Reviews for Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity

The average rating for Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-03-19 00:00:00 John Lindner Stop reading this review, and go buy this book. Now. Using a mathematical metaphor, Eugene Peterson gives readers a trigonometry of pastoral ministry. The lines of the pastoral calling are preaching, teaching, administration, etc. But without angles, there is no triangle. Without the angles of prayer, Scripture reading, and giving spiritual direction, pastoral ministry is mere religious shop-keeping. In a culture where everything is defined by busyness Peterson reminds those in ministry that our calling is attention to God: attention before Him in prayer; attention to His words and action across the millenia of Israel and Christ; attention to what God is doing in the person who is in front of me at any particular moment. I really cannot recommend this book highly enough. I was expecting a lot after reading the Five Smooth Stones of Pastoral Work, and Peterson more than delivers. What I especially loved about this book is that Peterson does not do what we all expect (and want) him to do: provide us formulae and a checklist for how we can get better at prayer, Bible-reading, and counseling. Peterson doesn't capitulate. Instead, he draws you in to the story of redemption, to the structure and power of the Psalter, to remembering our and others' identity in Christ in conversations. This is a book I want to return to at least every five years. Peterson is an incredibly gifted writer whose veins are coursing with Bible. You are sure to be refreshed, challenged, stimulated, and blessed by this work.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-01-03 00:00:00 Kelli Street This was my first time to read Peterson, and while it would have been impossible for this book to live up to the hype I've heard about his writing, I really did enjoy it. It's targeted at a very specific audience to which I no longer belong - the professional pastor. However, having served in some form of that capacity for close to a decade, I was very easily able to relate to his "angle", as it were. The book is divided into three basic sections which examine foundations of the pastoral vocation: prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction. While he emphasizes the reason why that these historically have been the foundations of pastoral ministry, there is an obvious case for all Christians to be rooted in the particulars of orthopraxy. Having said that, the weakness I felt most keenly in Peterson's perspective is that he keeps a very firm line between clergy and laity, a line which I feel is not warranted by any scriptural precedence. Nonetheless, he accurately critiques some of the issues that come up when practicing that kind of dichotomy. For that reason, I would recommend this to anyone who has worked before or is currently working in the ministry profession. For those outside of the profession, it can serve as a good window into the workings of the pastoral mind and help cultivate mindfulness that pastors are people too.