Seeing the threat to his royalties, Eugene Peterson finesses things—making things worse...

Now the Washington Post reports Eugene Peterson is having second thoughts about whether or not he himself (at 84 and retired from the pastorate) would actually in the final analysis really and truly go ahead and officiate at a sodomite wedding. Tough question that one—especially when one considers the filthy lucre at stake.

Which is a lot. Of money, that is. The Post reports:

Eugene Peterson, who is best known for “The Message” Bible translation, set off a firestorm this week when he said in an interview with Religion News Service that he would be willing to conduct a same-sex marriage. In response, LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said it was prepared to stop selling Peterson’s books.

A threat to royalties can have a profound impact on a pastor.

Predictably, this financial threat to Eugene Peterson didn't produce true repentance, but only further conniving betrayals of God, His Word, and His sheep...

Peterson said:

To clarify, I affirm a biblical view of marriage: one man to one woman. I affirm a biblical view of everything.

Actually, no, Mr. Peterson; you do not affirm a Biblical view of everything. For instance, take the entire interview from which you are now trying to retract one particular statement. The interview contained statement after statement that was contrary to Scripture.

Also, Mr. Peterson, take this statement you go on to make in your retraction. It boggles the mind how any man who feared God and served as shepherd of God's sheep could say such a thing:

if I were pastoring today and if a gay couple were Christians of good faith and if they asked me to perform their wedding ceremony—if, if, if. Pastors don’t have the luxury of indulging in hypotheticals. And to be honest, no is not a word I typically use. 

Then this sickening doubletalk:

When I told this reporter that there are gay and lesbian people who “seem to have as good a spiritual life as I do,” I meant it. But then again, the goodness of a spiritual life is functionally irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

And this half-hearted apology which takes back with the word "bombast" what it tried to give with the words "I regret." What he really regrets is not so much his own words as the bombastic response of others.

I regret the confusion and bombast that this interview has fostered.

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BTW, in the comments under the original interview of Peterson by Merritt published by Religious News Service, Jesus People USA feminist Jon Trott comes out in favor of sodomite marriage. He says that those who like that sort of thing should be able to have that thing that they like:

I still hew conservative (to a degree) on sexual issues, though support gay marriage as a matter of loving my neighbor enough to allow them their own choices.

What a terrible betrayal of God's Word Jon Trott has given the world as one of the main legacies of Jesus People USA. Old commune hippies often go rank separated from the Word of God and the Church. Jon says his sexual rebellion is inspired by Jesus. Like all the rest of them, he lies.