Eugene H. Peterson (1932-2018)

[bookslover]

He died today (10/22/18) at his home in Montana (where he was raised) of heart failure and dementia after being in hospice care for about a week. He was 85. He would have been 86 on November 6.

He was the founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Bel Air, Maryland (1962-1991). Of his many books, his most famous is The Message, his paraphrase (to put it mildly) of the Bible.

RIP.

 

[Jack K]

He was an uncommonly gifted writer, with some good things to say especially in his earlier works, predating The Message.

 

[bookslover]

I had to read his A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (1980) when I was in seminary. I thought it was...well...confusing. Didn't enjoy it.

 

[Jack K]

I had to read his A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (1980) when I was in seminary. I thought it was...well...confusing. Didn't enjoy it.

Too bad. It would have been better, perhaps, if someone had made you read his book on the use of the Psalms in prayer. When I think of how Peterson has been helpful to me, I think of that book. Of course, we don't all have the same needs or respond in the same ways.

 

[Hamalas]

Sorry to hear that.

 

[ZackF]

He was an uncommonly gifted writer, with some good things to say especially in his earlier works, predating The Message.

I've heard and read The Message has insightful, helpful introductions to the books of the Bible though I don't have a copy myself.

 

[Taylor]

In my beginning Hebrew class in seminary, we actually found that in many places The Message brought out a nuance of the text that no other translation brought out. Of course, this is not a recommendation of the “translation,” but rather a note to the effect that it isn’t all bad.

 

[sc_q_jayce]

The Message is fantastic when used for a narrow purpose. As a replacement for other translations, not where I would go with it. It gets a bad rap, somewhat unfairly, but that may be due to marketing and how certain megachurches use it.