Translator of The Message Will Speak at SPU

Seattle, WA – Rev. Eugene Peterson, Bible translator of the award-winning book The Message and Seattle Pacific University alumnus, will speak on Thursday, October 20, at 7 p.m. in Royal Brougham. In his lecture titled "St. Mark: The Basic Text for Christian Spirituality," he will explore the importance of Scripture in spiritual formation.   

The Message was directly translated from the Greek and Hebrew texts, and designed to be a reading bible rather than a study Bible. Each of the 66 books has an introduction by Peterson, and there are no verse numbers to interrupt the flow of the passages. The book was the winner of the “Gold Medallion Book Award” in 2003.

Aside from writing, Peterson is also a pastor, scholar, professor, and poet. In 1962, he was a founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he served for 29 years. He then became professor of spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Today, he is professor emeritus at Regent.

The event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in Crawford, Ross, and Dravus parking lots. Royal Brougham Pavilion is wheelchair accessible. The lecture will be recorded and available through SPU’s iTunesU. You could also follow a discussion of the conference on Twitter at #saf11.   

For more information, contact SPU News and Media Relations Manager Tracy Norlen at tcnorlen@spu.edu or 206-281-2977.

Posted: Friday, October 14, 2011