Amish Peace by Suzanne Woods Fisher - MY REVIEW

“…taking my sticky fingers off of the controls and yielding to God is a good thing, a wonderful thing. It’s not passive, it’s hard work!” ( p. 213)

Amish Peace is a book written for the purpose of examining your own views in light of Amish thinking. The book is divided into five major categories: simplicity, time, community, forgiveness and the sovereignty of God. Within each section of the book are a myriad of intimate snapshots from within the Amish community followed by thought-provoking question related to that particular insight. This is an interesting and unique way to explore the Amish faith and their simple lifestyle that remains unchanged after years of persecution and amid phenomenal technological advancement.

I think what appeals to me the most about this book, indeed about the Amish people themselves, is that their lifestyle has resolved problems that our modern “English” society spends millions of dollars to combat. Obesity? No expensive diet plans or gym memberships required among the Amish. Their active lifestyle has obliterated this problem. Stress? Depression? The Amish practice of forgiveness and complete trust in God’s sovereignty have all but eliminated these conditions. Financial struggles? Debt that requires ever increasing monthly payments? The Amish live out financial security that we only dream about.

Amish Peace is not a book written to convert the world to Amish beliefs and practices. Instead, the author takes a close, personal look at their lifestyle and beliefs and then encourages the reader to more closely examine their own lives and discover areas where positive changes might be made. This wouldn’t exactly be considered a personal devotional guide, but Amish Peace would be a great tool to use for personal life-style evaluation and the consideration of ways in which simplifying our lives might give us all a taste of Amish Peace.

I am particularly excited that the Lord arranged for me to examine the Amish lifestyle from the perspective of two unique viewpoints. I was also pleasantly surprised to realize that my own family already embraces some Amish-like practices of family focused simplicity. Truly, God is using this group of people as a powerful testimony of what it means to place our trust completely into the hands of a sovereign God.

Available October 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a di vision of Baker Publishing Group.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suzanne Woods Fisher's interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Dunkard Brethren Church in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne's work has appeared in many magazines, including Today's Christian Woman, Worldwide Challenge, ParentLife, Christian Parenting Today, and Marriage Partnership. She has contributed to several nonfiction books and is the author of Amish Peace and two novels.