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

Two millennia of church history have shaped what our faith and practice are like today. Sittser invites you to explore the richness of Christian spirituality through the vibrant stories of believers who thirsted for God. Topics include martyrs, monasticism, medieval laity, reformers, pioneer missionaries, and more. Features discussion questions and an annotated reading list. 360 pages, hardcover from InterVarsity.

You’d better find a comfortable chair, and have a drink nearby. Water From a Deep Well is a hard-to-put-down book. Don’t hamper yourself with biases and dislikes in this history book or you'll miss out on some really helpful, scriptural lessons. The Christians portrayed herein come from the widest possible base throughout our history. The author‘s aim is to help us mine the riches of our wide heritage, and he does it admirably. Starting with the early martyrs who encourage us to die daily, Sittser proceeds through history with intriguing, growth causing, intimate, challenging depictions of some of our spiritual ancestors: The Desert Saints; Monasticism; users of Icons and Saints; Mystics; Medieval laity; The Reformers; The Evangelicals, and Pioneer Missionaries. His closing chapter challenges with a discussion of where he believes we’re now headed.

At one-time a pastor, and now a professor of Theology , Gerald Sittser comes from a Reformed background. His grasp of the subject, ability with words, and his experience learning these lessons shine from every page of Water From a Deep Well. While he sometimes refers to himself, Sittser has a marvelous reticence and humility that adds a winsome depth to the narrative. It is refreshing to get the substance without the author focusing on himself. -- Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com

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.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

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Reviewed by Patti - www.bookbargainsandpreviews.com (Batavia, NY), June 20, 2008

If you like to research Christian history or are a fan of biographies, this book is for you. It covered many different sections of Christian history to give the reader a well-rounded view. The stories were engaging and well written; not in a pretentious, overly educated way, but in a warm, friendly style. Water from a Deep Well was not only informative, but inspiring. It makes you want to be the best you can be.

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