So who is Vernon Coblentz from TLC's show Suddenly Amish?
Coblentz is a common surname among the Amish. I mean, the first Amish Cook was a Coblentz. And the Coblentz Chocolate Company spreads sweets throughout Ohio’s Amish country. I’ve met the Coblentz Chocolate people and they are solid stock with Amish roots.
I once researched the last name Coblentz and apparently it has its roots as derivative of the German city Koblenz. As an aside, I did this Coblentz research 25 years ago or more in the pre-internet era. I think that is what worries me most about AI and young people. Today, I am sure you could just ask Claude or ChatGPT about the origin of the name Coblentz and get an instant answer and the research skills of young people get decimated.
I just, for the heck of it, asked AI about Coblentz and it agrees with me. SIGH, all that research years ago could have done in an instant today.
Anyway, so, assuming Vernon Coblentz is really Vernon Coblentz then it would appear he has roots in the Amish church. But what kind of bishop is he?
A typical Amish bishop is, well, not necessarily older. There are younger bishops as he appears to be. But he lacks the typical beard that we usually associate with a bishop and his clothing seems more like a clergy frock found in other religious orders. But those are just the start of my doubts.
My Doubts About Vernon Coblentz
Okay, look, if someone proves me wrong, then I’ll apologize and I’ll eat a big slice of humble pie. But, first, the whole premise that Vernon Coblentz espouses: that by doing this show he is doing some service to a church that is in desperate need of new blood is ludicrous. The Amish church is NOT in any danger of dying out. In fact, the Amish church, buoyed by a high birthrate, is actually growing faster than almost any church in America. So, what gives? Making such a claim instantly demolishes Bishop Vernon’s credibility in my view.
At the end of the show's arc, participants attending a "Reckoning Ceremony" to find out if they will be accepted into the church.
No such “reckoning ceremony” exists in the Amish church as far as I know. I mean, if someone wants to join the church they go through a process and Reckoning Day is not part of that process.
I have met successful (and unsuccessful) converts to the Amish church. None of them had to go through a "Reckoning Day." They were able to join by following the church's culture, rules, and Biblical teachings. Reckoning Day may make for good TV drama, but that is not part of the process of joining the Amish church.
Online Chatter About Bishop Vernon
There are some posts online that identify him as ex-Amish, a former deacon in the church, but never a bishop and so on and so on. And I am sure all cast members had to sign NDAs that require they to not say much about their experience and background. But Vernon Coblentz seems like a nice guy who has Amish roots, but isn’t Amish today and certainly not a bishop. I don’t know of an Amish bishop anywhere that would consent to participation in a TV show like this.
What is an Amish Bishop Like?
These are generalizations, and they vary from church to church, but an Amish bishop is a leader and listener. They help adjudicate any disputes within the church and help mete out discipline if someone goes wayward. But the bishop is selected by the congregation from the congregation, so the role is not one that is designed to put a person on a pedestal.
Bishop Vernon is presented as some sort of "above the fray" figurehead with immense power, but that is not typically the case. So if you want to learn about an Amish bishop, I'd not choose a TLC show as your source.
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