WHY HEAVEN CHOSE TO SUFFER

Eicher explores the fundamental questions of his faith in this nonfiction book.

While admittedly “not a theologian,” the author has spent a lifetime learning about Christianity and living in devoutly religious communities. Eicher was raised Amish, and his uncle and other family members co-founded and have long worked for the nonprofit publishing company Pathway, which has provided publications on homeschool curricula, cooking, and religion to Amish communities for more than 50 years. This book begins with a brief outline of the author’s personal faith journey, including his early exploration of non-Amish Christian scholars such as C.S. Lewis. Though not a member of any specific Christian denomination today, Eicher retains many of the Anabaptist beliefs of his upbringing. Thematically eclectic, this book explores the essential teachings of Christianity, highlighting along the way areas in which the author believes mainline theologians have gotten off track. Modern Christians, per the book, too often present a “cleaner” New Testament God who is typically held in contrast to the Old Testament God of war, whose stories are often reduced to watered-down Sunday school tales. Early Christians are not spared criticism; Eicher doesn’t particularly value the ideas of those second-century Christian thinkers who minimized the faith’s connection to its Jewish roots and were preoccupied with “building the power of bishops in the church.” Relying heavily on a traditional Anabaptist cosmology, most of the book is based on a conservative reading of Scripture, particularly the epistles of Paul, with occasional references to Protestant theologians (such as Martin Luther) who echo the author’s core belief that “Faith must stand alone.” A skilled writer, Eicher is the author of more than three dozen Amish-themed romance novels, and he brings his talents as a storyteller to this nonfiction book, where he retells Old Testament stories in accessible narratives. Even readers who may not agree with the author’s doctrinal stances may be attracted to his thoughtful, learned approach to Scripture, which avoids the cliches and platitudes that come standard in the genre of Christian nonfiction.

A nuanced, reflective assessment of the basic theological underpinnings of Christianity.