| Poster | Thread | Agent001
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Joined: 2003/9/30
Posts: 386
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | Interview with Eugene Peterson | | An interview with Eugene Peterson on Chrisitanity Today:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/003/26.42.html
Here is an excerpt:
[b]Christianity Today:[/b] Repentance, dying to self, submissionthese are not very attractive hooks to draw people into the faith.
[b]Peterson:[/b]I think the minute you put the issue that way you're in trouble. Because then we join the consumer world, and everything then becomes product designed to give you something. We don't need something more. We don't need something better. We're after life. We're learning how to live.
I think people are fed up with consumer approaches, even though they're addicted to them. But if we cast the evangel in terms of benefits, we're setting people up for disappointment. We're telling them lies.
This is not the way our Scriptures are written. This is not the way Jesus came among us. It's not the way Paul preached. Where do we get all this stuff? We have a textbook. We have these Scriptures and most of the time they're saying, "You're going the wrong way. Turn around. The culture is poisoning."
Do we realize how almost exactly the Baal culture of Canaan is reproduced in American church culture? Baal religion is about what makes you feel good. Baal worship is a total immersion in what I can get out of it. And of course, it was incredibly successful. The Baal priests could gather crowds that outnumbered followers of Yahweh 20 to 1. There was sex, there was excitement, there was music, there was ecstasy, there was dance. "We got girls over here, friends. We got statues, girls, and festivals." This was great stuff. And what did the Hebrews have to offer in response? The Word. What's the Word? Well, Hebrews had festivals, at least!
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Sam
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|  2005/11/28 17:09 | Profile | habakkuk3
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Joined: 2005/10/18
Posts: 490
Virginia
| | Re: Interview with Eugene Peterson | | Great stuff Sam,
Does he have a Christian radio show? I seem to recall listening to him on Christian radio but I don't listen to it much anymore.
I think we need a withdrawal of the culture or perhaps better stated a withdrawal of the culture from within us. It's so satiated with self messages, even from within the church (e.g. three steps to a better life type messages).
Just curious...
Ed
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Ed Pugh
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| | 2005/11/28 17:40 | Profile | sermonindex
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Online! | | Re: | | Quote:
Does he have a Christian radio show? I seem to recall listening to him on Christian radio but I don't listen to it much anymore.
I am very curious about this because eugene peterson is the author of that new contemprary version of the bible "THE MESSAGE" and it is being used widely and strongly in emerging churches and newer contemprary churches that are offering people a church that is in the cloak of the world. Perhaps God is showing this man some very strong things in this area. The message bible does take out alot of words like repent etc and dum's down alot of the hard sayings in my opinion.
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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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| | 2005/11/28 17:44 | Profile |
| | Re: Eugene Petersen interview | | Quote:
The message bible does take out alot of words like repent etc and dum's down alot of the hard sayings in my opinion.
The Message is ok in the hands of certain people - that is, people who know the scripture thoroughly, and can explain the original.
I've tried reading The Message, and it does my head in! But! I know another Christian who can read aloud from it in church, (alongside a formal translation) and the Holy Spirit does use it to communicate something of God. I don't think there's anything wrong with Eugene Petersen's faith. One must remember why he ever put The Message together.
But, without doubt, Greg, it is [i]no [u]substitute[/u][/i] for seekers or new Christians who don't know either the Word or the Lord. I couldn't agree more. |
| | 2005/11/29 7:13 | | Agent001
Member
Joined: 2003/9/30
Posts: 386
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | Re: | | [b]Greg[/b] and others, Quote:
I am very curious about this because eugene peterson is the author of that new contemprary version of the bible "THE MESSAGE" and it is being used widely and strongly in emerging churches and newer contemprary churches that are offering people a church that is in the cloak of the world. Perhaps God is showing this man some very strong things in this area. The message bible does take out alot of words like repent etc and dum's down alot of the hard sayings in my opinion.
I'm glad you got curious. That is part of the reasons I quote him here. Eugene Peterson had been widely misunderstood by other Christians because of his [i]The Message[/i], which associates him with the megachurch phenomenon.
Peterson had said in another interview (sorry, I can't find it. I think it's in Christianity Today) that he himself thinks it is irreverent to use his Biblical paraphrase ([i]Message[/i]) in worship. He has never intended it to be a substitute for a proper Bible.
Peterson did not have a change of heart now - he has always been critical of the phenomena in the American church.
Peterson is never fond of the idea of mega-church. The church that he pastored for 29 years (a Presbyterian church) never went beyond 250 people.
In fact, he has consistently used very strong words against consumerism within the church. He has always maintained that many pastors have left their vocations by being mesmerized by human methods and management skills. To him, the pastoral vocation is simple: prayer, scripture, and spiritual direction.
That's why his congregations were small. He insisted upon dealing with them as persons, not commodities. He insisted that the pastor's responsibility is spiritual - prayer and scripture. He went to the extreme of not taking care of any administrative responsibilities at all - he lets his assistant dealt with them. His concern is pastoral, pastoral, pastoral.
That's why I have always thought he is an important friend of revivalism.
Try his books: [i]Working the Angles[/i] and [i]The Contemplative Pastor[/i].
I know Regent College occasionally runs some of his lectures on spirituality on radio.
I hope this would engender some interest in Peterson's works on spirituality, and not let other's use of his [i]Message[/i] led people to misjudge him.
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Sam
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| | 2005/11/29 15:00 | Profile | PreachParsly
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| | Re: | | I wonder what Bible Eugene Peterson uses....
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Josh Parsley
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| | 2005/11/29 15:53 | Profile | crsschk
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Joined: 2003/6/11
Posts: 9192
Santa Clara, CA
| | Re: | | Well, all I can say to this is [i]Amen[/i]!
Sam is right, this isn't something new at all. I was pleasantly surprised and even a bit chastised for having a presumption before picking up on some of the things I read from him in the past.
Can't recall when the Message was written but I got to wonder if he knew what might have come from the usage and misunderstanding of his intentions if he would have bothered to write it... Quote:
That's why his congregations were small. He insisted upon dealing with them as persons, not commodities. He insisted that the pastor's responsibility is [b]spiritual[/b] - prayer and scripture.
Thanks Sam, have a couple more to add to the Christmas wish list...
[i]"Contemplative"[/i] now there is a word packed full of ramifications...
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Mike Balog
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| | 2005/11/29 16:00 | Profile | Agent001
Member
Joined: 2003/9/30
Posts: 386
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | Re: | | [b]PreachParsly,[/b]
You asked what Bible Eugene Peterson uses... then read on.
Quote:
[b]Christianity Today:[/b]
Do you sometimes use The Message for your own devotional reading?
[b]Peterson:[/b]
My wife does, but I don't. Actually, I don't want this to sound wrong, but [b][i]for most of my adult life I have read the Bible in Greek and Hebrew. I still do that.[/i][/b] When I finished the New Testament, I really couldn't read The Message. It was like I lived in that world, and I didn't know if it was going to be accepted. I just put it away. But occasionally now I'll pick it up and remember what I was doing.
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Sam
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| | 2005/11/29 17:36 | Profile |
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