Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology

"Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places" is a book of spiritual theology, a book about living out, playing out, the Christian life. Peterson sees importance in the use of the term bspiritual theology, b as it holds together what is too often split in the church. Peterson begins his work by bclearing the playing field.b Because we live in a time in which there is a great interest — among Christians and non-Christians alike — in what is popularly called spirituality, Peterson begins with a lengthy discussion intended to eliminate much of the clutter that goes by the label bspiritualityb in this world. He uses this section to establish a common ground for conversation by putting in place some basic stories, metaphors, and terms.

In the three sections of the book which follow, Peterson examines the way Christ bplaysb in creation, in history, and finally in community. In so doing he discusses Jesusb birth (which launches us into creation), Jesusb death (which launches us into history), and Jesusb resurrection (which launches us into community).

"One of Peterson's early books, long before his blockbuster Bible paraphrase The Message, was titled A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. This pastor, professor and writer has lived up to the promise of that title, consistently producing books of uncommon eloquence that explore the Christian life through the lens of scripture. In this volume, the first of a projected five, Peterson lays the foundation for 'spiritual theology.' Following the biblical languages, he asks readers to consider 'how our perceptions would change if we eliminated the word 'spirit' from our language and used only 'wind' and 'breath.' Spirit was not 'spiritual' for our ancestors; it was sensual.' Beginning with an account of Gerard Manley Hopkins's vivid poem 'As Kingfishers Catch Fire,' Peterson goes on to employ his own considerable gifts as a writer to uncover the sensual, concrete realities behind biblical texts from Genesis to Revelation. These nuanced and convincing readings help frame the three areas where Peterson sees Christ at 'play': the beauty of creation, the tragedy of history and the beloved, bewildering community of the church. 'The single most important thing to understand in spiritual theology is that it is not about theology... it is a cultivated disposition to live theology.' Rich, generous and wise, Peterson's 'conversation' will help readers at every stage of faith to live their faith more deeply." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

In this book of spiritual theology--a book about living out, playing out, the Christian life--Peterson discusses importance in the use of the term spiritual theology, as it holds together what is too often split in the church.

"Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places" reunites spirituality and theology in a cultural context where these two vital facets of Christian faith have been rent asunder. Lamenting the vacuous, often pagan nature of contemporary American spirituality, Eugene Peterson here firmly grounds spirituality once more in Trinitarian theology and offers a clear, practical statement of what it means to actually "live out" the Christian life.

Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential. As Peterson shows, spiritual theology, in order to be at once biblical and meaningful, must remain sensitive to ordinary life, present the Christian gospel, follow the narrative of Scripture, and be rooted in the "fear of the Lord" — in short, spiritual theology must be about "God" and not about "us."

The foundational book in a five-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson's pen, "Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places" provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today.

Peterson emphasizes the importance of using the term "spiritual theology," as it holds together what is too often split in the church. Peterson begins with a lengthy discussion intended to eliminate much of the clutter that goes by the label spirituality in this world.