Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries

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

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Commendation Quotes:“Open this book, and walk with holy fools and prophetic rebels as they struggle against all that would separate them from God. And what a blessing to have Jerry Sittser as a guide through the history of Christian spirituality! He writes not just as a scholar and a teacher, but also as a Christian who has long walked the narrow path, keeping company with God, and both his wisdom and his winsomeness mark every page.”

Commendation Quotes:“This fine book is as useful as it is informative. In lucid prose and with a gentle spirit, Gerald Sittser offers a careful primer on the history of Christian spirituality, a gracious guide to spiritual experience today and most of all a winsome invitation to experience the reality of Jesus Christ, who inspires all true spirituality. In words spoken to St. Augustine, ‘tolle, lege’ (pick it up, read it). The book will make a real difference.”

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

Review Quotes: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

Review Quotes: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

Contributor Bio:  Sittser, Gerald L
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.

Contributor Bio:  Peterson, Eugene H
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.