In Deep Water, an Historical Novel of Violence and Virtue, Fear and Faith - Tapa blanda

This novel is set in World War II, both in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans-a lotof deep water! It focuses on the patrols of one American submarine, and espe-cially its captain, Christopher McCord. He was reared in a conservative Christianhome with a minister father and a brother who was a conscientious objector. Chrischose the path of a patriotic warrior in the "silent service" in the middle of thegreatest conflict in human history. This choice brought conflict among familymembers, the constant threat of instant death, and the temptation to abandonreligious faith commitments. While bringing back to life the agony of a world at war, with vivid battle scenesand millions of desperate men and women, the primary intent is to follow the com-plex faith journey of the captain of the Barracuda-before, during, and after thewar. He left home rebelling from the restrictions and hypocrisy of many religiouspeople, only to encounter in the most tragic of circumstances the perennial ques-tions of life that can affirm or destroy one's religious faith. He had to choose.The themes of this novel are so timely-war, peace, the search for meaningfulcommunity, personal integrity, the meaning of "family," and religious faith understress. The setting of the 1940s was chosen partly to avoid making a particularpolitical statement on the current scene. Even so, current relevance is seen easily. The recent presidential election in the United States, the debate over same-sex marriage, racial injustice, and growing religious pluralism highlight dramati-cally the contemporary mixing of patriotism, the waging of "just" wars, the hungerfor peace, confusion over what is right, the need for and maybe the dangers oftolerance, and the struggle to maintain a traditional Christian faith.This is not the most comfortable of journeys. Sometimes questions get raisedfaster than answers can be found. Deep water is a mysterious, marvelous, anddeadly place. It is the stuff of real life. Uncomfortable or not, you are invited tocome along. It's a trip worth the ticket!

Barry L. Callen is professor emeritus of Anderson University and secretary of the Wesleyan Theological Society.