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

by Gerald L. Sittser (Author), Eugene H. Peterson (Foreword by)

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 richhistory 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 newlife to our own spirituality.

Author Biography

Gerald L. Sittser (PhD, University of Chicago) is professor emeritus of theology at Whitworth University and a senior fellow in the Office of Church Engagement. He is a frequent university lecturer and writer and has authored nine books, includingA Grace Disguised, A Grace Revealed, The Will of God as a Way of Life, Resilient Faith, and A Cautious Patriotism. He is married and has five married children and twelve grandchildren.

Eugene H. Peterson (1932-2018) was a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. He wrote more than thirty books, including his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message; his memoir, The Pastor; and numerous works of biblicalspiritual formation, including Run with the Horses and Traveling Light.