Eugene Peterson on Mark’s Gospel

Update November 4, 2011:

The lectures and videos for Scripture as Formation are now available through iTunes for free.

Original post:

Seven quotes (paraphrased (!) and reconstructed from my notes) from Eugene Peterson's talk tonight at Seattle Pacific University.

1. Mark 1-8 Jesus is strolling–leisurely meandering, he has time to eat meals with anyone and take boat rides.
2. Mark 9-16 is dominated by death talk. But Mark is not morbid–Matthew, Luke, and John keep that proportion.
3. Spirituality is today viewed as a certain insipidity–blurred piety. But in the Bible, it means livingness.
4. The capacity to say no is the key to freedom. I don't have to do what my culture and glands tell me to do.
5. Mark 8–Peter tried to avoid the cross's asceticism. Mark 9–Peter tried to make the aesthetic functional.
6. St. Mark teaches us that we get to enter the center of the story but we are not the center.
7. Find a couple of theologians you trust and read them. We are not paying enough attention to our good scholars.

He was speaking at http://spu.edu/depts/theology/events/scripture-as-formation/ and http://www.napce.org/conference.html

Comments

4 responses to “Eugene Peterson on Mark’s Gospel”

  1. Mich Avatar
    Mich

    Andy,
    This is great–thanks for posting!
    What I never understand is why don’t these conferences release the talks as mp3s AFTER the talks?
    🙁

  2. Julana Avatar
    Julana

    I got to hear him at Calvin’s Faith and Writing conference a few years ago, the highlight, for me. He has such a spacious mind. Must be that Montana big sky country.

  3. Andy Rowell Avatar

    I think they are planning to put the talks on SPU’s iTunes site. http://www.spu.edu/itunes/