Brende, author of the book "Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology," says the Amish do use technology frequently.
They just consider gadgets on a case-by-case basis.
CNN spoke with Brende by phone -- yes, he has one of those, although the Amish did inspire him to get rid of home Internet access -- on Wednesday to get a better sense of how the Amish decide whether or not to adopt certain technologies. The following is an edited transcript:
CNN: Are you surprised that an Amish person who still drives a horse and buggy would also have a phone and be sending text messages?
Brende: That doesn't surprise me. That sort of thing has been going on for 30 years. Often times, when a new technology comes along a group doesn't necessarily ban it at first. The Amish actually adopted the telephone in Lancaster County when it first became available -- and it was only after they saw the problems it could create that they decided to ban it.
They actually, sometimes, are at the cutting edge of technology, but then they see the consequences and that's why the pull back.
CNN: What's the Amish community's stance on mobile phones? Are they universally banned?
The Amish are not at all a monolithic block. There is a patchwork of communities -- and there so many of them which are so radically different from each other.
The community that I lived with and wrote about in my book does not use cell phones, and would not allow people in their community who are actually members to use cell phones.
CNN: How do Amish communities decide which technologies to allow?
