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

Gerald Lawson Sittser (Author), Eugene H. Peterson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Christians in today's church strive to lead spiritual lives marked by true sacrifice, much as the earliest Christians and their communities did. Sittser, who teaches at Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., offers a compelling history of spirituality. While many such histories focus on the early martyrs of the faith and medieval mystics, Sittser's singular study demonstrates that contemporary Christians drink from a deep well of spiritual practices as they become part of the cloud of witnesses to the faith. Sittser characterizes periods in the history of spirituality according to various themes—e.g., witness, belonging, struggle and conversion—that continue to characterize Christianity today. Unlike earlier histories of spirituality, Sittser's includes a chapter on the spirituality of evangelicals (conversion) and one on the spirituality of pioneer missionaries (risk). Thus, the trailblazing missionary work of Jeremiah Evarts (1781–1831) and Jim Elliot (1927–1956) to indigenous peoples is singled out as a form of spiritual practice. Sittser concludes each chapter with exercises designed to reflect on ways that certain spiritual practices can be incorporated into contemporary observance. Discussion questions that can guide groups or individuals and an annotated reading list make Sittser's book a valuable tool. (Dec.)
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Review

"Ever since that day at noon when a Samaritan woman asked for living water, people have turned to Jesus for the water that satisfies the thirst of the human condition and wells up to eternal life. In Water from a Deep Well, Gerald Sittser has followed the lives of significant Christians down through the centuries who have tasted the water, shared it with others and, in some cases, carried it to foreign lands. This book will serve as an excellent resource in the classroom, in our personal libraries and in our prayerful consideration of the 'great cloud of witnesses' who have drunk from the well before us." (Albert Haase, O.F.M., director, School of Spirituality at Mayslake Ministries, and author of Coming Home to Your True Self )

"Gerald Sittser opens up windows into worlds of spiritual practice that we truly need--both because they intensify our thirst for God, and because they stimulate our imaginations for the varied ways God meets and leads the people of God. While this book feeds me, it also does something even more important: it leaves me hungry, which is where I need to be in order to grow as a disciple, husband, father, friend and pastor." (Mark Labberton, pastor and author of The Dangerous Act of Worship )

"Gerald Sittser's Water from a Deep Well is a remarkable combination of sound and thorough scholarship with a warm heart for spiritual life in Christ and his people through the ages. The author speaks with profound theological insight and obvious personal experience. His book anchors spirituality now in the sometimes raw substance of the life of saints through the ages. I highly recommend it for those who, today, want to enter into the realities of Christ in his people for all times. For perspective on evangelical spirituality, in particular, it is highly useful." (Dallas Willard, author of The Spirit of the Disciplines )

"Gerald Sittser offers us two enormous gifts in this compelling history of Christian spirituality--a wonderfully flowing narrative that catches us up into the lives and practices of great saints, and voluminous endnotes so that we can pursue more thoroughly the topics and characters he describes. This beautiful book will widen everyone's spirituality, for Sittser introduces us to an extensive range of eras and their greatest contributions. Taste and see--this book will deepen you!" (Marva Dawn, author of The Sense of the Call and Keeping the Sabbath Wholly )

"Much of the current interest in 'spirituality' suffers from a kind of amnesia--forgetful or oblivious that there is indeed a centuries-long well to draw from, full of an inheritance which can enrich our lives. Jerry Sittser has provided a bucket by which we can draw from that well, whether simply to taste, or better to drink deeply. This is a book to humble us, discovering how much more there is to know, but also to bring fresh hope that God works beyond our small personal experiences, and beyond our own lifetime. Read it--enjoy, and be stretched." (Leighton Ford, author of Transforming Leadership )

"Gerry Sittser is a rare kind of writer: a scholar with a scholar's depth, and a man with the spiritual health of his readers ever before him. . . .The chapters are full of anecdotes that inspire and amuse, and practical suggestions to help us appropriate the wisdom that is the deposit of the church's great men and women through the ages. Water from a Deep Well is a thoroughly worthwhile read." (Ben Patterson, campus pastor, Westmont College, and author of He Has Made Me Glad and Waiting )

"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." (Lauren F. Winner, assistant professor, Duke Divinity School, and author of Girl Meets God )

"What Gerald Sittser gives us is not a guidebook . . . but something which reads more like an extended declaration of love. A history of Christian spirituality it may be, but such spirituality is understood less as a benefit to be acquired neutrally through detachment than a matter of being enthralled and enticed by the beauty which is Christ. Each chapter is instructive and informed, and Gerald Sittser provides the kind of clarity and simplicity which only grows out of deep knowledge." (Iain Torrance, president, Princeton Theological Seminary, and former moderator of the Church of Scotland )

"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." (Mark A. Noll, McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 364 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (November 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830834931
• ISBN-13: 978-0830834938
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jerry Sittser (PhD, University of Chicago) is a professor of religion at Whitworth College. He holds a master of divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and a doctorate in history from the University of Chicago. He is the author of several books, including When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer and The Will of God as a Way of Life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Passion for the History of Christian Spirituality, February 7, 2008

By 

Jonathan Holderman (Moscow, ID USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries (Hardcover)

Jerry's ability to display his passion for the history of Christian Spirituality is second only to his desire for us to glean wisdom and practice in our spiritual lives through reflection on the saints. His representation, as a whole, of the history of Christian Spirituality is seamless. The written testimony of so many great saints and fathers of "the way" directs us towards the practical outcroppings of our faith in our daily walk with the Lord. History textbooks on this subject are needed and wonderful, but Jerry takes the history of the past and makes it the spiritual workings of the present; were we to lose the Christian foundations that we find in these martyrs and saints, we would be like a man who having climbed to the top of Mt. Everest could not remember his trek up the vast mountainside, but instead stood on the peak and asked his fellow climbers, "how did we get here?"

Jerry's passionate display for history to shape and impede upon us is a refreshing walk in the land of Christian Spirituality. If your feet are weary from the journey, take off your shoes and dip them into this refreshingly crisp deep well that is sure to invigorate your soul.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good summary of different aspects of Christian history, February 26, 2008

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Peter C. Abraham - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries (Hardcover)

I found this to be a good book that covered many different parts of Christian history. It was not dry and technical, but was very engaging and multiple times I found myself putting the book down to reflect what was being said.

Also, since it gave such a warm summary, it spurned me on to use other resources to do a more indepth study of the topics that really interested me. It really help cultivate a passion to engage in my studies, not for the sake of rote, but to embrace and appreciate the different aspects of my Christian faith.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A work I refer to much already in my teaching and personal journey., October 22, 2008

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Steve R. Clark - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries (Hardcover)

Sitting down to coffee with Dr. Sittser after having read his book confirmed my understanding of a common theme in his book all the more: "drinking from the same well" (p. 295). Sittser claims that though "we will never understand Christian spirituality...unless we grasp the significance of martyrdom" (p. 28), "we all may not be called to martyrdom but we all are called to surrender our lives to God" (p. 31).

Sittser does a balanced service to Christendom by giving us a climpse of the many ways "greats" of the faith have been refreshed from the well--Christ. He provides an informative historical review of martyrs (in death and bloodless) from the Apostolic fathers until recent yet ties it all into the average man and women who have to live their faith in the rush of modernity. An impactful book that will leave you thinking and hopefully to dipping deeper into the well.