus’ teaching. For example, Paul wrote to Timothy:
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed (1 Tim. 6:17–19, emphasis added).
Paul listed no ordnung rules regarding what rich believers could and could not own. He only told them to be generous as they laid up heavenly treasure. He also declared that God “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” That doesn’t sound like a condemnation of enjoying what God “richly supplies.”
Having traveled throughout much of Africa, Latin America, and Asia, I can assure you that 99% of the people who live in North America, including most all Plain people, are wealthy in comparison to most other citizens of the world. If being wealthy is a sure ticket to hell, we’re all headed there, along with Job (Job 1:1–2), Abraham (Gen. 13:2; 24:35), Isaac (Gen. 26:12–15), Jacob (Gen. 30:43), David (1 Chron. 22:14; 29:28), the Roman centurion who believed (Luke 7:2–4), Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:57–60), some of Jesus’ female followers (Luke 8:3), Joseph called Barnabas (Acts 4:36–37), the rich Christians of whom Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:17), and the Christians whom John mentioned as owning some of the world’s goods (1 John 3:17). I think it is safe to assume that all of them laid up some treasure in heaven.
The Poverty of Persecution
The author of the book of Hebrews wrote to some very poor Jewish believers whose material possessions had been confiscated by their persecutors (a trial also suffered by the early Anabaptists). He reminded them that they had “accepted joyfully the seizure of [their] property, knowing that [they] have for [themselves] a better possession and a lasting one” (Heb. 10:34). To those same suffering Jewish believers, he also wrote:
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).[10]
That warning had nothing to do with trying to become wealthy or wealthier. The entire letter to the Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish believers not to abandon their faith in Jesus, as they were being tempted to do by their still-Jewish families who were urging them to return to Judaism. They had been severely shunned, and their faith was being tested. They could regain their former property if they would only renounce Jesus. But if they did, it would reveal that the love of money had overcome their love of God.[11]
In such cases, persecuted Christians should, of course, be content with what they still have. But that doesn’t mean that believers who have the opportunity to increase their wealth by using their God-given brains, muscles and opportunities, and who share some of that wealth with the “least of these” (which would certainly include persecuted Christians whose property had been seized), are somehow sinning or not content. Most Plain people live in the United States, the “land of opportunity,” and with their hard work and many skills, they can create plenty of wealth that they can then share. Indeed, many of them do share with those who have no similar opportunity.
Paul similarly wrote to Timothy about
men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Tim. 6:5–10).[12]
Again, Paul listed no ordnung rules that legislated what believers could and could not own. He declared only that Christians should be content even if all they have is food and covering, and that they should guard against the love of money, because the love of money leads to “all sorts of evil.” That is, the love of money leads to all kinds of sins involving how money is gained and used. One might commit theft or engage in some form of deception, both transgressions against the second-greatest commandment, in order to gain money. Or he might neglect caring for the poor, another transgression against the second-greatest commandment.
Paul was certainly not implying that poor Christians who have only food and covering should not work to gain more if they have the opportunity, as he wrote to the Ephesian Christians: “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need” (Eph. 4:28).
All this harmonizes with Jesus’ teaching about laying up heavenly rather than earthly treasures. The more earthly treasures one gains, the more treasure he can lay up in heaven. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodists, used to teach about money, “Make all you can. Save all you can [that is, be frugal]. Give all you can.” Who can argue with that?
Technology Blindness
Weaver and Zimmerman next defend an inconsistency they know outsiders sometimes criticize:
Someone looking for inconsistencies among the Plain People may point out things like, “You criticize the use of modern technology. Yet you go to the doctor and benefit greatly from it. Almost everything you own was produced with the aid of technology.”
That is true. But there is a big difference between benefitting from technology versus owning it. The Plain People do not believe that technology in itself is evil. Rather, they recognize that owning it brings great temptations for evil. Just like they ride in a car, but don’t want the influence of owning one, they can benefit from technology while still avoiding the snares and pitfalls associated with owning it (p. 90).
Contrary to the authors’ claim that only those who are “looking for inconsistencies among the Plain People” find them, everyone who interacts with Plain people soon wonders about their inconsistencies. And everyone who hears their explanations, like the one Weaver and Zimmerman offer here, wonders even more. Plain people, who don’t own cars, pay to benefit from the cars that others own, which helps enable those car owners to own their cars, which Plain people say is wrong! So do Plain people avoid sinning by enabling and encouraging others to sin?
The World’s Tools
Not only do Weaver and Zimmerman assign an unbiblical meaning to the biblical phrase “the world’s goods” (1 John 3:17), but they invent a similar phrase, “the world’s tools,” to load more unwarranted guilt on their readers and justify the arbitrary rules found in Plain ordnungs:
The big underlying problem that causes us to want more of the world’s comforts and ease is that we are looking for Heaven on earth. We want things to be perfect. We try to take away God’s curse on sinful man, that by the sweat of his brow shall he make a living. Too often we’d rather let big machinery or some other technology do the work instead of working with our hands as the Bible commands. And thus we bend the church rules and covet the world’s tools.
We need to stop and consider who we are and where we’re going. We’re supposed to be pilgrims and strangers on earth, heading for a better land, a heavenly kingdom. Too much ease and comforts will blur that vision, causing us to be content with the world instead of striving for Heaven (p. 91).
The underlying premise in the above paragraphs seems to be that it is wrong to desire what makes life easier or more comfortable (an idea I have previously addressed) because it will blur our vision of heaven, and thus modern technology that makes life easier is wrong.
On what biblical basis do the authors make their claim? They cite God’s original curse on the ground so that it would grow “both thorns and thistles” for Adam who would thus “eat bread” by the “sweat of his brow” (Gen. 3:18–19).
So do Plain people, not wanting to make their lives easier and thus blur their vision of heaven, never cover their pre-planted gardens with plastic tarp or mulch in an attempt to thwart God’s curse of thorns and thistles?
Do they not pull emerging thorn and thistle seedlings from their gardens in the spring, lest they uproot what might have caused them to sweat had they allowed the thorns to grow larger?
Under God’s curse of increased discomfort in childbirth, do Plain women do nothing to make their deliveries easier and more comfortable, lest they subvert God’s curse in any way? Do Plain ordnungs limit the number of aspirin Plain women are allowed to swallow during childbirth?
In actuality, Plain people, like everyone else, do all kinds of things that make their lives easier and more comfortable and that might (according to Weaver and Zimmerman’s account) blur their vision of heaven.
Although the authors rightly say that we should be “striving for Heaven,” for some reason it is wrong to desire any taste of “Heaven on earth” by using tools that make our lives easier or more comfortable. If that were true, however, we should not use any tools. We should literally only “work with our hands.” But Weaver and Zimmerman create a category of tools they call “the world’s tools,” an arbitrary designation that varies from one Plain community to the other. That means some Plain people are using what other Plain communities consider “the world’s tools.” Weaver and Zimmerman ought to rename them “the world’s and some Plain communities’ tools.”
As I pointed out early in this book, Plain people frequently use plenty of relatively modern technology that makes their lives easier and more comfortable. When they use chain saws, for example, they use modern technology to “work with their hands,” just as I am using modern technology to work with my hands right now as I type these words on my laptop computer. Chain saws make tree cutting much easier and efficient, and laptops make writing much easier and more efficient. But most Plain people claim the latter is worldly and the former is not.
I would invite you to visit a large Amish lumber yard where heavy logs, before being sawn in a mechanized sawmill, are moved using a huge articulating front-end log grappler. The driver in the operator’s cabin is “working with his hands” while using a modern machine often worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But at the end of the day, the owner of that lumberyard and grappler will drive home in a horse-drawn buggy to (1) please the Lord, (2) avoid owning “the world’s goods,” and (3) comply with the ordnung. Is it any wonder why outsiders scratch their heads when they observe Plain people?
In this same section of chapter 4, Plain ordnungs are again elevated to equal status with God’s commandments. The authors warn:
At times it might be tempting to sidestep the guidelines to make life easier. But the true Christian who loves God does not give in to this temptation (p. 91, emphasis mine).
“True” Christians, like Weaver and Zimmerman who once more deceptively refer to strictly enforced rules as “guidelines,” surely wouldn’t sidestep ordnung rules to make their lives easier! It seems, however, that their ordnung allowed them to type their self-published book manuscript on a computer before it was mass-printed on a mechanized printing press. Didn’t that computer and printing press make their lives a little easier?
[10] This same Scripture passage is quoted by the authors near the end of chapter 4 of Why Be Plain?
[11] Tragically, I have observed the same phenomenon in some unregenerate Plain circles when someone is born again and is consequently excommunicated and shunned. Some are told by parents that they are now disinherited, a cruel attempt to pull them back into their spiritually dead religion. Thankfully, most who suffer such treated prove that they love Jesus more than any potential inheritance.
[12] This passage is cited again near the end of Chapter 4 of Why Be Plain?
