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

by Sittser, Gerald L.

• ISBN13: 9780830837458
• ISBN10: 0830837450
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-01
• Publisher: Ivp Books

Summary

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.

Author Biography

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.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 9
Acknowledgments	p. 11
Introduction: There Is More!	p. 15
Witness: The Spirituality of the Early Christian Martyrs	p. 27
Belonging: The Spirituality of Early Christian Community	p. 50
Struggle: The Spirituality of the Desert Saints	p. 73
Rhythm: The Spirituality of Monasticism	p. 96
Holy Heroes: The Spirituality of Icons and Saints	p. 118
Windows: The Spirituality of the Sacraments	p. 139
Union: The Spirituality of the Mystics	p. 163
Ordinariness: The Spirituality of the Medieval Laity	p. 187
Word: The Spirituality of the Reformers	p. 209
Conversion: The Spirituality of Evangelicals	p. 231
Risk: The Spirituality of Pioneer Missionaries	p. 256
Conclusion: Where Do We Go from Here?	p. 281
Discussion Questions	p. 296
Annotated Reading List	p. 303
Illustration Credits	p. 310
Notes	p. 314
Index	p. 360
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