EUGENE PETERSON & THE MESSAGE BIBLE
BY DAVID CLOUD
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
The following is excerpted from CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM: A POWERFUL ECUMENICAL BOND.
ISBN 978-1-58318-113-3. Contemplative mysticism, which
originated with Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox monasticism, is
permeating every branch of Christianity today, including the Southern Baptist
Convention. In
this book we document the fact that Catholic mysticism leads inevitably
to a broadminded ecumenical philosophy and to capitulation to heresies.
For many, this path has led to interfaith dialogue, Buddhism, Hinduism,
universalism, pantheism, panentheism, even goddess theology. One chapter
is dedicated to exposing the heresies of Richard
Foster:"Evangelicalism's Mystical Sparkplug." We describe major
contemplative practices, such as centering prayer, visualizing prayer,
the Jesus
Prayer, Lectio Divina, and the labyrinth. We look at the
history of Roman Catholic monasticism which birthed contemplative
prayer, and we examine the errors of contemplative mysticism. In the
Biographical Catalog of Contemplative Mystics we look at the lives and
beliefs of 60 of the major figures in the contemplative movement,
including Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross,
Brennan Manning, Thomas Merton, Teresa of Avila, Richard Foster, and
Dallas Willard. The book
contains an extensive index. 482 pages. Available in print and eBook
editions, www.wayoflife.org
______________
Eugene Peterson (b. 1932), author of The Message,
was for many years James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at
Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served for almost
30 years as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in
Bel Air, Maryland. Today he is retired and lives in Montana.
The New Testament portion of The
Message was published in 1993 and the complete Bible in 2002. It is
called a"translational-paraphrase" and is said to"unfold like a
gripping novel." In fact, it IS a novel!
It
was"translated" by Peterson and reviewed by
21"consultants" from the following schools: Denver Seminary (Robert
Alden), Dallas Theological Seminary (Darrell Bock and Donald Glenn),
Fuller Theological Seminary (Donald Hagner), Gordon-Conwell Theological
Seminary, Trinity Episcopal School, North Park Theological Seminary,
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Richard Averbeck). Columbia Bible
College, Criswell College (Lamar Cooper), Westminster Theological
Seminary (Peter Enns), Bethel Seminary (Duane Garrett), Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary (Paul R. House), Covenant Theological Seminary,
Westmont College, Wesley Biblical Seminary, Reformed Theological
Seminary, Moody Bible Institute (John H. Walton), Austin Presbyterian
Theological Seminary, and Gordon College (Marvin Wilson).
The Message
is widely recommended by well-known Christian
leaders. In keeping with his love for every new translation and
paraphrase to appear since the Revised Standard Version, Billy Graham
printed his own edition of"The Message: New Testament." Warren Wiersbe
says,"The Message is the boldest and most provocative rendering of the
New Testament I've ever read." Jack Hayford says,"The Message is
certainly destined to become a devotional classic -- not to mention a
powerful pastoral tool." Rick Warren loves The Message
and quotes it frequently, five times in the first chapter of The Purpose-Driven Life.
J.I. Packer says,"In this crowded world of Bible versions Eugene
Peterson's blend of accurate scholarship and vivid idiom make this
rendering both distinctive and distinguished. The Message catches the
logical flow, personal energy, and imaginative overtones of the original
very well indeed." CCM artist Michael Card says,"Peterson's translation
transforms the eye into an ear,
opening the door of the New Testament wider than perhaps it has ever
been opened." Leighton Ford says,"The Message will help many to transfer
God's eternal truths to their contemporary lives." Joni Earckson Tada
says,"WOW! What a treasure The Message is. I am going to carry it with
me. This is a treasure that I will want to use wherever I am." The
Message is also recommended by Amy Grant, Benny Hinn, Bill Hybels, Bill
and Gloria Gaither, Chuck Swindoll, Toby of DC
Talk, Gary Smalley, Gordon Fee, Gordon MacDonald, Jerry Jenkins, John
Maxwell, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, Max Lucado, Michael W. Smith,
Newsboys, Phil Driscoll, Rebecca St. James, Rod Parsley, Stuart and Jill
Briscoe, Tony Campolo, Bono of U2, Vernon Grounds, to name a few. (This
information was gathered from the NAVPress web site.).
Peterson told Christianity Today that a
major turning point in his ministry was a lecture by Paul Tournier sponsored by the liberal Christian Century
magazine and held at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore ("Books &
Culture Corner: The Contemplative Christian," by Nathan Bierma, Christianity Today web site, Sept. 29, 2003). In a 1973 masters thesis entitled"Paul Tournier's Universalism," Daniel Musick warned:
"Paul
Tournier was an unrestricted universalist. His writings,
personal correspondence with him, and interviews with many who knew him
support this conclusion. An analysis of his soteriology over 35 years of
writing reveals a transition from reformed roots to an unbiblical,
neo-orthodox perspective influenced by Emil Brunner and Karl Barth."
Peterson has recommended The Shack.
Though fictional, this book's objective is the redefinition of God. It
is about a man who becomes bitter at God after his daughter is murdered
and has a life-changing experience in the very shack where the murder
occurred; but the God he encounters is most definitely not the God of
the Bible. Young's depicts God the Father as a black woman who loves
rock & roll, and well as a man with gray hair and a pony tail.
Young's male/female god/goddess is the god of the emerging church. He
is cool, loves rock & roll, is non-judgmental, does not exercise
wrath toward sin, does not send unbelievers to an eternal fiery hell,
does not require repentance and the new birth, and puts no obligations
on people. (For documentation see"The Shack's Cool God" at the Way of
Life web site, www.wayoflife.org.)
Peterson has also recommended Rob Bell's
universalistic book Love Wins. Bell says hell is in this life
and most men will eventually be saved. He writes:"This insistence that
God will be united and reconciled with all people is a theme the writers
and prophets return to again and again. ... The God that Jesus teaches
us about doesn't give up until everything that was lost is found. This
God simply doesn't give up. Ever" (Love Wins, Kindle location
1259-1287). Bell calls the preaching of eternal
hell"misguided and toxic," a"cheap view of God," and"lethal" (location
47-60, 2154-2180). He says there is something wrong with this God and
calls Him"terrifying and traumatizing and unbearable" (location
1273-1287, 2098-2113).
That kind of talk apparently resonates deeply
with Peterson. No wonder he loves the non-judgmental god/goddess of The Shack.
Peterson
is a big promoter of Catholic
contemplative mysticism. He is on the Board of Reference for the
international ecumenical contemplative organization Renovaré (pronounced
Ren-o-var-ay, which is Latin, meaning"to make new spiritually"),
founded by Richard Foster. At the October 1991 Renovaré meeting in
Pasadena, Foster praised Pope John Paul II and called for unity in the
Body of Christ through the"five streams of Christianity: the
contemplative, holiness, charismatic, social justice and
evangelical" (CIB Bulletin, December 1991). Foster advocates
the practices of Catholic mystics and"the integration of psychology and
theology." In his book entitled Prayer Foster draws material from Julian
of Norwich, Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Madame Guyon, Teresa
of Avila, even St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.
Renovaré promotes guided imagery, visualization, centering prayer,
astral projection, Zen meditation, and Jungian psychology
(Calvary Contender, Feb. 15, 1998).
Along
the same line, notice the heroes of the
faith that Peterson quotes in the article"Spirit Quest" (which is a
Native American term for seeking intimacy with and revelation from pagan
spirits):
"Single-minded,
persevering faithfulness confirms the
authenticity of our spirituality. The ancestors we look to for
encouragement in this business -- Augustine of Hippo and Julian of
Norwich, ... Teresa of Avila -- didn't flit. They stayed" (Christianity Today, Nov. 8, 1993).
Augustine,
Julian, and Teresa had authentic
spirituality? Not when tested by Scripture. Julian of Norwich said,"God
showed me that sin need be no shame to man but can even be worthwhile"
(quoted by Kenneth Leech, Soul Friend, p. 146). She also
said,"God is really our Mother as he is our Father" and called
Christ"Mother Jesus." Augustine taught that the sacraments are the means
of saving grace, was one of the fathers of infant baptism, claiming
that baptism takes away the child's sin, taught that
Mary did not commit sin and promoted prayers to her, believed in
purgatory and the veneration of relics, accepted the doctrine of
celibacy for"priests," and laid the foundation for the inquisition, to
name a few of his heresies. Teresa of Avila was probably demon
possessed; she levitated and made strange noises deep in her throat,
experienced terrifying visions and voices, and held to Rome's
sacramental gospel that works are required for salvation.
Peterson
was Professor of Spiritual Theology at
Regent College, and it is obvious that he has been influenced deeply by
the Catholic and modernistic Protestant"spirituality" in which he has
immersed himself for so many decades. Regent College's bookstore
features many works by Catholic mystics, such as those already named,
and by theological modernists. I have visited this bookstore many times,
and there is no warning whatsoever in regard to these books.
The
mystical"spirituality" that is so popular in
evangelical and charismatic circles today is a yearning for an
experiential relationship with God that downplays the role of faith and
Scripture and that exalts"transcendental" experiences that lift the
individual from the earthly mundane into a higher"spiritual" plane.
Biblical prayer is talking with God; mystical prayer is silent
meditation and"centering" and other such things. Biblical Christianity
is a patient walk of faith; mystical spirituality is a flight of
fancy. Biblical study is analyzing and meditating upon the literal truth
of the Scripture; mystical spirituality focuses on a"deeper meaning";
it is more allegorical and"transcendental" than literal.
It
is not surprising that Peterson's Bible
translation has a New Agey flavor to it. He even uses the term"as above,
so below," which is a New Age expression for the unity of God and man,
heaven and earth. In the book As Above, So Below, the editors of the New Age Journal
say:"This maxim implies that the transcendent God beyond the physical
universe and the immanent God within ourselves are one. Heaven and
Earth, spirit and matter, the invisible and the visible worlds form a
unity to which we are
intimately linked" (quoted from Warren Smith, Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church, Ravenna, Ohio: Conscience Press, 2004).
The Message is an environmental Bible,
as well. In Romans 15:13, The Message
says,"May the God of green hope fill you up with joy..." and in 1
Corinthians 6:9-10, it says that those who"use and abuse the earth and
everything in it, don't quality as citizens in God's kingdom."
The Message
is also pro-homosexual,
playing right into the hands of those who teach that homosexuality is a
natural condition that God can bless instead of a sin that needs to be
repented of. Every passage that condemns homosexuality is tampered with
in The Message. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 in the KJV
warns that"effeminate, nor abusers themselves with mankind" will not
inherit the kingdom of God without being born again. In The Message this becomes the vapid and almost meaningless"those
who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex." In 1 Timothy 1:10,"them
that defile themselves with mankind" is changed to"the irresponsible,
who defy all authority, riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth,
whatever."
It is not surprising that Peterson told Religion
News Service on July 12, 2017, that he does not believe that homosexuality is sinful. He said,"I
know a lot of people who are gay and lesbian and they seem to have as
good a spiritual life as I do. I think that kind of debate about
lesbians and gays might be over. People who disapprove of it, they'll
probably just go to another church.
So we're in a
transition and I think it's a transition for the best, for the good."
Peterson told the RNS that the church he pastored hired a homosexual
minister of music. He said that in churches where he served as associate
pastor,"There were several women who were lesbians."
