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Summary: Reads like a novel.
Review: I honestly couldn't put it down. It is amazingly "readable" and formated in pages and paragraphs without verse markers. You just open it up and READ. Wow, it really jumps out at you. It also puts things in a way that make a lot of sense. Using metaphors etc. that are contemporary and used currently. I LOVE this translation. It isn't my only Bible, but it's the one that gets read the most! Great for new and mature Christians and it is True to the text. I would challenge anyone to open up to a passage they are familiar with and just read!
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Summary: An exciting tool for study!
Review: This wonderful "rendering in contemporary language" increases the desire to study more deeply. You will find yourself challenged to explore the previous translations to determine why you missed a point, or to prove the rendering inaccurate. Regardless of the outcome, you will pull the Testament out again and again for the sheer joy of study.The easy reading will also be a blessing to new converts and those who have had trouble with the other translations.
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Summary: Hey everyone this is a Pocket edition!!
Review: It is a great book I love the way he has given us such a new way of looking at the bible. It is a great tool for new christians! I highly recomend this work.
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Summary: Remember: "The Message" is a paraphrase
Review: This version of the Bible is, in my opinion, good only for leisurely reading. The lack of verse numbers allows the reader to continue reading and not lose their train of thought. When it says, "contemporary language," that's exactly what you will get. I would rate the readability of "The Message" on an eighth or ninth grade reading level. This version is a paraphrase; it only puts forth the idea of what the Scripture passage is conveying. But be cautious: like other paraphrases I have read in the past, the thing to remember is that the translator's beliefs and doctrines are usually interjected into the translation. I would never recommend "The Message" for serious Bible study; NIV, KJV, or even the English Standard Version are better choices for study. But as far as easy reading, "The Message" is a good choice.
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Summary: A Different Gospel
Review: I was deeply grieved by a youth pastor below who used The Message as his primary translation. He would do well to read what a real Bible translation has to say about "tying millstones around the necks" of youth and the warning for not many to aspire to teach, for they will receive a stricter judgment. I was also nauseated by people who wrote that they were bored with the same "tired old verses". God's Word, tired and boring?? No way. It's the deceptive, selfish human heart in our material, entertainment age that demands entertainment at the cost of real human souls. Dumbing down and watering down the Word of God to appeal to people who have the capacity for intelligence but are too lazy to apply their intelligence to study and comprehension? If your teens are having a hard time understanding the Bible, parents and pastors, try spending some time with them and explaining it. Or encourage them to apply themselves in school. Galatians 1:8
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. I hope that Eugene Peterson does not find himself gnashing his teeth on judgment day as Jesus pronounces "I never knew you. Depart from me you worker of iniquity." I pity those teachers who follow in the footsteps of Mr. Peterson, who had added and subtracted from the Word of the Almighty God. The Message is filled to the brim with New Age references, a politically correct agenda and an obscuring of the message which is necessary for salvation. If a person is not familiar with New Age terminology, as many Christians are not, then they are ripe for the picking. Jesus is referred to as "the Master". The Master is a new age expression. New Agers believe that many "enlightened masters" have come to planet earth- Buddah, Krishna, Mohamed and Jesus being a few. Christians know that Jesus isn't merely an enlightened master, He is Lord and the only way to salvation. The Bible says that people who are not saved can not say that Jesus is Lord. Neither does the Message say it. What does that tell you? Here is a comparison of the NKJV version and The Message. If you want to compare the Message against any other version or verse, you can go to biblegateway.com and reference any version you like. Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV)
9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (How is the NKJV too complicated for anyone who comprehends English to understand? But look at how the Message adds many words and yet complicates and obscures the message, not simplifying as was it's stated purpose.) Romans 10:9-10 (The Message)
9Say the welcoming word to God--"Jesus is my Master"--embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. 10With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!" Why does Mr. Peterson feel it necessary to change the "Jesus is Lord" to "Jesus is my Master"? It doesn't clarify anything. 2x he tells the person to make a confession other than what the real Bible says. This example is not even the worst of his mistranslations, additions, insertions of personal opinions not marked as thus, subtractions and twistings of scripture. The Bible says that Sexual immorality, adultery and homosexuality are sins, but The Message removes these references in favor of "sex without commitment and intimacy". Or sex without love. In other words, a non-discerning person (and believe me, if they think this is an honest translation they are sorely lacking in discernmenet) will be led to believe that sex is OK as long as they feel love, commitment and intimacy; whatever that means to them. This "bible", if it can even be called such, is preparing the church for the great apostacy when so called Christians will abandon real salvation for the one world religion. I was downright shocked when I read this book and then angered that so many are willingly swallowing the lie. Don't become one of the fooled, it's not only your soul at stake but also your family and friends, whom are in your realm of influence.
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Summary: Yes, it is a Bible. This is something you will read.
Review: All this chit-chat: what are all these people talking about.
Consider yet another review which requires reading a few verses of the Gospel of Matthew, which appear far below. Let the writing do the talking, so to speak.
But first, I find it intersting that our opening peer reviewer, Allen Smalling, is upset about the vernacular usage in The Message. Surprising, given that it is known that the original Greek transcripts were indeed written for the common man, in common vernacular language. Many of the negative reviews of The Message have to do with it's lack of lofty language. As is inherent in our New Covenant with Jesus, you can imaging that Jesus and his disciples used common, everyday language to connect with the commoners they preached to. Of course they did not use lofty highbrow language!!!
The forth reviewer, a "Senior Chaplain", is disgruntled because The Message does not specifically mention 'homosexuality' or adultery in Corinthians 6:9; it would interest our chaplain to know that there is no Greek word for 'homosexuality' written in the original Greek text of the New Testament. Alas, many of the other negative reviews of The Message involve this lack of 'moral clarity'. Remember, many among us Christians have a moral agenda, and such of us need these divisive terms handed down from out-of-date earlier translations to throw around at the fellow sinning heathens. A good Christian, in the words of C.S. Lewis, is in some degree a theologin. Thus it is worth knowing that some of the prior translations (the King James, the American Standard, and so on) had a moral-political agenda to push, and that those 'translators', who could not find directly equivalent words in our language, or in some cases, could find no definition for those original Greek terms at all, designated, for example, the word 'homosexual' for the Greek term 'malakoi arsenokoitai', which really, nobody knows what it means!
Indeed this is the crux. Many of our reviewers here write for pride's sake (one of the seven sins of course!). They are upset over common language, or the lack of 'damning' verses we hear so often quoted in the media. These quotes we hear on the radio and on TV- telling us where we're headed. For many, the Bible is scarry, given our sins. Attempts to read it bring disappointment, as the language is not easily understood and does seem to represent an angry, vengeful God.
The Message will redeem you.
From The New American Standard Bible (verses 27-32):
27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
31"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'
32"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
And now, The Message:
"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion--do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best--dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers--most of which are never even seen--don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
These verses from the Message could bring me to tears in a way the first passage never could.
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Summary: What a refreshing view of the Bible we all know.
Review: I could not be happier I found this Bible. I have tried to read the KJV and the NIV and with both there are so many times I have said 'What does that mean'. Now when I read and I don't understand I reach for the Message and get an easier to understand version. I have actually read the entire Message Bible because it is using language I understand and can appreciate.
All version of the Bible are just translations of the original - the Bible was not written in English. It may sound silly but not everyone knows that. And when translations are done, they use the language of the day. The Message is just another one that I find very refreshing. And I am not a scholar who can understand the Bible easily. I am just a lay person who wants to have my faith grow.
We have used the Message bible in our church, our Women's Discussion Groups and my Bible Studies. Obviously, I am not the only one who likes this Bible version if our pastor and other leaders will read and quote from it.
BONUS::: there is a great NIV/Message parallel bible in both Hardcover or the Leather Bound (which I have and love..see my review there for that item). No longer do I carry around 2 seperate books..it's the same size as my old Bible which is awesome to have both.
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Summary: Good addition - POOR Bible replacement
Review: I was first attracted to the Message because of my evangelistic and counseling work and ministry; especially since many on the street have varying levels of comprehension and reading ability. After reading it and doing just light research I agree it has a new way of jazzing up the Bible and gives new perspectives in expounding on Scripture. However, I'm concerned of using the Message as a main Bible because it's not consistent and paraphrases certain passages dangerously.
Even the author Eugene Peterson has been quoted saying that it is for "first-time readers," and that these readers should quickly "get weaned from it." But then in contrasting in the foreword of the Message he doesn't give these warnings but tries to justify his treatment of the original text with an argument about historical and comparative language use.
I hear some sing it's praises that it's purported to use today's language of the common person. But are phrases such as "the prophet's embryonic sermon" (Matt 1:22) or "God-flavors of this earth" (Matt 5:13) in everyday speech? Other problems come as with Romans 9:27-28 the entire paraphrase is different than the main point of the original scripture passage! In the Message 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 doesn't mention adulterers, drunkards or homosexuality at all, just those "that abuse sex, use and abuse the earth".
In my opinion contextualization or the contemporizing of the Bible is a good target for outreach but not at the cost of watering down the truth; that may change the message. The Message is good for what it started out to be originally for the book of Galatians - an addition to the Bible as a possible devotional literature. But I'd be careful in thinking of using it to supplant the Word of God.
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Summary: I have come to understand Jesus
Review: First off, I want to apologize about my naivety regarding the bible. I have read some of the reviews, and many of the people that have written reviews have much to compare to in their understanding of the bible, and the translation.
I can only speak from my heart on this. I was never exposed to Christianity or the bible. My Grandmother was a Christian Scientist and she gave my mother her bible as a gift before she passed away. My mother then passed it down to me. I attempted to read it, and found it intimidating, scary, and "weird". I never understood this love people had for Jesus. It never made sense, and I found it frightening.
I decided I wanted to understand this whole Christian thing and was recommended to the Message. When I started reading, the format that it was written was so incredibly understandable and amazing that I haven't been able to put it down since. I actually started to quote things from the Message and began to see a new way of life. I found faith in Jesus' life. Maybe I am not scholarly in biblical history, or format or teachings, but I know this book has altered the way I think about God, Jesus, and life in general. This sounds incredible coming from a person that never believed in that stuff. I can find all ways to live a "right" life with meaning in the Message, and I can understand what I am reading. Maybe this book isn't for everyone, but if it can save a few hearts that never knew, it is worth every earned 5 stars. God has blessed the message.
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Summary: So that's what God meant...wow.
Review: "So that's what God meant...wow," is what I continually find myself thinking when I read "The Message", Eugene Petersons's paraphrase bible. Reading the Gospels in "The Message" blew me away. I love this bible. I wasn't as happy with the paraphrasing of Proverbs as I was with the other books. When I compared them to my NIV I didn't agree with Peterson's paraphrase. The rest is beautiful, though. I would recommend this bible to anyone with an open mind who is truly seeking God.
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