Amish Grace
How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy

The remarkable response of the Amish Community to the horrific shooting of ten schoolgirls at Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, in October 2006 stunned the larger world. Amish Grace tells the incredible story of this communitys reaction to this senseless shooting and explores its profoundly countercultural practice of forgiveness. Outsiders often hold a stereotypical view of the Amish as a stubbornly backwards peoplea view rooted In the picturesque images of buggies, beards, and bonnets. But there is a much more to know about the Amish as a people, as we discovered after the Nickel Mines incident. The communitys collective and radical act of forgivenessthe loving and compassionate response to the shooter and his familygives us insights into who the Amish are and how they live their faith. Amish Grace explores the many questions the story raises about the religious beliefs that led the Amish to forgive so quickly. In a world where religion spawns so much violence and vengeance, the surprising act of Amish forgiveness begs for deeper consideration.