The Christian Century

Eugene Peterson writes often and clearly about spiritual theology, which has helped greatly to define a discipline that can be vague and fuzzy. He did this particularly well in his previous book, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. But as needed as that book was, Peterson is never better than when he is writing out of a specific biblical text.

Perhaps this is because Peterson never left his calling as a pastor who proclaims the word. Or maybe it is because he spent so much time with the text when he was writing The Message, his popular translation of the scriptures. Or most likely, Peterson just loves the Bible. His earlier books on Jonah, David and the Psalms will long remain classic depictions of how one uses ancient texts as confessional proclamation to contemporary society. He now returns to his groove with Practice Resurrection.