Tell It Slant

The title of this fourth book comes from a poem by Emily Dickinson. Peterson had utilized this poem in a class he taught at Regent College on the parables of Jesus, which is available for audio download here.

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant—
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise
As Lightening to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind—

Here is a brief excerpt from the introduction that I found on the Eerdmans‘ Publishing Company web-site:

Language — given to us to glorify God, to receive the revelation of God, to witness to the truth of God, to offer praise to God — is constantly at risk. Too often the living word is desiccated into propositional cadavers, then sorted into exegetical specimens in bottles of formaldehyde. We end up with godtalk. . . . My concern is that we use God’s gift of language in consonance with the God who speaks. Jesus is the primary person with whom we have to do in this business. Jesus most of all. Jesus, the Word made flesh. . . . I want to nurture an awareness of the sanctity of words, the holy gift of language whether it is directed vertically or horizontally. Just as Jesus did.