What Do Mennonites Mean by “Plainness”?

Edsel Burdge walks us through plainness, starting with the Quakers, addressing concerns of plainness at various points of conservative Mennonite history, and makes a case for why considerations of plainness should matter to Christians today. Burdge thinks of plainness as an approach to life that identifies a person with God’s people while resisting pressures of wealth, consumerism, and sensuality.

Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College:

Ready to Harvest’s Video about Mennonites:

“Overview of the Plain People” by Ernest Eby:

“An Introduction to Old Order: and Conservative Mennonite Groups” by Stephen Scott:

Shippensburg Christian Fellowship History Series:

“Building on the Gospel Foundation” by Edsel Burdge and Samuel Horst:

Link to the First Episode with Edsel:

This is the 261st episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.

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The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.