Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology

by Eugene H. Peterson

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2008

Overview

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places reunites spirituality and theology in a cultural context where these two vital facets of Christian faith have been rent asunder. Lamenting the vacuous, often pagan nature of contemporary American spirituality, Eugene Peterson here firmly grounds spirituality once more in Trinitarian theology and offers a clear, practical statement of what it means to actually live out the Christian life.

Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential. As Peterson shows, spiritual theology, in order to be at once biblical and meaningful, must remain sensitive to ordinary life, present the Christian gospel, follow the narrative of Scripture, and be rooted in the "fear of the Lord" -- in short, spiritual theology must be about God and not about us.

The foundational book in a five-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson's pen, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today.

Key Features

• Provides the spirituality of our time with structure and coherence by working from a scriptural foundation and with a Trinitarian imagination
• Explores a biblical spirituality that works in the ordinariness of life while exposing the shallowness of contemporary Christianity
• Offers a conversation in spiritual theology, and a profound biblical and theological insight with the eloquence of a poet

Contents

Clearing the Playing Field

• Two Stories
• Three Texts
• Four Terms
• And a Dance

I. Christ Plays in Creation

• Exploring the Neighborhood of Creation
• Kerygma: Jesus' Birth
• Threat: Gnosticism Grounding Text (1): Genesis 1-2
• Grounding Text (2): St. John
• Cultivating Fear-of-the-Lord in Creation: Sabbath and Wonder

II. Christ Plays in History

• Exploring the Neighborhood of History
• Kerygma: Jesus' Death
• Threat: Moralism
• Grounding Text (1) Exodus
• Grounding Text (2): St. Mark
• Cultivating Fear-of-the-Lord in History: Eucharist and Hospitality

III. Christ Plays in Community

• Exploring the Neighborhood of the Community
• Kerygma: Jesus' Resurrection
• Threat: Sectarianism
• Grounding Text (1): Deuteronomy
• Grounding Text (2): Luke/Acts
• Cultivating Fear-of-the-Lord in Community: Baptism and Love

Praise for Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

"Peterson knows intimately the rhythms of the local parish; possessing a background in biblical languages, he also writes with depth and passion about the scriptures and their connection to the human condition. This lifelong pastoral vocation, deepened with a sustained attention to translating the scriptures, has come to fruition in a marvelous new book: Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places... Peterson is biblically coherent, culturally relevant, spiritually engaging. He is orthodox without being narrow-minded, critical without being dismissive, pastoral without being sentimental, evangelical without being joyless, scholarly without being pedantic. His style is conversational, and yet his subject matter is of utmost importance."

Circuit Rider

"Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places is the pivotal work on spiritual theology we have been waiting for. Eugene Peterson allows classical theology to make its own claims for contemporary spirituality. His particular genius is to reveal these insights by peering beneath the surface to speak of deeper, eternal truths for the soul as well as the mind."

M. Craig Barnes

"There is no pastor in the world that I trust more than Eugene Peterson, and this book offers us Eugene at his best — poet, storyteller, wonderer, biblical scholar, sage, practiced disciple, and lover of God. He woos us into exquisitely perceptive Bible readings, diagnoses the dangers of our common shortcuts, and immerses us in the community of those who live the truth of the Trinity in Jesus' way. This is a life-transforming and liberating book. I pray that many people will give it thoughtful, reverent attention."

Marva J. Dawn

Product Details

• Title: Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology
• Author: Eugene H. Peterson
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2008
• Logos Release Date: 2022
• Pages: 368
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subject: Spiritual life › Presbyterian Church
• ISBNs: 9780802862976, 9780802828750, 9781596443037, 9781596443044, 0802862977, 0802828752, 1596443030, 1596443049
• Resource ID: LLS:CHRPLYTHPL
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T22:39:46Z

About Eugene H. Peterson

Eugene H. Peterson (1932–2018) was a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. He wrote more than thirty books, including his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, his memoir, The Pastor, and numerous works of biblical spiritual formation, including Run with the Horses, also available in a commemorative edition. Peterson was founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he served for twenty-nine years before retiring in 1991. With degrees from Seattle Pacific, New York Theological Seminary, and Johns Hopkins University, he served as professor of spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, until retiring in Lakeside, Montana, in 2006.