The Earth is the Lord's by John L. Ruth
The definitive account of the history of the Mennonites of Lancaster County is now available in a new edition! First published about twenty-five years ago, The Earth is the Lord's: a Narrative History of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference is the magnum opus of John L. Ruth, a respected Mennonite historian from eastern Pennsylvania. In more than 1200 pages of content, the book recounts the story of the Mennonites starting in Europe, the emigration to Pennsylvania starting in 1710, steady growth in the centuries following, and the establishment of institutions in the twentieth century (through 1975). Although the book focuses on the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, attention is also given to the groups, mostly more conservative, that separated from the Conference, such as the Old Order Mennonites (who separated in 1893).
The scope of the book reaches beyond the Mennonites and contains much information on Lancaster County history, so it can be of interest to far more people than Mennonites or those with Mennonite roots. John Ruth is an excellent storyteller, and his approach is to tell the overall story of the Lancaster County Mennonites by telling many stories of individuals. This makes the book very readable. Although the chapters are long, each one is broken into shorter sections, so the reader doesn't need to read entire chapters at once to maintain the flow of the book.
This new edition has a new cover and a new preface by John L. Ruth.
- The Earth is the Lord's: a Narrative History of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference by John L. Ruth
- New edition with new cover art & a new preface by the author
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781733116916
- 1400 pages
- The definitive history of Mennonites in Lancaster County and nearby areas
- Publisher: Mennonite Life (aka Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society)
- Measures 7.25 x 10 x 2.75 inches, weighs 100 oz.