Chapter 1 of the book:
The Failure of the Great Amish and Conservative Mennonite Dress Experiment
Why Christian Conservatism Isn’t the Answer and What to Do
Many committed Christians view being conservative as an important part of what it means to be a true Christian and to be a true follower of Christ. Being conservative is perceived to be safe, right, Godly, and a superior way of life. However, Christian conservatism is not the answer. It is not as safe, right, and Godly as what it appears. We will be using the Great Amish and Conservative Mennonite Dress Experiment as a case study as we look at the failures of Christian conservatism and the type of mistakes that we as Christians need to avoid. We will also be looking at what we need to do to truly follow Jesus.
Are you looking for something more than just the same old concepts, interpretations, explanations, and perspectives you have heard regurgitated over and over again? This website will give you some new insights and things to think about. You may not agree with everything you read, but Biblical Research Reports will stimulate your thinking. Our goal is to help you to formulate in your own mind what is Jesus’ truth as you look at the research we share on the various subjects facing the Church.
This book is not actually written for Amish and Mennonites, but for Christians all around the world. It uses the Amish and Conservative Mennonite denominations to show real-life examples of what happens when seemingly innocent traditions, rules, and standards of the church are added to God’s Word. The answer is not Christian conservatism, but to be a 100% follower of Christ. It is important that we don’t add to His Word or subtract from it.
While we will focus on the Amish and Conservative Mennonites, there are many parallels to the conservative mindset, doctrines, standards, applications, and failures in other conservative Christian denominations, conservative churches, and conservative Christian homeschool groups. There is a pattern of sin and failure that is similar across most conservative religious groups including those of other religions!
The purpose of the book is to show you these failures and consequences so that you do not make the same mistakes we did, and so those of us who have followed religious conservatism can repent of our mistakes and not continue to repeat the same mistakes.
We all make mistakes, thinking we are doing the right thing when we aren’t. We as conservatives thought we had things right when we didn’t. It is important that we learn from these errors and mistakes and use them as stepping stones to move the Church to greater obedience to Christ and a closer relationship with Him.
We Americans often think that we have things figured out and have a superior way of life that needs to be taught to others around the world. Unfortunately some aspects of our lives should not be imitated and conservative Christianity is one of them. It is important that the mistakes we have made be shared with our brothers and sisters around the world so that you do not make the same errors that we have made. It is important too that you do not place us as American Christians on a pedestal as a role model of someone to follow. As Christians we need to follow Jesus Christ, NOT other people.
This book is like a lighthouse, and its purpose is to help guide Christian travelers in life away from the rocks that lay hidden below the surface, where the water appears safe. The false teachings of conservative Christianity with their damaging hidden consequences have wrecked the lives of many people as they have tried to follow Christ. Many people do not realize how spiritually dangerous these seemingly safe conservative religious teachings really are. It is way past time for a lighthouse to shine its light through the darkness to prevent more precious lives from needlessly being shattered, both physically and spiritually.
This is not to belittle Christian Conservatism
If you have been involved in Christian conservatism, this book has not been written to belittle you, make fun of you, or to make you look stupid. I, too, was part of it. I believed in it and perpetuated it. God convicted me of following man and the conservative mindset and I repented and made some major changes. None of us are perfect. But what is important is that when God shows us the mistakes that we have made, that we repent and make the necessary changes. On Judgment Day, Jesus will not judge us for the mistakes we have made and repented of, but for the mistakes we made and didn’t repent of. Continuing to do the same thing and hope for different results is foolish and will have consequences.
One of the most significant mistakes people make in thinking through something is failing to consider information that does not line up with their theory or beliefs. In order to think logically, we need to remember that we tend to favor evidence that confirms our beliefs. We must pay attention to all the details and not just come to a favored or assumed conclusion without really looking at the evidence.
If God showed you that something that you had always believed to be true was wrong – would you repent, change, and follow Christ?
What if everyone else in your church thought you were wrong to change – would you change?
What if you knew that your family would accuse you of being wrong and would cut you off and not associate with you – would you still make the changes to follow Christ alone?
The words of the song, I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, state the depth of commitment to following Jesus that each of us should have:
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Though no one joins me, still I will follow;
Though no one joins me, still I will follow;
Though no one joins me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
As you read this book, you may find that there are things that the church has taught you to be true that are wrong. Are you willing to repent of your error and follow Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? If you are in a conservative group, you will likely be separated from their company for making these changes and truly following Christ. Jesus tells us:
“Blessed are you, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” (Luke 6:22-23)
I believe, from some of the things God has shown me, that there is going to be a revival in the Church sometime in the future. As we prepare for the coming revival, it is important for us to evaluate what others have done and look at their results so that we do not make the same mistakes in our own church, or family. The conservative dress experiment has the outward appearance of success in creating community, in building unity, in having a “Godly” appearance, and in preventing immorality. When people become Christians and want to follow Christ with all their heart, they may be tempted to follow adaptations and elements of this dress experiment and its accompanying conservative mindset unless they see its failures and errors. Some of the most important lessons in life are learned, not from those who did the right thing, but from observing the mistakes that others have made and the consequences that resulted.
The temptation to implement ever more strict conservative modestly regulations on women in an effort to prevent sin and immorality is unfortunately still happening. An example of this is in 2024 the Taliban government in Afghanistan: “…has issued its first formal vice laws, which include many sharp restrictions on the conduct of women, alongside broader societal rules.
“Inshallah, we assure you that this Islamic law will be of great help in the promotion of virtue and the elimination of vice,” said Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice spokesman Maulvi Abdul Ghafar Farooq on Thursday. (“Inshallah” translates as “If God wills it.“)…
“Spanning 114 pages and comprising 35 articles, the new set of laws was published Wednesday after being approved by Afghanistan’s reclusive Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Focusing on women, Article 13 requires women’s bodies to be veiled whenever they’re in public, to avoid tempting or being tempted. It stipulates that the covering should be thick, loose and long,” https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/new-taliban-vice-laws-forbid-women-looking-men-singing-public-solo-travel
In 2024 the Afghanistan government made it law that women have to cover their bodies and faces in public to avoid tempting or being tempted. This is an extreme example of making the same mistakes as the Great Amish and Conservative Mennonite Dress Experiment. It will not work to achieve their goals. This books shows you why conservative modesty regulations don’t work to produce morality. Please don’t make the same mistakes in the coming revival! Photo Marius Arnesen https://www.flickr.com/photos/anarkistix/4112238624/
May God bless you with wisdom and understanding as you look at some of the failures and consequences of Christian conservatism. And, as you look at why Christian conservatism is not the answer and what the answer really is.
Note:
Over time, the links in the book may not work. They can still be viewed at The Internet Archive Way Back Machine – web.archive.org
It is a library of backed up copies of websites to ensure the information is preserved in an archive for future researchers, historians, and the public.
The next chapter – What is the Great Amish and Conservative Mennonite Dress Experiment?
Why Biblical Research Reports uses the KJV
When I started in-depth Bible research, I was using the NIV translation. I was not prepared for the deception and misguiding information that I found coming from Christian scholars. I did extensive research into Bible translations and into the Greek manuscripts themselves that the various versions are translated from.
I soon realized that the most significant subject facing the Church today is the Bible, what version is used and preached from, the Greek text it is translated from, and the way it is translated. Every Christian doctrine is based on the Bible. The way the Bible reads, the words that it has and the words that it does not have, the way the Greek words are translated or poorly translated, all affect the beliefs and teachings of the Church. At one point I thought that most translations of the Bible were basically the same except for the modernization of the old English in the KJV. This is not the case. Most of the modern translations do not have everything that the KJV does, as a result of changes in the Greek texts from which they are translated. In addition, significant changes have to be made in each new Bible version in order to copyright it. As a result of that research, I switched to the KJV. To read more about my Bible translation research check out these Research Reports:
Evidence the NIV is Not the Best Bible Translation
Evidence the NIV is not the best Bible translation (Condensed)
What is the Best Bible Translation?
I highly recommend the powerful, Free E-Sword Bible program for your computer, cell phone or other mobile device. Make sure you also download the free Treasury of Scripture Knowledge – cross references for each Bible verse to other verses on the same subject. For a cross reference database that is much larger and more complete consider purchasing The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury (in the dictionary category).
