Eugene H. Peterson (1932–2018)
Author of The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language
About the Author
Eugene H. Peterson was born in East Stanwood, Washington on November 6, 1932. He received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Seattle Pacific University, a bachelor of sacred theology from New York Theological Seminary, and a master's degree in semitic languages from Johns Hopkins University. He show more founded Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland in 1962, where he served as pastor until retiring in 1991. He then became a professor of spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia until retiring in 2006. His first book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, was published in 1980. He wrote over 30 books including Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Eat This Book, Tell It Slant, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, and Every Step an Arrival. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language won a Gold Medallion Book Award. He died from complications of heart failure and dementia on October 22, 2018 at the age of 85. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Eugene H. Peterson
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society (1980) 2,556 copies, 12 reviews
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology (2005) 1,506 copies, 12 reviews
The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction (1989) 1,395 copies, 7 reviews
The Message: The New Testament Psalms and Proverbs in Contemporary Language (1993) 1,303 copies, 5 reviews
Tell It Slant: A Conversation on the Language of Jesus in His Stories and Prayers (2008) 547 copies, 3 reviews
As Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Conversation on the Ways of God Formed by the Words of God (2017) 265 copies, 3 reviews
Praying with the Psalms: A Year of Daily Prayers and Reflections on the Words of David (1993) 213 copies
Weddings, Funerals and Special Events: The Personal Ministry of Public Occasions (1987) 197 copies, 1 review
Praying with Jesus: A Year of Daily Prayers and Reflections on the Words and Actions of Jesus (1993) 99 copies
Perseverance: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Christian Basics Bible Studies) (1996) 67 copies, 1 review
This Hallelujah Banquet: How the End of What We Were Reveals Who We Can Be (2021) 55 copies, 1 review
The Message Devotional Bible (Hardcover): Featuring Notes and Reflections from Eugene H. Peterson (2018) 51 copies
Praying With the Prophets: A Year of Daily Prayers and Reflections on the Words and Actions of the Prophets (Praying With the Bible) (1995) 46 copies
Praying With the Early Christians: A Year of Daily Prayers and Reflections on the Words of the Early Christians (Praying With the Bible) (1994) 41 copies
On Living Well: Brief Reflections on Wisdom for Walking in the Way of Jesus (2021) 41 copies, 1 review
Praying With Moses: A Year of Daily Prayers and Reflections on the Words and Actions of Moses (Praying With the Bible) (1994) 29 copies
A Month of Sundays: Thirty-One Days of Wrestling with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (2019) 28 copies
Praying with Paul: A Year of Daily Prayers and Reflections on the Words of Paul (Praying With the Bible) (1995) 27 copies
Leap Over a Wall Study Guide: Earthy Spirituality for Everyday Christians (2011) 23 copies, 1 review
Symphony of Salvation (Hardcover): A 60-Day Devotional Journey through the Books of the Bible (2021) 17 copies
Still a PFC: A Combat Marine in World War II: The Pacific Theater (1942-1945): Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, & Iwo Jima (2018) 6 copies
The Message på svenska : Nya Testamentet, Psaltaren, Ordspråksboken, Predikaren och Höga visan (2015) 4 copies
O pastor segundo Deus: A integridade pastoral vista por vários ângulos (Portuguese Edition) (2022) 4 copies
WHY I AM NOT AN ARMINIAN 2 copies
Spiritual Reading: An Annotated List 2 copies
Sermons of Jesus: A Collection of Sermons Read From Eugene H. Peterson's "The Message" CD (2008) 1 copy
Growth: An Act of the Will 1 copy
Return to the Timeless 1 copy
改變生命的54封信 1 copy
Job 1 copy
Were You There? 1 copy
Leadership: A Practical Journal for Church Leaders, Volume XVIII Number 2, Spring 1997 (1997) 1 copy
Freedom 1 copy
Transpondo muralhas 1 copy
Zsoltárok a szív mélyéből fakadó imák 12 bibliatanulmány egyéni és csoportos használatra (1995) 1 copy
스터디 가이드 : 비유로 말하라 1 copy
Wedywer Met die Perde 1 copy
ESPIRITUALIDADE SUBVERSIVA 1 copy
Drawn In Bible Study Mary 1 copy
The One Year Chronological Bible The Message, Large Print Thinline Edition (Softcover) (2025) 1 copy
By Eugene H. Peterson Message-MS-Catholic/Ecumenical: The Bible in Contemporary Language [Hardcover] (2013) 1 copy
Message, Remix Tm 1 copy
Christmas Love 1 copy
Fort pour le combat 1 copy
Associated Works
The Act of Bible Reading: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Biblical Interpretation (1996) — Foreword — 166 copies
Inductive Bible Study: A Comprehensive Guide to the Practice of Hermeneutics (2011) — Foreword, some editions — 147 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Peterson, Eugene H.
- Legal name
- Peterson, Eugene Holland
- Other names
- 畢德生
尤金.畢德生
尤金.彼得生 - Birthdate
- 1932-11-06
- Date of death
- 2018-10-22
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Seattle Pacific University (BA|1957)
New York Theological Seminary (BST)
Johns Hopkins University (MA) - Occupations
- Presbyterian minister
- Organizations
- Regent College
Christ Our King Presbyterian Church, Bel Air, Maryland, USA
NavPress - Awards and honors
- The Denise Levertov Award (2009)
- Short biography
- Eugene H. Peterson is professor emeritus of spiritual theology at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia and was the founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he ministered for 29 years. Eugene has authored more than 20 books including Run with the Horses (IVP), A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (IVP) and his five-volume series on spiritual theology, beginning with Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (Eerdmans). Peterson is fluent in Hebrew and Greek and is the translator of the best-selling Bible, The Message.
Eugene made a rare public appearance Denver’s most famous literary landmark, The Tattered Cover Bookstore, in 2006 for 200 Alive authors and industry professionals. Here is the transcript of his presentation, “What Are Writers Good For?”
From: http://www.alivecommunications.com/our-authors-and-books/eugene-peterson/ - Cause of death
- congestive heart failure
dementia - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- East Stanwood, Washington, USA
- Places of residence
- Bel Air, Maryland, USA
- Place of death
- Lakeside, Montana, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Eugene H. Peterson, who died in 2018, may be best remembered today for transforming the Bible into “The Message,” a popular paraphrase that puts Scripture into language Americans can better understand. Yet he was mainly, for many years, the pastor at Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Md., and a very fine preacher.
In 2023 some of his sermons were collected in the book “Lights a Lovely Mile: Collected Sermons of the Church Year.” The book makes good reading.
Many show more preachers, and perhaps most preachers, base their sermon on gospel texts, but if this collection is any indication, Peterson favored passages from elsewhere in the New Testament, especially Paul's writings. And the word “passages” is misleading, for usually these sermons are based on just a single verse. And it is amazing how much he could find in that single verse.
He said this in one of his sermons, "Paul. Why do I like him so much? An opinionated man, verging on cockiness, quick tempered, and capable of soaring anger. He wrote on subjects that are of surpassing importance to me: God, my eternal salvation, the meaning of my life, how to think of Christ. These are things I very much want to get clear and straight."
As the subtitle suggests, the sermons cover the church year — Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc.
Like any good preacher, Peterson sometimes said surprising things. He began one sermon, called “The Most Dangerous," by saying, "Do you know that the most dangerous thing you can do is go to church?" He went on to say, "The temptations that take place inside church are much more severe and have much bigger consequences than those outside." What sins did Jesus most condemn? Well, sins like spiritual pride and hypocrisy, sins more likely to be found in a church than at any bar on a Saturday night.
Want a good sermon without having to step into a "dangerous" church? Give Eugene Peterson a try. show less
In 2023 some of his sermons were collected in the book “Lights a Lovely Mile: Collected Sermons of the Church Year.” The book makes good reading.
Many show more preachers, and perhaps most preachers, base their sermon on gospel texts, but if this collection is any indication, Peterson favored passages from elsewhere in the New Testament, especially Paul's writings. And the word “passages” is misleading, for usually these sermons are based on just a single verse. And it is amazing how much he could find in that single verse.
He said this in one of his sermons, "Paul. Why do I like him so much? An opinionated man, verging on cockiness, quick tempered, and capable of soaring anger. He wrote on subjects that are of surpassing importance to me: God, my eternal salvation, the meaning of my life, how to think of Christ. These are things I very much want to get clear and straight."
As the subtitle suggests, the sermons cover the church year — Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc.
Like any good preacher, Peterson sometimes said surprising things. He began one sermon, called “The Most Dangerous," by saying, "Do you know that the most dangerous thing you can do is go to church?" He went on to say, "The temptations that take place inside church are much more severe and have much bigger consequences than those outside." What sins did Jesus most condemn? Well, sins like spiritual pride and hypocrisy, sins more likely to be found in a church than at any bar on a Saturday night.
Want a good sermon without having to step into a "dangerous" church? Give Eugene Peterson a try. show less
As Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Conversation on the Ways of God Formed by the Words of God by Eugene H. Peterson
Reading the Bible with Eugene Peterson is always such a gift, as the poet-pastor runs for joy in the wide world of biblical imagination while, at the same time, being careful not to slip out of the real world of flesh and blood and into a dreamy sort of spiritual escapism. He's awestruck and he's earthy, worshipful and incarnational. This book of sermons (seven each from seven biblical authors – Moses, David, Isaiah, Solomon, Peter, Paul, & John) was Peterson's preaching at its finest. show more And, in the preaching, Peterson earns the highest praise, as the reader responds not with "I want to read more of Peterson," but "I want to read more of the Bible." show less
There's such a warmth in Peterson that shines through his writing; his wisdom and gentle spirit are evident throughout. The book is aptly titled – it's not a commentary, but a conversation. Peterson won't even attempt to exegete each and every verse, but what he does attempt, he does very well – enter into the spirit and main thrust of Ephesians. Reading Ephesians with Peterson is both inspiring and disillusioning. He travels into the highest heavens with Paul, up to the heights of the show more glory of God, but he shows us where that glory works itself out in common, ordinary people as they live their common, ordinary lives. Ephesians is the full weight of the glory of God, "in practice" on the streets. It is an exercise in knocking down the pretty little idols of religiosity to make space for the real flesh and bones work of the Holy Spirit – divinity dwelling in humanity. show less
A must-read challenge for pastors, and would-be pastors, alike.
Written after 30 years of experience, and drawing from the sketches we have of Jonah's various failures in 'ministry', Peterson makes a strong case to beware the programmes and busy-ness of much of church life. He rightly diagnoses that it's very easy for pastors and church leaders to be sucked into these things, as they can be assessed and measured by denominations or shown off to other leaders, but that this often will become show more a religious work that squeezes out the very God they're supposed to be about. Instead he makes the case for pastors to recover a properly pastoral ministry, not just a religious one, and to take time in the very ordinary small details of people's lives, to seek out how God's Spirit is at work. Often this act of listening and then naming will bring an appreciation of God's work that all others, the person included, will miss. For example, here's a passage from page 164:
"Pastoral work is fundamentally creative work. The section of the creed in which he set up ecclesiastical shop is the third, beginning with "I believe in the holy spirit". If this is so, if we in fact believe in the holy spirit, then we must not at the same time trying to moonlight as efficiency experts in religion. We cannot nurture the life of spirit in a parishioner while holding a stopwatch. We cannot apply time management techniques to the development of souls."
Towards the end he more directly explains the need for pastors to be doing "spiritual direction" for those around them, noting the longevity of the practice, even if the inherited term for it is difficult for many. As I read more about how others suggest we should disciple others, it will be interesting to see whether there are tensions between the two approaches.
And along the way he has some wonderful passages that encapsulate the work of a church leader, and many that explore the temptations unique to such leaders. And he gives some useful advice about anger.
Unfortunately, parts of the book felt over-written, repeating his current theme without really adding anything. And he plays up the importance of Revelation in his section on Eschatology, but (at least for me) doesn't follow through and explain why. Otherwise this would be 5 stars. show less
Written after 30 years of experience, and drawing from the sketches we have of Jonah's various failures in 'ministry', Peterson makes a strong case to beware the programmes and busy-ness of much of church life. He rightly diagnoses that it's very easy for pastors and church leaders to be sucked into these things, as they can be assessed and measured by denominations or shown off to other leaders, but that this often will become show more a religious work that squeezes out the very God they're supposed to be about. Instead he makes the case for pastors to recover a properly pastoral ministry, not just a religious one, and to take time in the very ordinary small details of people's lives, to seek out how God's Spirit is at work. Often this act of listening and then naming will bring an appreciation of God's work that all others, the person included, will miss. For example, here's a passage from page 164:
"Pastoral work is fundamentally creative work. The section of the creed in which he set up ecclesiastical shop is the third, beginning with "I believe in the holy spirit". If this is so, if we in fact believe in the holy spirit, then we must not at the same time trying to moonlight as efficiency experts in religion. We cannot nurture the life of spirit in a parishioner while holding a stopwatch. We cannot apply time management techniques to the development of souls."
Towards the end he more directly explains the need for pastors to be doing "spiritual direction" for those around them, noting the longevity of the practice, even if the inherited term for it is difficult for many. As I read more about how others suggest we should disciple others, it will be interesting to see whether there are tensions between the two approaches.
And along the way he has some wonderful passages that encapsulate the work of a church leader, and many that explore the temptations unique to such leaders. And he gives some useful advice about anger.
Unfortunately, parts of the book felt over-written, repeating his current theme without really adding anything. And he plays up the importance of Revelation in his section on Eschatology, but (at least for me) doesn't follow through and explain why. Otherwise this would be 5 stars. show less
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Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 230
- Also by
- 7
- Members
- 31,973
- Popularity
- #614
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 212
- ISBNs
- 699
- Languages
- 12
- Favorited
- 46
