"It's damaging to the whole life of the faith and meaning of the gospel to have things beautiful and true, written badly or smugly. I would like to be able to write spiritually with as much craft as John Updike writes fiction."
"I'm up to Psalm 47," Peterson says. "And the intensity of these raw, ancient prayers still shakes my praying to the roots."
PSALM 14
(King James version)
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God.
There are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord?
There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.
Oh that salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
PSALM 14
Eugene H. Petersonversion
Bland and bloated they gas:
"God is gone."
It's poison gas,
they foul themselves, they poison
the rivers and skies,
thistles are their cash crop.
Yahweh sticks his head out of heaven.
He looks around.
He's looking for someone not stupid,
one man, even, God-expectant,
just one God-ready woman.
He comes up with zilch, a string
of zeroes. Useless, unshepherded
sheep, taking turns pretending
to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine
follow the one.
Don't they know anything,
all these imposters?
Don't they know
they can't get away with this,
treating people like a fast-food meal,
over which they're too hurried to pray?
Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
for God takes theside of victims.
Do you think you can mess
with the dreams of the poor?
You can't, for God
makes the dreams come true.
Is there anyone around to save Israel?
God is around, God turns life around.
Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
turned-around Israel sings laughter.
