It is with great sadness that the Regent College Community mourns the loss of Eugene H. Peterson, a beloved faculty member, teacher, pastor, and friend. Eugene was the James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent from 1992 to 1998.
He had received hospice care for the past week and died early this morning at his home near Flathead Lake, Montana. He was 85.
Eugene embodied the conviction that all of Scripture is a conversation, “God does not speak and then walk off. Listening goes on.” Of being a pastor, he went further, “The work of the Christian life is participating with people and the Spirit of God. You can’t live it without the Spirit or without people. A pastor has the task of making sure that people understand that as a possibility––and an attractive one.”
Through his lectures, sermons, and conversations at Regent, Eugene blessed countless students, pastors, and visitors. He taught classes entitled “Soulcraft: Spiritual Formation,” and “Tell it Slant: the Beatitudes.” He frequently preceded his lectures with the class singing St. Patrick’s hymn, “I Bind Unto Myself Today,” beloved for its refrain “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me.” More than once Eugene paused, explained to the students that they needed to stop, attend to the words, and sing it again.
As many of you will have heard, our dear friend Eugene Peterson passed away this morning. Please join us in gratitude for his life and in prayer for his family.https://t.co/0xn5yeOanQ pic.twitter.com/bnF4tmpXJS
— Regent College (@regentcollege) October 22, 2018