Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 7
When the Amish ministers anointed Susan with oil, it was “all in German,” and the bishop refused English even though Samuel asked; how should a church weigh tradition and uniformity against understandable teaching and pastoral care, and what might early Christians have assumed about language, accessibility, and the meaning of anointing?
Another way to ask: How should a church balance keeping traditions with making teaching and care understandable, and what might early Christians have expected about language and anointing with oil?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Susan’s account suggests that pastoral care should include understandable ministry that reaches the suffering person, even while honoring tradition; she appreciated the ministers’ willingness to come, but the language barrier limited comfort. The transcript doesn’t directly address early Christian assumptions, so any comparison can only be cautious.
- Susan says the ministers came and “anointed me,” but she was “disappointed…They did it all in German. I really didn’t understand anything.”
- Samuel asked for English, but the bishop said, “No, we do it in German,” offering only that Samuel could explain afterward.
- Even with that limitation, Susan highlights a positive: she “appreciated that they were willing to step out of their comfort zone and come and anoint me.”
- Her emotional state shows she needed tender care: “all the time… I just cried…couldn’t even control myself,” and a minister’s wife “embraced me and cried with me.”
- She contrasts this with later prayer support that felt life-giving: the Holiness couple prayed, held hands, and it was “a breeze of fresh air.”