The End of Death-as-the-End for Eugene Peterson (1932–2018)

We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word.  —Romans 6:6-11, The Message

CAROL STREAM, Ill. (October 22, 2018) — “I’ve always liked Billy Sunday’s formula for the ideal Christian life,” Eugene Peterson wrote in the opening lines of his book, Living the Resurrection.

“Hit the sawdust trail, fall on your knees, and receive Christ as your Savior. Then walk out of this tent into the street, get hit by a Mack truck, and go straight to heaven.” You must admit, I think, that it’s a wonderful formula for getting to heaven the quickest and easiest way.

Of course, he was being ironic. “Quick and easy” has never defined Eugene Peterson. He is better known and greatly loved for the way of “a long obedience in the same direction,” a deliberate and gracious way of living that is shaped and strengthened by the reality of the Incarnation—life in a universe crafted by a God who “became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, The Message)—and a vision of the Resurrection—the defeat of death by the God of eternity.

On October 22, 2018, at the age of 85, Eugene has completed his journey along the sawdust trail and has entered the life to come in “the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!” (Romans 6:1-3, The Message). He is survived by his wife, Jan, his three children, and many grandchildren.

Eugene is perhaps best known as the translator of The Message, a rendering of the Scriptures into contemporary language. His high regard for the Scriptures led him to this work as a by-product of his decades-long pastoral ministry. As he wrote in the preface to The Message,

There’s hardly a page in the Bible I did not see lived in some way or other by the men and women, saints and sinners, to whom I was pastor. . . . Many of the people I worked with now knew virtually nothing about it, had never read it, and weren’t interested in learning. Many others had spent years reading it but for them it had gone flat through familiarity, reduced to clichés. Bored, they dropped it. And there weren’t many people in between.

Eugene has always seen his principal vocation as that of a pastor, and this pastoral concern for the formation of his congregation was the driver of his unique rendering of first the New Testament (in 1993) and later the Old Testament (in 2002). Having sold more than 20 million copies, The Message is one of the most significant versions of the Bible to be published in the past 50 years.

Doug Nuenke, US president of The Navigators, whose publishing arm, NavPress, has been the home of The Message since 1993, considers Eugene “forever connected to the ministry of The Navigators.”

He is so often identified as “the author of The Message,” which is the heart of our NavPress ministry. But Eugene was more than that. He was a pastor of pastors. He showed us all what it means to love a community of people. His leadership legacy is not one of tools or tactics, but one of humble service, devotion to the Word of God, and a commitment to caring well for God’s people.

NavPress publisher Don Pape developed a friendship with the Peterson family over the past four years. He writes of Eugene,

Eugene was more than The Pastor. He was more than The Author. Truly this man lived and breathed and smiled Jesus. Whenever I was privileged to be with him I caught a glimmer of what it means to walk with your Savior. What a living example he was. Even in his death he showed me his Christlikeness. I am ever grateful to have known Eugene.

The NavPress mission is to advance the calling of The Navigators by bringing biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical products to people who want to know and love Christ more deeply. Through The Message Bible and other insightful resources, NavPress seeks to bring positive spiritual movement to peoples’ lives. In January 2014, NavPress entered into an alliance with Tyndale House Publishers to strengthen and better position NavPress and its rich content for the future. NavPress provides books and other content that bring spiritual impact and life transformation and help lead in the mission of making disciples.

NAVPRESS is a registered trademark of NavPress, The Navigators, Colorado Springs, CO. The NAVPRESS logo is a trademark of NavPress, The Navigators.

Contact: Katie Dodillet, Director of Public Relations, Tyndale House Publishers, katiedodillet@tyndale.com, 630.784.5275

WESTMONT, IL— Beloved pastor and poet Eugene Peterson, 85, passed away Monday morning, October 22, a week after entering hospice care for complications related to heart failure and dementia.

Peterson (1932–2018) wrote more than thirty books, including his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language and bestselling spiritual formation classic A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.

Cindy Bunch, associate publisher and director of editorial at IVP, said, “Eugene Peterson was a teacher who pointed us to the essentials of faith, worship, church life, Scripture, and obedience. I am grateful that InterVarsity Press has had the opportunity to publish his words of exhortation not just for pastors but for all believers. He wrote, ‘Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim.’ We need his prophetic words now more than ever.”

Peterson was born in East Stanwood, Washington, and grew up in Kalispell, Montana. He was founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he served for twenty-nine years before retiring in 1991. With degrees from Seattle Pacific, New York Theological Seminary, and Johns Hopkins University, he served as professor of spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, until retiring in 2006.

Peterson’s The Message paraphrase and writings on spirituality inspired evangelical leaders and Christians around the world. His popularity even reached U2 front man Bono, and they formed a friendship around their common interest in the Psalms.

“In the last few years, Eugene’s writing has kept me sane,” said Bono. “Run with the Horses has been a powerful manual for me. It includes a lot of incendiary ideas. I hadn’t really thought of Jeremiah as a performance artist. Why do we need art? Because if we’re honest, the only way that we can approach God is through metaphor, through symbol. Through Run with the Horses I learned about the prophet’s work and it really changed me.”

Peterson published several books with IVP including Run with the Horses, Earth & Altar and Traveling Light. His first book, published with IVP in 1980, was A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.

“When I wrote A Long Obedience twenty years ago, I was a parish pastor writing for my parishioners, the people I knew best in the place I knew best, a few acres of Maryland piedmont on which we were camped for a few years in our wanderings through the North American wilderness,” Peterson wrote in the epilogue to A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. “I was doing what pastors do—trying to get this gospel of Jesus Christ into the lives of these men and women with whom I was living, and doing it the only way I knew, through Scripture and prayer, prayer and Scripture. I preached and taught the Scriptures that revealed Jesus. I prayed with and for this mixed bag of saints and sinners that was my congregation, prayed in the name of Jesus.”

He further explains that seventeen publishers initially rejected the book, saying there was no “niche” for it. IVP’s risk in picking it up gave him confidence to continue in his work and his writing.

“Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction vibrantly and powerfully opened up the wonder of the Psalms and its Songs of Ascents to me very early in my journey of faith,” Jeff Crosby, IVP’s publisher, said. “And that book, in turn, prompted me to follow Eugene’s written work over the past three decades, from his essay on the classic literature of Fyodor Dostoyevsky to his spiritual theology from Eerdmans publishing and, of course, his work on The Message which I have used devotionally since its publication. His voice was one of great wisdom, his life an example of Christian fidelity, and his witness of obedient discipleship a challenge to us all.”

The family statement on Monday said Peterson remained joyful and smiling in his final days.

“It feels fitting that his death came on a Monday, the day of the week he always honored as a Sabbath during his years as a pastor. After a lifetime of faithful service to the church — running the race with gusto — it is reassuring to know that Eugene has now entered into the fullness of the Kingdom of God and has been embraced by eternal Sabbath,” according to the statement.

In an interview with Religion News Service last year Peterson said that he did not fear death. “I don’t think it’s anything to be afraid of,” he said. “I have no idea how it’s going to work out. But I’m not afraid, I’ll tell you that. I’ve been with a lot of people who are dying. I think those conversations are some of the best I’ve ever had. These are people who have lived a good life and who have embraced their faith. They’re not afraid.”

“We do know what’s going to happen, those of us who believe in the Trinity,” Peterson said. “For us, there’s something quite . . . I don’t want to use the word ‘miraculous’ in a sloppy way. But there are people who die well, and I want to be one.”

Peterson’s family stated, “With full and overflowing hearts, we give thanks for the gift of his life, knowing that his joy is now complete.”

To see IVP’s tribute to Peterson, please visit www.ivpress.com/eugene-h-peterson.

Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, InterVarsity Press serves those in the university, the church, and the world by publishing thoughtful Christian books that equip and encourage people to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord in all of life. For more information, visit ivpress.com.

Contact:  Krista Clayton | 630.734.4013 | kclayton@ivpress.com

LARGO, Fla. (October 23, 2018)—In response to changes in the industry, the Munce Group has announced the formation of a new trade association: Christian Retail Association, Inc.

Christian Retail Association, Inc. is a non-profit ministry founded by Munce Group President Bob Munce in an ongoing effort to better serve independent Christian retailers.

In addition to the new trade association, the Munce Group has made plans to restructure their regional trade show, Christian Product Expo (CPE), into a national and international show: CPE International.

The first CPE International show will be held on August 25–27, 2019 at Embassy Suites Nashville SE Murfreesboro. The show floor will be open Monday, August 26 and Tuesday, August 27.

“Baker Publishing Group would like to encourage our international retailers and international publishing friends to attend CPE International in 2019,” said David Lewis, EVP Sales & Marketing, Baker Publishing Group. “Since the sale of the CBA show to an independent party, many people have been disappointed with the communication and responsiveness of the new owners. We believe the CPE show can add stability plus a reliable time and place for the Christian publishing industry to meet. We hope all of our international partners will consider putting this show on their calendars for 2019.”

“HarperCollins Christian Publishing has been a supporter of Munce Marketing Group’s Christian Product Expo since its inception,” said Tom Knight, Senior Vice President of Sales, HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “As a trade show focused on the Christian products industry, CPE knows what it takes to drive success. HCCP is proud to be a supporter of CPE and will continue to support its efforts as the show grows and serves the international market.”

About the Munce Group:
The Munce Group was founded in October 1991 and currently serves nearly 225 member retailers across the US. The mission of the Munce Group is to provide member retailers with the highest quality Christian materials and services to equip independent Christian retailers for the work of their ministry and business. For more information on the Munce Group, visit www.munce.com or call 800-868-4388.

TYNDALE. TRUSTED. FOR LIFE.

CAROL STREAM, ILL. (October 24, 2018) – Tyndale House Publishers (@tyndalehouse) was born more than fifty-five years ago from the passionate belief that the Bible was neither an outdated relic nor a cryptic riddle but rather the living Word of God, as relevant for the next thirty seconds as it has been for the ages. Tyndale recently went through a process of self-reflection to determine how to communicate with customers and readers alike the company’s mission and vision. As a result, Tyndale created a new logomark and tagline: “Tyndale. Trusted. For Life.”

Tyndale’s newly created logomark (https://www.tyndale.com/contents/a-new-look-built-upon-a-legacy-of-service) still features its iconic quill, updated with a dynamic new look and a rich, forest-green color that signifies life and communicates the energy and passion the company has for serving people’s needs through the products it publishes and the revenue it shares with ministries around the globe. The new tagline communicates the trust Tyndale has earned from those it consistently serves: readers, retailers, authors, and the public at large.

“Tyndale House Publishers has a remarkable legacy of trust, mission, and accessibility that its employees and authors have worked diligently to build since the company’s founding by Ken Taylor more than a half century ago,” said Jeff Johnson, President and Chief Operating Officer. “Through our Bible publishing, as well as our nonfiction and fiction offerings, Tyndale has earned the trust of readers throughout the world. Tyndale’s iconic quill has long been a symbol that communicates to readers that a book with that logomark will feature biblically faithful and doctrinally solid content that can be trusted by people around the world.”

Over the past half century, Tyndale has become a TRUSTED source for understandable, biblically faithful Christian content that is relevant to today’s needs. Tyndale is MISSION-DRIVEN, with its goal to meet people’s spiritual needs worldwide—through the literature it publishes and the resources it shares. And Tyndale content is ACCESSIBLE, using language that speaks to the heart, through multiple channels, resonating across generations.

A story that Tyndale has told much more consistently in deed than words throughout its history is the connection between Tyndale House Publishers and the Tyndale House Foundation. In 1963, Ken and Margaret Taylor started the Tyndale House Foundation to distribute royalties from the publishing company’s first product, Living Letters. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $100 million to help missions and relief work in virtually every country in the world.

“Tyndale House Publishers and the Tyndale House Foundation have a relationship that is unique and valued,” said Jeremy Taylor, President and CEO of Tyndale House Foundation. “Throughout its history, the Tyndale enterprise has contributed more than $100 million to countless other organizations. When readers purchase a Tyndale Bible or book, a significant portion of that purchase goes to help physical and spiritual needs, not enrich financial shareholders. Since Tyndale is a privately held company, our publishing success means more resources used to help those in need.”

Tyndale’s founder, Dr. Ken Taylor, birthed this notion when he spent seven years composing Living Letters, a paraphrase of the New Testament epistles in a language current to the time, accessible to a broad range of ages and education levels. In 1962, and after being rejected by multiple publishers, Taylor and his wife, Margaret, stepped out on a limb and published Living Letters themselves. Dr. Taylor named his new company after William Tyndale, the sixteenth-century reformer who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English.

When Billy Graham discovered Living Letters and became its champion, there was a surge of interest. This encouraged Taylor to complete the entire text—first The Living New Testament in 1967; then The Living Bible in 1971, which became the bestselling book in the US for two straight years. The effort was consummated in 1996 with the publication of the New Living Translation of the Bible. The NLT, an accurate dynamic-equivalence translation worked on by ninety leading Bible scholars, is now one of the bestselling Bible translations in the world.

Over the decades, Tyndale has published a long list of celebrated authors and bestselling titles. Millions have turned to Tyndale for wisdom and wonderment, making it one of the world’s largest independent Christian publishers.

Tyndale’s vision is to place transformational, life-giving words at the fingertips and in the minds and hearts of people across the globe, regardless of education, station, or language. Through accessible Bibles, timely counsel, and engaging stories, Tyndale hopes to foster relationships with millions of people and thousands of churches.

Since its founding in 1962, Tyndale House Publishers has been a voice to trust for generations of readers. Today, Tyndale is one of the largest independent publishers in the world. Tyndale’s mission is to make the Bible accessible to as many people as possible in language that they can relate and respond to. Tyndale publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT) and also offers nonfiction books that equip readers with Christ-centered insight, counsel, and life-improving stories. In addition, Tyndale publishes fiction from fresh, new voices and celebrated authors alike, capturing the imagination of millions of readers. With a deep understanding of the importance of nurturing future generations, Tyndale also publishes children’s products that make God’s Word and wisdom come alive. Tyndale’s independent status allows it to follow its founding model, giving a majority of annual revenue—more than $100 million dollars throughout its history—to charitable missions. With every book purchased, Tyndale readers help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world. 

Tyndale House Foundation, established in 1963 by Kenneth and Margaret Taylor, is a charitable organization that makes grants to support Christian work around the world. For over 50 years the Foundation has received all royalties from the sales of Living Letters (1962), The Living Bible (1971) and the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (1996). In 2001, Ken and Margaret Taylor transferred ownership of Tyndale House Publishers to the Foundation. As a result, dividends from the profitable operations of the publishing company also now flow to the Foundation.

Most Americans say that religious beliefs are simply a personal perspective and are not related to objective reality, according to findings released today from the State of Theology survey.

The survey found that 60 percent of Americans agreed with the statement “Religious belief is a matter of personal opinion; it is not about objective truth.” Some 30 percent of Americans disagreed, while 10 percent said they were not sure.

The 2018 State of Theology survey was conducted for Ligonier Ministries by LifeWay Research, which interviewed a demographically balanced online panel of 3,000 American adults.

The breakdown of responses to this question was similar across the United States and when analyzed by age, sex, income, and other factors.

Evangelicals were the only group in which a majority disagreed with the statement (32 percent agreed vs. 62 percent disagreed). Regular churchgoers were fairly evenly split, with no majority either way (45 percent agreed vs. 49 percent disagreed).

Chris Larson, president and CEO of Ligonier Ministries, said:

“Many Americans appear to think religious beliefs are on the same level as whether someone likes one sports team over another or prefers to live by the coast instead of in the mountains. This presents an urgent challenge to Christians who understand that people’s eternal destinies are at stake. The Bible declares the objective truth of who God is and what He has done, supremely through Jesus Christ. The idea that Christian beliefs are simply personal opinions cannot be reconciled with the facts of history recorded in the Bible.”

Dr. Stephen Nichols, chief academic officer of Ligonier and president of Reformation Bible College, said:

“Pontius Pilate famously said to Jesus, ‘What is truth?’ Many Americans seem to have adopted the same casual approach to truth. But the Bible’s message is true for everyone, whatever they may think about it. As Francis Schaeffer said, the Bible is ‘true truth’—objective, public truth.

“Too few churches are robustly countering the relativism of the world around us. This leaves many Christians simply unable to engage with the world’s ideas, let alone contend for the truth as the Bible urges us to do (Jude 3).”

The State of Theology survey was carried out from April 24 to May 4, 2018, and the results are available online at TheStateOfTheology.com.

Evangelicals were defined by LifeWay Research as people who strongly agreed with the following four statements:

• The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
• It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
• Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
• Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

About Ligonier Ministries
Ligonier Ministries exists to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. To that end, Ligonier’s outreach today is manifold and worldwide. Founded by Dr. R.C. Sproul in 1971, teaching fellows now continue and help lead Ligonier’s work of discipleship that Dr. Sproul began more than forty years ago. These teaching fellows are Drs. Sinclair B. Ferguson, W. Robert Godfrey, Steven J. Lawson, R. Albert Mohler Jr., Stephen J. Nichols, Burk Parsons, and Derek W.H. Thomas. Ligonier publishes Renewing Your Mind broadcasts, the Reformation Study Bible, Tabletalk magazine, books through the Reformation Trust Publishing division, and hundreds of teaching series. The ministry also offers an undergraduate degree program through Reformation Bible College. In addition, Ligonier hosts national and regional conferences, provides an online learning community through Ligonier Connect, answers biblical and theological questions through Ask Ligonier, streams twenty-four-hour Christian Internet radio through RefNet, pursues numerous translation efforts in other countries, and makes available thousands of unique educational resources online at Ligonier.org.

Contact: Deborah Finnamore, Publicity Manager, 407-333-4244 x1158, definnamore@ligonier.org

Eugene, Oregon—October 26, 2018—Harvest House Publishers announced last month the addition of two new hires to their acquisitions and sales teams.

Joining the company in the role of Senior Acquisitions Editor/Sales Manager, Gift Trade, Ruth Samsel, working in conjunction with the McKenzie publishing group, will be responsible for acquisitions, development, and production of the company’s gift books as well as sales of the line to the gift trade and corporate gift accounts.

Sharing her thoughts on what this means for her team and the company, Barb Sherrill, EVP and Publisher of the McKenzie Group, says, “We are extremely delighted to have Ruth’s passion, vision, and drive at Harvest House, and we are excited to see the authors, products, and sales growth she will bring to our gift book line.”

Seasoned veteran Chris Robinette joins the company in the position of Director of Sales/Corporate Business Development.  Chris will be responsible to identify, establish, develop, and grow new sales opportunities for all Harvest House books to a host of specialty accounts outside the traditional book trade.

“Chris’s extensive experience in Christian publishing in nearly every kind of domestic and international market adds significant strength and depth to our sales team,” shared Brad Moses, VP of Sales.

About the Publisher:
Harvest House, a Christian publishing company based in Eugene, Oregon, publishes more than 135 books per year and carries a strong backlist offering more than 1,200 titles. Over 140 million Harvest House books have been sold worldwide through diverse distribution channels, and additional millions have sold in over 75 different languages.

Print-quality images to accompany this press release are available in digital format. Available images are: photo, Harvest House logo.

Contact: Christianne Debysingh, Harvest House Publishers, 888-468-4108
cdebysingh@harvesthousepublishers.com,  www.harvesthousepublishers.com

BELLINGHAM, Wash., Oct. 29, 2018 — Faithlife, a technology and media company serving the Christian market, released Logos Bible Software 8 (Logos 8), the latest version of their acclaimed Bible software. With the bold changes in this latest release, Faithlife hopes to make Bible study a part of every Christian’s daily life.

Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and founder of the Unlocking Potential Foundation pens Find Your Way: Unleash Your Power and Highest Potential, available in April 2019

Carol Stream, Ill. (October 29, 2018) — Tyndale Momentum (@tyndalehouse) will publish Carly Fiorina’s latest book, Find Your Way: Unleash Your Power and Highest Potential (ISBN: 978-1-4964-3569-9, $25.99, HC), in April 2019. In her book, Fiorina explores how unlocking your highest potential is about discovering a path and the characteristics it takes to solve the problems you encounter. The book’s release will include a significant marketing budget as well as a national media tour.

Fiorina’s personal success story, starting out as a secretary for a small real-estate business and eventually becoming the first woman ever to lead a Fortune 50 company, uniquely positions her to speak about what it takes to achieve more, make a difference, and build a rewarding life. Her book offers applicable and accessible advice and encouragement for anyone who is trying to make a difference—whether in the home, community, or workplace.

Find Your Way stands out amongst other career advice and self-help books in that it focuses on problem solving as the path forward to achieving your highest potential. Specifically, Fiorina emphasizes finding a meaningful problem that is close to you and working to solve it with humility, empathy, and collaboration.

The book also emphasizes key characteristics for true, effective leadership—based on Fiorina’s decades of experience in the business and public sector—and teaches individuals how to lead from wherever they are.

Regarding this acquisition, Senior Marketing Manager Kristen Magnesen said, “We’re so excited to be partnering with Carly Fiorina on Find Your Way. When I first met her, I found her warm, approachable and full of wisdom—truly embodying her message. Her journey from secretary to CEO is such an inspiration! We know this book will encourage many to rise up and find their greatest potential no matter where they are on their life journey.”

Carly Fiorina is the former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Carly is a true leader and a seasoned problem-solver. Her mission is to inspire, equip and connect individuals and teams to seize opportunities, face challenges, and accelerate impact in their communities and organizations. Through Carly Fiorina Enterprises and Unlocking Potential Foundation, Carly and her team strengthen the problem-solving and leadership capacity across America. She is a sought-after speaker and advisor who wants to see people and organizations achieve their highest potential.

Carly Fiorina is represented by Vigliano Associates.

For more information or for media inquiries, please contact Todd Starowitz, toddstarowitz@tyndale.com, or Kristen Schumacher, kristenschumacher@tyndale.com.

Find Your Way by Carly Fiorina
ISBN: 978-1-4964-3569-9
Hardcover: $25.99
April 2019
TyndaleMomentum.com

Tyndale House Publishers, founded in 1962, is one of the largest privately held Christian publishers of books, Bibles, and digital media in the world. Tyndale Momentum, Tyndale’s nonfiction imprint, is the publisher of many New York Times bestsellers and is known for integrity in building lasting personal relationships with authors and agents. Tyndale extends the ministry of its authors by contributing most of its profits to the nonprofit Tyndale House Foundation, which makes grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world. Originally founded to publish The Living Bible, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible that became a global publishing phenomenon, Tyndale now publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), the translation of choice for millions of people.

Contact: Kristen Schumacher, kristenschumacher@tyndale.com, 630.784.5126

Discover key people, events, and doctrines of the Christian faith in new edition of 30 Days to Understanding the Bible

Trusted study resource with over half a million copies sold—now redesigned with new illustrations and restored fan-favorite bonus content, for 30th anniversary

Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 17, 2018 – If you’ve ever confused the ark of the covenant with the ark of Noah, or Jericho with Jeroboam, Max Anders’ classic book 30 Days to Understanding the Bible is for you. In just 15 minutes a day, you’ll learn the Bible’s key people, events, and doctrines to get more out of God’s Word.

This simple-to-use, straightforward guide has been recommended by Bible teachers and pastors for 30 years and has sold more than 500,000 copies. It’s now available in an expanded 30th anniversary edition—with the most requested topics from the original edition restored and updated for today’s readers.