We Can't Withdraw!

This story, courtesy of Al Mohler from his contribution to the book Preaching the Cross, reinforces some considerations lifted from Jeremiah 29. See yesterday's entry for more information on this passage. This one always makes me laugh...

"...and we might also look at examples such as the Old Order Amish or the Mennonites, who live apart from culture. Of course, the problem with this is that it does not work. You cannot withdraw, at least not totally...Even the Amish and the Mennonites cannot withdraw entirely. A story is told of the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, who was visiting one of the Old Order Amish communities that abound in upstate New York. As the senator was talking with the Amish people, one man indicated he was having some trouble with one of his daughters. "My daughter," the man said, "is being influenced by Catholicism." Telling the story later, Moynihan, himself a Catholic, said, "I knew we were good, but I didn't know we were this good." Nonetheless, he asked the father, "Just how is this showing up in your daughter?" The Amish father answered, "Well, I heard her talking to some of her friends, and she's been talking about Madonna." The Amish father's problem is a lot deeper than he knows!"