B I B L I O N - Review of Books, Books in Review
in a crisis, a personal conflict between what
Two weeks later, Peterson read one of Ge-
he preached and what his convictions were rard Manley Hopkins’ poems that began with
as a pastor. He quickly realized that he was “As kingfishers catch fire…” and thus conclu-
not a preacher, but a billboard, in a sense, ding, “the Christian life is the lifelong practice
trying to promote its “pro-
of attending to the details
duct.” It was not enough
of congruence – congruence
to put together a church;
between end and means,
he had to make it function
congruence between what
properly and with harmony.
we do and the way we do it,
Aware of this, and willing
congruence between what is
to effect a change, he saw
written in Scripture and our
himself before two events
living out what is written,
– a lecture he attended and
congruence between a ship
a poem he read – almost
and its prow, congruence bet-
simultaneously, whose
ween preaching and living.”
combination came to reform
Tour nier’s testimony
his entire personal ministry.
and Hopkins’ metaphors
The lecture speaker was
together transformed the
Paul Tournier, a Swiss doc-
essence of Peterson’s prea-
tor who left the clinic for the
ching, assuming the consis-
couch beside the fireplace,
tency of who Christ is and
and the stethoscope for the
how He works within us.
In the last years,
smoking pipe, exchanging
S t r u c t u r e d i n s e ve n
Eugene’s
writing
has
his medical vocation for a
groups, each of these with
kept me sane.
modern approach where
seven ser mons, they’re
BONO
the patient is examined as
part of the collection
U2
a whole: body, mind and
“Preaching in the company
soul. Peterson was strongly affected by of…” – dedicated to Moses, David, Isaiah, So-
Tournier’s transparency. His life and wri- lomon, Peter, Paul and John of Patmos; each
tings – which Peterson read, to the very last of these with a distinctive approach included
one – are consistent. This was what Eugene in “the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27)
Peterson needed for his work as a pastor.
“
A S K I N G F I S H E R S C ATC H F I R E , A CO N V E R S AT I O N O N T H E WAY S O F G O D , B Y E U G E N E P E T E R S O N . P U B L I S H E D B Y
Water B rook & M u l tnomah , CO L O R A DO S P R I N G S , U S A
26 SEP-OCT 2017