Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology
by Eugene H. Peterson
Eugene Peterson's Spiritual Theology (1)
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Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places reunites spirituality and theology in a cultural context where these two vital facets of Christian faith have been rent asunder. Lamenting the vacuous, often pagan nature of contemporary American spirituality, Eugene Peterson here firmly grounds spirituality once more in Trinitarian theology and offers a clear, practical statement of what it means to actually live out the Christian life. Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, show more Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential. As Peterson shows, spiritual theology, in order to be at once biblical and meaningful, must remain sensitive to ordinary life, present the Christian gospel, follow the narrative of Scripture, and be rooted in the "fear of the Lord" -- in short, spiritual theology must be about God and not about us. The foundational book in a five-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson's pen, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
There is a lot of good stuff in this book. Almost too much. One one hand, I like the way he expresses himself, but on the other hand, sometimes I feel he is working so hard to say something in a poetic, lyrical, creative way that he almost missed the point he was trying to make. I didn't agree with a few things he talked about, but 98 percent of the time I felt he could have been a conservative Lutheran. High praise indeed! An enjoyable book, one that has a lot of sections underlined, but most certainly not a fast or easy read.
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places reunites spirituality and theology in a cultural context where these two vital facets of Christian faith have been rent asunder. Lamenting the vacuous, often pagan nature of contemporary American spirituality, Eugene Peterson here firmly grounds spirituality once more in Trinitarian theology and offers a clear, practical statement of what it means to actually live out the Christian life.
Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential. As Peterson shows, spiritual theology, in order to be at once biblical and meaningful, must remain show more sensitive to ordinary life, present the Christian gospel, follow the narrative of Scripture, and be rooted in the "fear of the Lord" — in short, spiritual theology must be about God and not about us.
The foundational book in a five-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson’s pen, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today. show less
Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential. As Peterson shows, spiritual theology, in order to be at once biblical and meaningful, must remain show more sensitive to ordinary life, present the Christian gospel, follow the narrative of Scripture, and be rooted in the "fear of the Lord" — in short, spiritual theology must be about God and not about us.
The foundational book in a five-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson’s pen, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today. show less
In three main sections Peterson discusses Christ in Creation, History, and Community. Each section is divided into Exploration, Kerygma, Threat, Texts, and Cultivating the Fear-of-the-Lord.
It sounds heavy, and in many ways it is. I must admit I don't see why the subtitle calls the book a "conversation", these are definitely lectures rather than conversations.
However, it is worth persevering for some great insights based on Peterson's work as a pastor, with an emphasis on how God through Christ was and through the Holy Spirit is involved in the nitty-gritty of real people's lives rather than with some super-spiritual elect and that without genuine loving relationships everything else fails.
It sounds heavy, and in many ways it is. I must admit I don't see why the subtitle calls the book a "conversation", these are definitely lectures rather than conversations.
However, it is worth persevering for some great insights based on Peterson's work as a pastor, with an emphasis on how God through Christ was and through the Holy Spirit is involved in the nitty-gritty of real people's lives rather than with some super-spiritual elect and that without genuine loving relationships everything else fails.
Peterson offers us a narrative and holistic theology that seeks to ground our thinking and living in the biblical story, finding the work and play of Christ in Creation, History, and Community. It really is a "must read."
Peterson's insight into living the theology we claim to hold to is wonderful, and Peterson is probably the best writer of any theologian that I have read. As poetic as he writes, his theology always remains grounded in the everyday, the practical, and this is the very purpose of the book - a theology that is lived, that changes us by its' power, from the inside out. His writing has influenced my life than most any other in the past few years.
Winner of Christianity Today Book Award (Spirituality) 2006
Winner of Book of the Year (Top 10) 2006
"Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places is the pivotal work on spiritual theology we have been waiting for. Eugene Peterson allows classical theology to make its own claims for contemporary spirituality. His particular genius is to reveal these insights by peering beneath the surface to speak of deeper, eternal truths for the soul as well as the mind." (M. Craig Barnes)
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places reunites spirituality and theology in a cultural context where these two vital facets of Christian faith have been rent asunder. Lamenting the vacuous, often pagan nature of contemporary American spirituality, Eugene Peterson here firmly show more grounds spirituality once more in Trinitarian theology and offers a clear, practical statement of what it means to actually live out the Christian life.
Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential. As Peterson shows, spiritual theology, in order to be at once biblical and meaningful, must remain sensitive to ordinary life, present the Christian gospel, follow the narrative of Scripture, and be rooted in the "fear of the Lord" -- in short, spiritual theology must be about God and not about us.
The foundational book in a five-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson's pen, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today. (Publisher's Comments)
"Eugene Peterson keeps surprising us. It is hard to imagine where he will go next with his spiritual theology. . . His pen hugely blesses the church.
(The Christian Century) show less
Winner of Book of the Year (Top 10) 2006
"Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places is the pivotal work on spiritual theology we have been waiting for. Eugene Peterson allows classical theology to make its own claims for contemporary spirituality. His particular genius is to reveal these insights by peering beneath the surface to speak of deeper, eternal truths for the soul as well as the mind." (M. Craig Barnes)
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places reunites spirituality and theology in a cultural context where these two vital facets of Christian faith have been rent asunder. Lamenting the vacuous, often pagan nature of contemporary American spirituality, Eugene Peterson here firmly show more grounds spirituality once more in Trinitarian theology and offers a clear, practical statement of what it means to actually live out the Christian life.
Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential. As Peterson shows, spiritual theology, in order to be at once biblical and meaningful, must remain sensitive to ordinary life, present the Christian gospel, follow the narrative of Scripture, and be rooted in the "fear of the Lord" -- in short, spiritual theology must be about God and not about us.
The foundational book in a five-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson's pen, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today. (Publisher's Comments)
"Eugene Peterson keeps surprising us. It is hard to imagine where he will go next with his spiritual theology. . . His pen hugely blesses the church.
(The Christian Century) show less
I love the way Eugene Peterson writes. It is theology without the apologetics.
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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 founded Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in show more 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
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Has as a student's study guide
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2005
- Epigraph
- ...for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his, To the Father through the features of men's faces. - Gerard Manley Hopkins - Dedication
- For James and Rita Houston
- First words
- There are seething energies of spirituality in evidence everywhere.
- Quotations
- Come to me...learn from me: for I am gentle and humble in heart.... Matthew 11:28-29
As soon as the gospels were written, speech without experience began to dabble with the new facts proposed by the existence of the Church... People tried to think the new life without being touched by it first in some form of... (show all) call, listening, passion or change of heart. - Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy
[Christ is] the firstborn of all creation: for hi all things in heaven and on earth were created...... Colossians 1:15-16
It is not allowable to love the Creation according t the purposes one has for it, any more than it is allowable to love one's neighbor in order to borrow his tools. - Wendell Berry
"This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed... and a sword will pierce you own soul...." - Luke 2:34-35
[T]he world which surrounds us is temporary and its laws were negated by the Son of God's act of submission to them. The Prince of this World triumphed, and as a result he lost. - Czeslaw Milosz
"Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one... I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have... (show all) loved them even as you hae loved me" - John 17:11, 23
We are all members of one another, and one of us is Jesus Christ.... - Austin Farrer - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Christ shows you how love works; now you love. Love, love, love, love. Just do it.
- Blurbers
- Brown, Timothy L.; Barnes, M. Craig; Dawn, Marva J.; Bruner, Frederick Dale
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- English, Portuguese
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- ISBNs
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