Collier’s Burning is a well written biography of America’s great pastor, Eugene Peterson. I was disappointed with the early chapters of the book because Collier relies heavily on Peterson’s retelling of his own life in his memoir, Pastor, which happens to be one of my favorite books. The stories are great, but Peterson tells them extremely well. Reading them in the biography just made me want to go back to the memoir. As the story of Peterson’s life progressed there were more anecdotes and themes that diverged from Pastor. I would have probably finished the book anyway because Collier writes with a vivid and elegant prose, but I really started to enjoy the book as Collier shed some light on some of the themes of Eugene’s adult life that weren’t addressed in his memoir. For instance, Collier discusses Eugene’s relationship to alcohol. He consistently felt like he drank too much and struggled with it for much of his life. This was a humanizing touch for a life that otherwise seems so pristine. Additionally, an important theme was Eugene’s dedication to his marriage, but the bumps along the road were a sobering reminder of the challenge of marriage. I also loved the section on his relationship with Bono. Peterson’s principled stand against fame and modern celebrity were confronted by a person, Bono, who seems to have won him over.
Collier also developed a couple of themes from Pastor with more clarity that stood out to me. For instance, Peterson mentions his love of Newman, Dostoevsky, and Barth, but I didn’t realize the extent to which he dedicated himself to understanding these men and appropriating their work.
At the end of Becoming Dallas Willard, Gary Moon writes that Willard was struck with a profound gratitude at the end of his life and his last words were “thank you.” Similarly, as Peterson’s life and mind were fading in the hospital, Collier remembers him saying thank you repeatedly. Collier didn’t mention that the two men had any relationship though they had the mutual acquaintance of Richard Foster who Peterson knew through the Laity Lodge. But, it is striking that two of the leading figures in the “spiritual formation” movement in the 20th century would end their lives defined by gratitude.
If you can read just one book, then read Pastor, but A Burning in My Bones is a solid biography.
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