Eugene H. Peterson, (1932-2018) was a pastor, scholar, author and poet. He wrote more than thirty books, including his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message; and numerous works of spiritual formation, including Run with the Horses, and A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.
Paul David Hewson, whose stage name is Bono, was born May 10, 1960 is the lead singer of the Irish rock band U2 and one of the most talented performers in the history of rock and roll. While still in high school, Bono and his three friends formed a band, practiced a lot, innovated a unique sound, topped the pop charts, sold 44 million albums, won 22 Grammys, and got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
All the while, Bono founded multiple charities, met with world leaders, advocated tirelessly to fight global poverty and disease, and was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2005 sharing the title with none other than computer billionaire, Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda. Times honored Bono for having “charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world’s richest countries into forgiving $40 billion in debt owed by the poorest.” Time began choosing a “Man of the Year” in 1927, to pick the “person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse.” Hitler was named in 1938 and Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979.
FYI, Charles Lindbergh (1927) was the first and youngest person to receive the Time distinction at 25 years old. Recent winners in 2018 were The Guardians and the War on Truth, 2019 Greta Thunberg, and the final persons to receive the award evidently since no one was named in either ’21 or ’22, was Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020. Certainly more trivia than necessary!
The clip below is a 21 minute interview featuring the connection between Bono and Eugene in the Peterson homestead near Glacier Park and Kalispell MT. Eugene returned to the family homestead after his retirement as a pastor near Laurel MD. His brother was pastor of the Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church although I am not aware of the years he served there. Enjoy.