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Religion Pastoral Resources

Under the Unpredictable Plant

An Exploration in Vocational Holiness

by (author) Eugene H. Peterson

Publisher
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Initial publish date
Jun 1994
Category
Pastoral Resources, Clergy, Discipleship
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802808486
    Publish Date
    Jun 1994
    List Price
    $27.99

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Description

Like Eugene Peterson's other books on pastoring, Under the Unpredictable Plant is full of stimulating insights, candid observations, and biblically grounded prescriptions. Yet this book emanates with a special poignancy out of Peterson's own crisis experience as a pastor.

Peterson tells about the "abyss," the "gaping crevasse," the "chasm" that he experienced, early in his ministry, between his Christian faith and his pastoral vocation. He was astonished and dismayed to find that his personal spirituality, his piety, was inadequate for his vocation -- and he argues that the same is true of pastors in general.

In the book of Jonah -- a parable with a prayer at its center -- Peterson finds a subversive, captivating story that can help pastors recover their "vocational holiness." Using the Jonah story as a narrative structure, Peterson probes the spiritual dimensions of the pastoral calling and seeks to reclaim the ground taken over by those who are trying to enlist pastors in religious careers.

About the author

Eugene H. Peterson (1932–2018) was a longtime pastor and professor of spiritual theology at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. His many acclaimed books include Tell It Slant, The Jesus Way, Eat This Book, and the contemporary translation of the Bible titled The Message.

Eugene H. Peterson's profile page

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