Bono and Eugene Peterson on the Psalms and Art (Friday Feature)

Last week I wrote about the passing of Eugene Peterson and his impact on my spiritual and literary life. In particular, it was Eugene’s classes that led me to a recovery and reimagining of my vocation of writing and scholarship and pastoral work after I had left the paid pastoral ministry behind. Especially, though, it is the writing on spirituality and his translation of The Message that stirs us on.

I am not the only one, of course, who was stirred up by Eugene’s earthy, incarnational, poetic theological perspective. U2’s Bono shares my appreciation for Eugene’s work. In recent media coverage, including a moment where Bono dedicated a live song last week to Peterson’s legacy, I remembered David Taylor’s documentary. David is a professor at Fuller Seminary and an alum (like me) of Regent College. He managed to orchestrate a meeting between Bono and Eugene in Montana to talk about the Psalms. I think this is a lovely conversation on poetry, art, and biblical song with an evocative message to the church and a prophetic calling to Christian artists.