Water from a Deep Well - by Gerald L Sittser (Paperback)

About the Book

Gerald L. Sittser carves out a new discipline that blends spirituality and Christian history--spiritual history. He overviews Christian history through the lens of spirituality, looking at what we can learn about the spiritual life from various figures and eras.

Book Synopsis

In Rome in A.D. 165, two men named Carpus and Papylus stood before the proconsul of Pergamum, charged with the crime of being Christians. Not even torture could make them deny Christ, so they were burned alive.Is my faithfulness as strong?In the fifth century, Melania the Younger and her husband, Pinian, distributed their enormous wealth to the poor and intentionally practiced the discipline of renunciation.Could living more simply deepen my trust in God?In the sixteen hundreds, Philipp Jakob Spener's love for the Word of God and his desire to help people apply the Bible to their life moved him to start "Colleges of Piety," or small groups.In what ways could commitment to community make me more like Christ?The history of the church has shaped what our faith and practice are like today. It's tempting to think that the way we do things now is best, but history also has much to teach us about what we've forgotten. In Water from a Deep Well, Gerald Sittser opens to us the rich history of spirituality, letting us gaze at the practices and stories of believers from the past who had the same thirst for God that we do today. As we see their deep faith through his vibrant narratives, we may discover that old ways can bring new life to our own spirituality.

Review Quotes

Water From a Deep Well is a good book for a time when some evangelicals seem intent on de-rooting themselves from their family tree.

--Matthew P. Ristuccia, WORLD Magazine, Nov. 29/Dec 6, 2008

Water From a Deep Well is a hard-to-put-down book. . . . The author's aim is to help us mine the riches of our wide heritage, and he does it admirably. . . . His grasp of the subject, ability with words, and his experience learning these lessons shine from every page."

--Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews, February 2008

Water From a Deep Well will reward readers who appreciate thorough research and detailed reporting, enlivened by telling asides and black-and-white illustrations.

--Monica Tenney, Congregational Libraries Today, November/December 2008

"Excellent, well-researched book."

--Gail Welbourn, Montgomery's Journey, April 2008

"Sittser's lucid prose and earnest manner of addressing his readers' own spiritual needs makes Water from a Deep Well an exceptionally accessible book, and thus 'popular' in the best sense of the word. But the helps and critical apparatus at the end make the book suitable for academically rigorous settings."

--Richard B. Steele for Catholic Books Review, April 2008

"The lives of the saints are provided to inspire, encourage and invite us to join them on our own journeys of transformation."

--Gail Welborn, Christian News Northwest, March 2008

Because it is such a well-written, well-researched, and well-conceived book, it will immediately become an indispensible book for anyone interested in Christian spirituality and the history of Christian spirituality.

--Michael Glerup, Journal of Spiritual Formation Soul Care

Even if we cannot be a Saint Francis ora monk, there are lessons to be learned from reading about our predecessors in the Christian faith. Recommended for anyone who is interested in strengthening his or her spirituality.

--John B. Shewmaker, Catholic Library World, December 2008

Sittser utilizes the metaphor of food and drink to serve up a timely corrective to one-generational approaches by inviting sojourners to an elaborate feast with the family of faith. This tried and true recipe deserves consideration not only as a personal or collective devotional but also for courses in church history, ecclesiology, and spiritual formation.

--Martin William Mittelstadt, Religious Studies Review, September 2008

The lives of the saints are provided to inspire, encourage and invite us to join them on our own journeys of transforamtion. Consider a copy of Sittser's excellent, well-researched book for your home or church library.

--Gail Welborn, The Cypress Times February 17, 2009

About the Author

Peterson, now retired, was for many years James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. In addition to his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message (NavPress), he has written many other books.

Gerald L. Sittser (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is professor of theology at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. He is also the author of A Grace Disguised, The Will of God as a Way of Life and Love One Another.