The Psalms: A Conversation Between Bono & Eugene Peterson

On April 25, we screened this short film in the sanctuary and hosted a thoughtful Q&A with the director, Nathan Clarke. You can now watch the film in it's entirety here. We encourage you to engage in this rich conversation, and then share this film with your friends and family who would be challenged and encouraged by it. 

From the anthems of U2’s concert closers to the rapping of Coolio, the Psalms continue to inspire countless contemporary cultural artifacts because they capture the human experience so incisively—everything from our longings and sufferings to awe and thanksgiving; from the “How long to sing this song”to the "He lifted me up out of the pit, out of the miry clay.” In fact, many of these modern songs and other works can provide a case study for what it looks like to create compelling art from a place of Christian conviction. 

Eugene Peterson has devoted much of his life to chewing on and digesting the depth of the Psalmists’ words, translating them into contemporary English in The Message. Meanwhile, perhaps no musician has brought the texts (and passion) of the Psalms to so many listeners as has Bono, leader of the band U2.  Commissioned by David Taylor, professor of theology and culture at Fuller Seminary, RVA film-maker Nathan Clarke and his crew spent time with Bono and Eugene at Peterson's home in Montana to talk about the Psalms and what that small collection of poems has meant to their bodies of work. What emerges is a conversation not just about their mutual love of the gift we have in the Psalms, but a vision of faithful creating.