The Influence of His Writings

Transcript (edited for readability).

When your books were first coming out in the late '80s, you were calling attention to those who had been abandoning their posts, particularly on what it is to be a pastor, dovetailing off of what Hal had said. I'm curious how that was first received by the broader church, and how that compares to today — how pastors either have changed or haven't changed in relation to your first criticism that came out a number of decades ago.

I was mostly ignored. I was ignored for a long time. And I was advised by some publishers to change what I was doing so I could sell more books — or they could sell more books. But I was pretty stubborn about that. I had grown up with some pastors who weren't pastors. And I just wanted to be a pastor. At one point I realized I was a pastor but had no real framework to put it in. But I wanted to be personal, and I wanted to be congregational. I wanted to be biblical. I wanted to tell stories the way Solomon told stories. And I was content — I wasn't happy, but I was content to be ignored if that's what it took. I wasn't going to try to do anything to call attention to myself.

Slowly — the first book of mine that sold anything at all was A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. And the publisher, the editor at the time, said, "That is just a terrible title. Obedience is not an exciting word. Americans don't like obedience." And I said, "Look, just listen to it — its iambic pentameter. A long obedience in the same direction. It sings. And besides, I'm borrowing from Nietzsche, who is an atheist. I'm going to get him into this world of the gospel." Well, he finally gave in and let me do it. And I don't know how many times people have told me that they loved that title but couldn't preach it — "How do I preach it?" So — have you read my book? No? Well, read the book.

But it's interesting that publishers don't always know who we know. And we were caring about people's souls, and trying to get them to read your book — yeah, read my book. I really couldn't care that much about it, but a lot of people have, so…

But you know what has pleased me? Number one, the number of large-church pastors who ignored me. And how many small-church pastors called me up, got me on the telephone, came and visited me — and they'd been taught by their, I don't know who, that they've got to have a big church. "This is where the gospel is. You've got to bring them in." And then they read my books, and they think, "You know, I'm doing what I've been called to do." And they find some affirmation in what I'm writing, and that pleases me immensely.

Eugene, that was then, and this is now. Is there more reason for optimism as you look at the church, as you look at pastors who serve our Lord and His people? You used a reference early on — I think it was in the introductory pages of Working the Angles — you said, "There are no successful churches, but there are communities of sinners, and one of those sinners is a pastor." Are those pastors doing it better now? Are you encouraged in any way?

Yeah, I am encouraged. It's not a sea change in what's going on, but I do get a lot of affirmation from people like you who aren't striving to be a megachurch, who are content to be ignored, or put on the shelf, or dismissed because you're not doing it the way somebody tells you to do it. No, I'm pleased, yeah. And I guess one of the things that pleases me most is the pastors who have taken the time to write to me, call me, visit me — and that just pleases me immensely.

You know, I just want to reflect a little bit on what you do as a pastor. I think there are as many ways to be a pastor as there are pastors — I mean, doing it right. There's no single pattern to be a pastor. There are some things that really should fit — I mean, I think preaching is important, theology is important, visitation is important, names are important. But how you do that, there are just a lot of different ways to do it. And this is the company of pastors that I write about — they were very diverse. They were all about as different as you can be, doing really good pastoral work in an honest way, and yet able to be together as a community, a company of pastors who took comfort in each other. I hope, in the writing I've done, I've been able to keep that open — not "how to do this," but keep kind of a free field there, so that we find out how to work this out ourselves.

Mindful, I think, of the reality that, God willing, what we have talked about here today will live on after us — what do you think? Where can future generations find their confidence and their hope? In Christ, of course, but particularly in pastoral work and the life of congregations.

I think I know enough pastors now who are doing it well to say that pastoral work, for those who are called to it, is the most interesting way to be vocationally involved in the world. It's a rich world — we're living with all these people who are different. And by this time, I know there are a lot of people doing this right, and I just love being around people who are doing it like you are doing it. So I don't think we have to reinvent the wheel. We've got a tradition which is solid and healthy, and I think we don't have to find a new way to be the church.

I think I speak for all of us in saying: we thank you so much for spending these hours with us, sharing your wisdom. I know I speak for countless hundreds, thousands of people around the world actually, who have benefited from your writing. Part of our purpose in coming here is to encourage you, also.

Thank you. You have.

And so, I guess I'd like to close our session today with a prayer.

Good.

I'm going to use — actually, we spoke about poetry — one of our Lutheran poets, Martin Franzmann, was a great hymnist:

O Spirit, who didst once restore Thy Church that it might be again The bringer of good news to men. Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more, That in these gray and latter days There may be those whose life is praise, Each life a high doxology To Father, Son, and unto Thee.

We thank you, Heavenly Father, for the joy and privilege of serving in your holy church, for raising up men and women who will support the work of the ministry in every generation, for raising up teachers such as Eugene Peterson to encourage us along the way. Bless him and his wife, and each of us, our families, that we might be faithful with what has been given to us, and might serve you with joy and confidence, trusting in the promise of our blessed Lord that his church will endure, and that it is his great joy to lay down his life for all that they might live. We pray in his name, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Amen.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us.

Amen. Amen.