To write Eugene Peterson’s biography, Winn Collier spent considerable time at the Peterson’s home, read Eugene’s letters, and conducted countless interviews. He discovered a man with a pastor’s heart who, while far from perfect, had integrity and a deep love for God.
Show Notes
[1:40] Are you tired of talking about Eugene now? And if so, why?
[2:26] What do you think Eugene would think about the biography coming out and all the interviews and such?
[3:32] I’m curious to hear, how did you come to write the book, be the biographer?
[8:31] What surprised you in that journey?
[9:39] Eugene was like the anti celebrity, but yet in a sense he was the perfect celebrity, because their hospitality… I’ve heard so many stories of people who they just invited in.
[11:43] I found it delightful that at the beginning of the book there’s the map of Montana, and it kind of has that, you know, Tolkein feel to it. How important was place, for Eugene?
[14:51] How much do you think some of his thinking was influenced by [his mom]?
[18:37] What do you hope people remember about Eugene?
[20:52] Do you have a favorite story from the book?
[24:30] Eugene did pauses when he talked. What was that like for you when you were interviewing him?
[32:40] It sounds like a number of these values Eugene and Jan embodied you’re trying to lean into … Could you tell folks a little about what you’re up to there in Holland, Michigan?
Resources
Connect with Winn Collier on winncollier.com
Winn’s book A Burning in My Bones (This is the next book featured in the Renovaré Book Club.)
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Winn Collier
A pastor for 26 years, Winn was the founding pastor of All Souls in Charlottesville, Virginia, and now serves as director for the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology & Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary (Holland, MI). Winn holds a PhD. from the University of Virginia in Religion & Literature, where he explored the sacramental vision of Wendell Berry’s fiction. Winn writes books (including Love Big, Be Well: Letters to a Smalltown Church and A Burning in My Bones, the biography of Eugene Peterson) and has written for Christian Century, Christianity Today, and Washington Post. Winn and his wife Miska, a spiritual director and yoga teacher, love evenings by the fire, weeks when their sons are home, and walks with their dog Gus.
Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster is an author and host of Life With God, a Renovaré Podcast. Formerly, he was an Associate Professor of social work and served as the Andrews Chair in Spiritual Formation at Spring Arbor University. He was also a licensed clinical social worker and certified addictions counselor. Nathan has published two books, including The Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey from Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual Disciplines.