In Deep Water
Barry L. Callen
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This novel is set in World War II, both in the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans—a lot of deep water! It focuses on the
patrols of one American submarine, and especially its captain,
Christopher McCord. He was reared in a conservative Christian home
with a minister father and a brother who was a conscientious
objector. Chris chose the path of a patriotic warrior in the “silent
service” in the middle of the greatest conflict in human history.
This choice brought conflict among family members, the constant
threat of instant death, and the temptation to abandon religious
faith commitments.
While bringing back to life the agony of a world
at war, with vivid battle scenes and millions of desperate men and
women, the primary intent is to follow the complex faith journey of
the captain of the Barracuda—before, during, and after the war. He
left home rebelling from the restrictions and hypocrisy of many
religious people, only to encounter in the most tragic of
circumstances the perennial questions 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 meaningful community, personal integrity, the
meaning of “family,” and religious faith under stress. The setting of
the 1940s was chosen partly to avoid making a particular political
statement on the current scene. Even so, current relevance is seen
easily. The recent presidential election in the United States, the
debate over samesex marriage, racial injustice, and growing religious
pluralism highlight dramatically the contemporary mixing of
patriotism, the waging of “just” wars, the hunger for peace, confusion
over what is right, the need for and maybe the dangers of tolerance,
and the struggle to maintain a traditional Christian faith.
This is not the most comfortable of journeys.
Sometimes questions get raised faster than answers can be found. Deep
water is a mysterious, marvelous, and deadly place. It is the stuff of
real life. Uncomfortable or not, you are invited to come along. It’s a
trip worth the ticket!
Most of my WWII shipmates are gone and the
old sub long since cut up for scrap, but memories never die—and the
significance of our service lingers. This book revives exciting
times for a Pennsylvania farm boy and proud old submariner. It is a
thought-provoking sea adventure…a must read!
—Paul "Chick" Herr of the Submarine Chub
(SS-329)
Barry Callen, a serious explorer of
Christian faith and public affairs, has varied his usual approach by
writing a compelling novel. It is both entertaining and thought
provoking. In this tribute to his father, who served as a merchant
marine, he has used the militant setting of war at sea to expose the
faith questions of those who served in World War II, and the
questions of those of us who now live and struggle far from any sea.
—Fredrick H. Shively, professor, Anderson
University
About the Author:
Barry L. Callen holds earned
doctoral degrees from Chicago Theological Seminary and Indiana
University and masters degrees from Anderson University School of
Theology and Asbury Theological Seminary and is Professor of
Christian Studies at Anderson University. He has been editor of the
Wesleyan Theological Journal since 1992 and is the founding editor
of Anderson University Press. He has written or edited more than
thirty books, several involving the history, teachings, and leaders
of the Church of God movement (Anderson).
