Jerry SittserRezensionen

Nashville, Tn

Loss. It's a word that many of us fear and few of us can evade. It stalked Gerald Sittser one night and struck with full fury on a lonely road in Idaho. In an instant, a tragic accident claimed three generations of his family: his mother, his wife, and his young daughter. But this is not a book about one man's sorrow. Rather, it is a moving meditation on the losses we all suffer and the grace that can transform us. A Grace Disguised plumbs the depth of our sorrows, whether due to illness, divorce, or the loss of someone we love. The circumstances are not important; what we do with those circumstances is. In coming to the end of ourselves, we can come to the beginning of a new life - one marked by spiritual depth, joy, compassion, and a deeper appreciation of simple blessings. If your soul aches, you may be on a journey that will stretch your faith, your understanding of the meaning of life, and your knowledge of God. If you let it, your sorrow will increase your capacity to live well, to love life, and to experience joy, not after the darkness but even in the midst of it" -- www.books.google.co.nz

An exploration into the faith and practice of the "early church" between the apostolic age and the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, following the pattern of the anonymous Letter to Diognetus.

The author does so with a view to encourage Christians in a post-Christendom, more secular world, since Christians in this period maintained and promoted their faith despite official opposition. The author explores how early Christians did so with the Letter to Diognetus and the portrayal of Christianity as the "Third Way," not the "First Way" of the Romans or the "Second Way" of the Jews. He explored what we can know from early sources about their way of life at home and in the world, their assemblies, how they spoke of Jesus, their community, their balance of maintaining what was revealed by the Apostles between the various forms of heresy, and what many pagans found appealing about the faith.

The real purpose of the work, revealed at the end, was the encouragement of the revival of some kind of the catechumate - a recognition that discipleship in faith cannot be expected to come from cultural mores or just unconscious absorption from society or even participation in the life of churches.

The book does well at opening the reader's eyes to the world of early Christianity. The author is a bit too much of a cheerleader for many of the patristic authors, and exalts them highly. There is not as much about monastic life or about chastity as might be expected. He seems to fully affirm the hierarchical leadership formats which developed in early Christianity and finds no difficulty with them. The author is not wrong that modern discipleship practices are not sufficiently robust, and while much can be learned from the catechumate process, it would be helpful to modify it for modern purposes.

Nevertheless, a good introduction to early Christianity for Christians who are generally woefully ignorant of this heritage, and all the more important since the world we inhabit is very much more like theirs than we might be willing to admit.

**--galley received as part of early review program

This is a very wise book. Sittser deals thoughtfully and warmly with the various aspects of grief he explores. Most interestingly, he explains how the vast feeling of sorrow he felt upon loss expanded his soul's capacity for all feeling, because he faced it rather than shrinking from it. Not having experienced the death of someone very close to me, I didn't personally empathize with his process and experience of grief; but I appreciate the gift of understanding the process better from a distance because of hearing his story.

A 2000 year history of Christian Spirituality - I like Sittser’s approach - he focuses on a specific theme in each period of church history. Ch 4 - it’s “RHYTHM” (spirituality of Monasticism) - Ch. 5 - “HOLY HEROES” - (spirituality of Icons and Saints).

Although he acknowledges the excesses, errors and weaknesses in each period his overall goal is to present the strenghts and what we can learn from the Christian spirituality in each period - Desert Fathers, Monks, Mystics, Reformers, Evangelicals - all periods has something to offer.

A very “inclusive” approach. Much food for thought.½

I really liked this book. Though I read it a few years ago, there are a few things in it that have stuck with me. It was good for me to read about the decisions we make and how God blesses them. If you are struggling with a decision and trying to pick one life choice over another, I highly recommend this book.

Well written and well thought out this book investigates the relationship of humans with God using a literary metaphor. If that last line doesn't make sense pick up the book and it will. Sittser gives the layman access to theological ideas by challenging the reader to think deeply about God's redemptive love and using an honest recount of his own personal loss among other examples. I strongly recommend this text to book clubs and anyone want to discover or explore redemption. The book leaves a pleasant aroma of God's presence in one's own life.

Di's favourite book!

我願竭盡所能招來許多人加入這一席對話。尤金 • 畢德生（Engene H . Peterson)
傑瑞 •席哲將此書闢為管道，透過《堅持一生的道路》來與一同行走天路的基督徒朋友展開一場廣泛且微妙的對話。那些走在這條道路上的同伴大抵都明白：本書的主題 — 神的旨意 — 可能正是基督教語彙中最深奧難解的詞語之一。我們大量運用這個措辭，有時候只不過是腸枯思竭的陳腔濫調，其他的時候卻隱含陷我們於焦慮風暴中真正的困惑。 作者以蘊含於神的旨意中無比的尊嚴對待我們，同時又維持一份沉靜堅定的信念，亦即我們必須停止臆測神的旨意，只要將它實行出來。神的旨意從來都不是揣測的事，它把聚光燈投射於信靠的順服。

This is one that Jan Klostermann (who lost her flight-instructor daughter to a small plane crash) recommended....It was written by a man whose wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. (Southminster Presbyterian Church Library, Des Moines, WA)

Why Me? is the most natural human response to personal tragedy.

Christianity's many dimensions create a perfect whole.

Would not recommend this book. He takes the premise that you will never be over your grief; it will always overshadow your life. If this is true, why read such a book? He negates the Grace of God or the healing that we can experience. We can heal, we can become stronger. His first 6 chapters are a barrage of grief and pain. He overworks making certain that the reader experiences all his pain and suffering. Yet as the 6th chapter draws to a close the tone and writing style changes so dramatically you have to wonder if a ghost writer just took over. He compares all manner of grief as though they are all equal. The rape victim, molestation victim, the divorced individual, the person who loses a loved one in tragedy and the person who get’s laid off from their job all experience the same loss. Of course in the next chapter he changes this viewpoint and then flips back and forth as the chapters change. His timeline is also challenging. There are, by my count, 21 references that refer to events 2 to 4 years after the accident that prompted the book. Yet the book seems to go into print and be copyrighted 4 years after the accident. When was the book actually written – a week before it went into print or were these events nice stories made up by the author?

NCLA Review - The church, or community of Christian believers, can be extraordinarily loving and supportive; it can also be divisive and even harmful. Jesus commanded his followers to “love one another”. In this book the author explores the “mutuality commands” found in the New Testament including “Welcome one another”, “Forgive one another” and “Bear one another’s burdens”. The author does not discuss the commandment “Love one another” but he does go into the other commands which teach love in action. The author does not try to tell us what we should do, but the words of the Bible and how they can be used to help us learn to live together and even to love one another are explored in detail. A study guide is included. Rating: 4 —JC. 177p, paper, Intervarsity 2008, $15.00 [250]

Interesting in most parts; a good overview of the spiritual history of the church. It gave me a new appreciation for parts of the church that I had never thought much of.

This is a most inspirational and encouraging book. Dr. Sittser lost his wife, daughter, and mother in a collision with a drunk driver. This book is his story of recovery and God's grace in and through the tragedy and grief. I believe this passage captures the essence of the book's message:
"I did not get over the loss of my loved ones; rather, I absorbed the loss into my life like soil receives decaying matter, until it became a part of who I am."

Using his own life story to illustrate the principle of keeping hope alive when it appears that God has not answered prayers, the author discusses different kinds of prayer and how to pray in spite of circumstances.