Reviewed by Susan E. Richardson
Over the past several years, the Amish and Mennonite communities have captured our attention. Christian fiction based on these areas remains popular. The world watched in amazement when an Amish community forgave the shooter who killed their children. A television series followed young people who chose to leave their Amish roots and live in the outside world.
In the midst of this comes The Plain Choice by Sherry Gore. She grew up in a broken family and her life reflected that brokenness, though she tried several times to reinvent herself. Nothing worked and her life continued to spiral downward.
One Sunday she agreed to go to church with a friend. There she met Jesus and found the love she’d been searching for. Overwhelmed, she asked for baptism in the Baptist church and began altering her life to fit her new faith.
As time passed, Gore found herself drawn more and more to a simple lifestyle. She wanted to find a church where people followed Scripture more literally. Eventually she discovered that in the Anabaptist tradition, which includes both the Amish and Mennonite groups. After much time and prayer, she became one of the few outsiders to become a part of the Amish church.
Gore’s story is a fascinating one of heartbreak and hope, woven throughout with choices and how those shape our lives. Not everyone would want to choose a Plain lifestyle, but in the end, the plain choice to follow Jesus offers hope and peace.