This week in Christian history: 'The Message' author dies; Edict of Nantes revoked
Eugene Peterson dies — Oct. 22, 2018
This week marks the anniversary of when Eugene Peterson, author of 35 books and the man behind the popular Bible paraphrase The Message, died at 85 after struggling with heart problems and dementia.
A longtime pastor who later taught at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Peterson is best remembered for The Message, his paraphrase of the entire Bible.
Peterson reportedly said his goal for the book was to “bring the New Testament to life for two different types of people: those who hadn’t read the Bible because it seemed too distant and irrelevant and those who had read the Bible so much that it had become ‘old hat.’”
“It feels fitting that his death came on a Monday, the day of the week he always honored as a Sabbath during his years as a pastor,” Peterson’s family said in a statement to NavPress, which published The Message.
The family added, “After a lifetime of faithful service to the church — running the race with gusto — it is reassuring to know that Eugene has now entered into the fullness of the Kingdom of God and has been embraced by eternal Sabbath.”
The Message has its critics. Some have raised concerns about its wording, while others worry that many Christians treat it as a translation even though it is a paraphrase.
