Joanne B. Holstein is a Becker Bible Studies teacher and author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She has received her Master of Science degree in Psychology/Christian Counseling with honors from Liberty University. She is well-known as a counselor to Christian faithful who are struggling with tremendous burden in these difficult times. She is a leading authority on the history of development of the Christian churches and the practices and beliefs of world religions and cults.
The Amish are considered to be conservative Protestants and most Amish consider themselves Anabaptists. Their ancestry comes from the Mennonite community. The Amish and the Mennonites were both a part of the Anabaptist movement in Europe.
The term Anabaptism is used literally to describe a group of baptized Protestant Christians. The term refers to the followers of Menno Simons and the descendants of the 16th century European movement of Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites and the early English Baptists.
The Reformed Mennonite Church is an Anabaptist religious denomination that officially separated from the main North American Mennonite body in 1812. While they are called Reformed Mennonites, their principles and beliefs trace back to the time of the Apostles and we believe there has been a continuity of these beliefs carried on from then until now by groups who often had to meet in secret due to religious persecution.