The production you are about to see is an artistic expression of scripture that is ten years in the making. In 2006 my pastor asked me to consider a dramatic reading of Romans chapter 8 for our Sunday evening service. It didn’t take long for me to develop a vision, which started by asking the question: What if the Apostle Paul were alive today? What would he say? Whom would he offend?
The Message translation by Eugene Peterson offers us a contempo- rary lens through which to view these questions. It is a lens in which allows us to experience the everyday street language of ordinary people of which the NT was originally intended. This lens doesn’t easily t into the comfortable mold of a play, but rather takes an avant-garde leap of dramatic exploration into what has become the premiere document of Christian theology.
As you experience this breathing document through the pure lens of scripture, it is my hope that you will treasure its premise, that every word spoken by The Apostle Paul comes directly from The Message translation by Eugene Peterson. I want to thank the creative team of people listed in this program that collaborated with me on this unique artistic endeavor. I’m grateful for their collective enthusiasm, which gave me the strength to persevere through many challenges and leap into this artistic project. I invite you to take this leap with us - knowing that God’s Love is there to catch us!
Chip Simmons
The Message translation by Eugene Peterson offers us a contempo- rary lens through which to view these questions. It is a lens in which allows us to experience the everyday street language of ordinary people of which the NT was originally intended. This lens doesn’t easily t into the comfortable mold of a play, but rather takes an avant-garde leap of dramatic exploration into what has become the premiere document of Christian theology.
As you experience this breathing document through the pure lens of scripture, it is my hope that you will treasure its premise, that every word spoken by The Apostle Paul comes directly from The Message translation by Eugene Peterson. I want to thank the creative team of people listed in this program that collaborated with me on this unique artistic endeavor. I’m grateful for their collective enthusiasm, which gave me the strength to persevere through many challenges and leap into this artistic project. I invite you to take this leap with us - knowing that God’s Love is there to catch us!
Chip Simmons