Eugene Peterson
Eerdmans/Hodder & Stoughton 2005
Eugene Peterson's book is difficult to categorise, but I found it very interesting, challenging and thought-provoking.
The book's subtitle is "A Conversation in Spiritual Theology" which captures some of the strengths and weaknesses of the book. It is a conversation. It meanders through its subjects and is light in places where more weight was needed in argument. In other places it sparkles and glints with biblical truth.
The title comes from one of the remarkable poems by the English Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins: "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." I take this to mean that through and in our union with Christ as Christians, he acts through us and we act in him in all we do, so that when the Father looks on us, he sees Christ.
This sums up what I think Peterson was trying to achieve in this book. He wants us to realise that Christ is Lord of every part of life and as Christians living in union with him, all of life is transformed and made special. As we realise this, so our lives are energised, beautified and sanctified.
The main part of the books consists of three sections entitled: "Christ plays in Creation," "Christ plays in History" and "Christ plays in Community." In them, Peterson deals with creation, salvation and the resurrection and the church respectively.
The book follows an unusual method, and contains some aspects that could be disputed or rejected by many evangelical Christians, but there is much more that is profitable. Overall, the book is well worth reading.
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