Tell it slant : a conversation on the language of Jesus in his stories and prayers /

Peterson (emer., Regent College, Vancouver) devotes this fourth volume in his spiritual theology series (the first was Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, CH, Nov'05, 43-1517) to the way language is used in the Christian community, particularly as represented in some stories told by Jesus in Luke's Gospel and in the prayers of Jesus in the Gospels. He rejects a division of human life into religious and secular components, and proposes correspondingly: "I want to tear down the fences that we have erected between language that deals with God and language that deals with the people around us. It is, after all, the same language." Peterson is a skilled storyteller, and he keeps his stories simple, short, and to the point. This is not a book for scholars or for students looking for broad exposure to the scholarship on Jesus and his parables and prayers. This work is mainly for nonscholarly readers in the Christian church. Much of the material could fit in sermons or homilies. Included are a substantial index of names, subjects, and scriptural references. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. P. K. Moser Loyola University of Chicago

Taking his theme from a famous Dickinson poem, Peterson searches the New Testament not for magisterial statements but rather for the slanted language of Jesus' seemingly casual speech. In the first part of this inquiry, readers relive Jesus' journey through Samaria to Jerusalem (as recounted by Luke), hearing again the resonant voice that punctuates that journey with 10 parables, so slanted that only intense listeners will tease out their inner meaning. Only the attentive will perceive, for instance, the full message Jesus delivers about the dynamics of hypocrisy in his story of the Pharisee and the taxman. Peterson then shifts his focus to examine the words Jesus speaks in his prayers. But readers soon realize that even in his prayers, Jesus speaks words slanted by the human needs of those around him. By interweaving relevant stories from his own life, Peterson helps readers recognize times when the Holy Spirit carries slanted sacred meanings into their own lives. Valuable to Christian readers striving to make faith more than a Sunday ritual.--Christensen, Bryce Copyright 2008 Booklist

Continuing his series of "conversations" in spiritual theology, prolific author, pastor and theologian Eugene H. Peterson (most familiar for his Bible paraphrase The Message) provides an intimate look at Jesus' words. Arguing that the Fall created a "language catastrophe," Peterson contends that people of faith need to "eliminate the bilingualism" they use to talk about religion and everyday life: "There is no 'Holy Ghost' language used for matters of God and salvation and then a separate secular language for buying cabbages and cars." To this end, the author explores Jesus' prayers across the Gospels and parables that are unique to the Gospel of Luke. Using poet Emily Dickinson's dictum to "tell it slant," Peterson ably shows that "personal, metaphorical, particular, relational, local" language can convey profound religious ideas. His meditations on prayer ask universal questions about its efficacy; most moving are reflections on Jesus' last brief words, which form a "prayer mosaic from the cross." Peterson's greatest gift is his ability to write about such ideas as sin, repentance, grace and glory in masterfully simple--and concrete--ways. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.