Pastor and author of The Message Bible, Eugene Peterson, has died at the age of 85 after going into a hospice.
Author Winn Collier first shared the news on Twitter: “My dear friend and pastor Eugene Peterson has died this morning,” he wrote. “The lantern is out, but the joy he carried with him to his final breaths endures. Eugene is now with the Triune God he has loved his entire life. Memory eternal.”
His family has since released a statement saying, “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.”
Peterson had recently gone into a hospice after what his son Eric said was a “dramatic turn in his health caused by an infection.”
He was being treated for pneumonia and experienced heart failure and dementia, with his care becoming primarily palliative.
A Presbyterian pastor, he is best known for writing his paraphrase of the Bible.
Follow us on Twitter
