This Month's Issue

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Book Release: Hope for Today's Families

Interview by Anna Bartlett

Written to meet perhaps one of today’s strongest felt needs, Hope for Today’s Families is the 2019 sharing book for the Seventh-day Adventist world church.

We interviewed authors Willie and Elaine Oliver, director and associate director of the Family Ministries Department at the General Conference to learn more about the book and biggest challenges facing families today.

 Read our interview below:

Visitor: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges facing families today?

Amish Fact or Fiction

Image by Michael F McElroy

Story by Hannah Luttrell and V. Michelle Bernard

Background

The Amish originated from the Anabaptists. The word “ana” is Greek for “again,” and the Anabaptists rejected the infant baptism that many of them had been subjected to, believing instead that the only valid baptism was one that was freely chosen after confessing belief in Jesus. Menno Simons was a former Catholic priest who embraced Anabaptism in the 1500s and became a prominent leader, with his followers becoming known as Mennonites rather than Anabaptists.

In 1693, there was a split after a prominent leader, Jakob Ammann, advocated greater separation from the world and stricter discipline with the shunning of disobedient members. His followers became known as the Amish. Later, schisms led to groups like the Old Order Amish and New Order Amish.