When many people hear the name Eugene Peterson, they respond with: “Isn’t he the guy who translated the Message?”. Then, based on if they liked or disliked the Message, they will make a judgment about Peterson.
Yes, translating the Message was an important part of Eugene Peterson’s legacy, but it is only one part. There is so much more to the man and the ministry. Thankfully, Winn Collier has given us an authorized biography with his A Burning in My Bones.
This biography takes us back to the beginning and his Pentecostal origins. We learn about how his relationship with his mother and father shaped him as a person.
I was particularly interested in his wrestling with his vocational calling. Many do not realize that he was on the academic track and well on his way to becoming an Old Testament scholar. However, the pastoral calling took over, leading him in a different direction. That is not to say he stopped teaching. He did eventually teach at seminary, even though he never got a PhD.
This is a powerful biography of an influential Christians who wrestled with his fame. I especially appreciated how Collier shares both Peterson’s strengths and weakness. Collier neither puts Peterson on a pedestal, nor does he take a swing to knock him off.
This biography also provides some clarity about the controversy near the end of Peterson’s life. There had been some confusion about Peterson’s view of LGBTQ and same-sex marriage. Collier provides some background to help explain where Peterson was at.
As a pastor who is also interested in academics, and as someone who has wrestled with my calling, this was a helpful book. I found the experience of reading it to be refreshing to my soul.
