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A Long Obedience Journal
This is a companion journal to the revised and expanded edition of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction now includes the Psalms of Ascents in The Message translation as well as a new epilogue. This is a book for modern pilgrims who want to learn to live in communion with God.
120 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2000
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About the author
Eugene H. Peterson
493 books1,037 followersEugene H. Peterson was a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. For many years he was James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. He had written over thirty books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language a contemporary translation of the Bible. After retiring from full-time teaching, Eugene and his wife Jan lived in the Big Sky Country of rural Montana. He died in October 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 15, 2024
Loses at least two stars for this bigoted swipe at Buddhism, its millions of practitioners, and whole regions and histories:
“Eastern culture manifests a deep-rooted pessimism regarding human effort. Since all work is tainted with selfishness and pride, the solution is to withdraw from all activity into pure being. The symbol of such an attitude is the Buddha—an enormous fat person sitting cross-legged, looking at his own navel” (66).
Peterson’s words are not only bigoted, but they’re untrue, as the image he refers to is likely that of the Hotei strain of Buddhism, which is just that—one strain. Strains such as Mahayana, Tibetan, Therevadan, and others have the historical Siddhartha Gautama as the image of the person of the Buddha, an image which some art historians believe inspired some of the earliest images of the emaciated Christ on the cross.
Peterson’s lack of understanding and subsequent dismissal of such a rich, storied tradition compromises any insights the author might otherwise make in the text. I would recommend reading a legit book on Buddhism instead of spending much time here.
“Eastern culture manifests a deep-rooted pessimism regarding human effort. Since all work is tainted with selfishness and pride, the solution is to withdraw from all activity into pure being. The symbol of such an attitude is the Buddha—an enormous fat person sitting cross-legged, looking at his own navel” (66).
Peterson’s words are not only bigoted, but they’re untrue, as the image he refers to is likely that of the Hotei strain of Buddhism, which is just that—one strain. Strains such as Mahayana, Tibetan, Therevadan, and others have the historical Siddhartha Gautama as the image of the person of the Buddha, an image which some art historians believe inspired some of the earliest images of the emaciated Christ on the cross.
Peterson’s lack of understanding and subsequent dismissal of such a rich, storied tradition compromises any insights the author might otherwise make in the text. I would recommend reading a legit book on Buddhism instead of spending much time here.
March 8, 2023
A good reflection on what life as a Christian is.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews