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Summary: Changes the Meaning of Scripture
Review: The Message is not a translation of the Bible. It is a paraphrase, and one that clearly reflects the views of the author. Reading through this, I got a creepy, prickly feeling that results when my antennas fly up and scream "danger! danger! danger!" The message of scripture is watered down, colloquialized, and loses its power and meaning. There are some passages that are interesting, and provide unique or different insights into the culture or language of the time, but I strongly feel that this paraphrase should be read ONLY by people who know the scriptures from a direct translation and are mature in their faith. This is NOT a version to be read by people who are new to the scriptures, or to their faith, because it presents a skewed and watered down version of the Bible. One could easily walk away from critical passages about the nature and diety of Christ, or the uniqueness of Christ and His gospel message, and miss the point. This book should NEVER be used as an alternative to the scriptures or be seen as an equally valid translation. That it is being presented as a Bible is very, very frightening. Don't be fooled.
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Summary: Best "Reading" Bible Available Today!
Review: Every Christian needs at least two Bibles versions, one for study and one for reading. While the New International Version is still the best choice for study, The Message is now the best choice for devotional reading. It belongs on every believer's bookshelf.The Message is not a translation, but a paraphrase. A paraphrase is not as accurate as a translation, but is much easier to read and to understand. The Living Bible is a tremendously popular paraphrase of the past. After decades of use however, it has become dated and is now difficult to find. The Message is clearly its successor for the English-speaking church. With the plethora of study Bibles on the market today, it is easy to get lost in all of the notes, graphs, charts and other helps. As a result, one can lose the joy of just READING the Bible. Study Bibles with all their helps play an important role, but for simply reading God's Word devotionally "The Message" is by far the best choice.
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Summary: It's OK, but don't make it your ONLY translation
Review: First of all, I'm not a biblical scholar and I haven't even read the whole book. But I have read key verses and I have just recently participated in a bible study at my church where we went over the most of the New International Version (NIV). Along the way we discussed aspects of the culture at the time of the writing and the context which it was written in. I will say that this translation was very foreign to me, having grown up using the NIV. But it did seem to reflect the message fairly well to me (from the verses that I read and compared with other translations). What's important is if this translation speaks God's Word to you in a format that you can understand and allows you to have a better relationship with Him; THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS! Having said that, as you are reading this translation you will find that you want to explore God's Word more fully and completely, pick up an NIV translation (the NIV Study Bible or Concordia Self Study Bible are both good) or even better an NASB (the most accurate, word-for-word translation) to get a fuller understanding of God's Word. Also, you could join a bible class where you can ask questions and get an understanding of the culture back then and some of the nuances of the Bible. That's when it really makes sense! My point is that we should never rely on only one translation to get the complete message.
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Summary: Simplified language, but a confounded "Message"
Review: In my studies and in my teaching of New Testament Greek, I have collected a broad scope of Bible translations and paraphrases over the years. While far from a "King James only" advocate, I have for a lifetime admired the artistic beauty of this traditional rendering of the Sacred Volume. A special place is reserved on my shelf and in my heart for the NKJV for its fluidity which comes without sacrifice of content. Still my favorite translation is the virtually faultless ASV of 1901. Never has a translation been produced truer to the original text. In light of all the good translations we are so blessed to have in our libraries today, why should we be making a place for paraphrases as poor as this one? In my reading of "The Message," I have found its literary style, though shallow, very easy to read, but I have also found myself reading the most familiar passages without noticing. To make room for the tastes of a new generation plagued with attention deficiencies, this rendering of the Scriptures has been emptied of holy content and stuffed with a more entertaining verbage which makes little more than a half-hearted attempt to follow the same general outline as the Holy Writ. This publication does not meet the criteria set forth in the definition of the term "translation," and, when analyzed in the true light as a paraphrase, it still falls short of the mark. Regardless of one's opinion of the value of this work as a paraphrase, however, the fact remains that God never intended for His Word to be abridged. It is simple enough for the simplest of men to understand, yet it is profound enough to demand the life-long study of the greatest of human minds. The Bible is perfect, and being so, why can't we learn to leave it that way?
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Summary: Wow
Review: If you want to fully understand the Bible...........buy this now.
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Summary: Reading the Bible again for the first time
Review: I'm a parish minister, responsible every Sunday for the church's proclamation. This translation does more than I have ever managed to do to bring people into direct, immediate engagement with God through Scripture. You will be amazed, appalled, amused, and overjoyed at what you read here, and you will ask: is he making this up? He's not. I was trained in Greek and Hebrew, and every time I read a passage and think to myself, "OK, Peterson, you're around the bend now!" and go stomping off to dig out my reference books and translate it myself, I have had to admit he did a wonderful job of capturing both the flavor and meaning of the original. Admittedly, I haven't read it cover to cover (not the way to read the Bible anway) but I've read enough of both Testaments to know this is the best contemporary langauge translation out there. This is not a "word for word" but a "paraphrased" translation - that is, it attempts to translate whole ideas rather than smaller units of meaning, and this puts it in the tradition of such recent translations as the New Jerusalem Bible or the Revised English Bible, rather than translations such as the New Revised Standard Version or the New International Version. One real drawback of "The Message" is that it is a single scholar's translation and thus open to patterns of unconscious or conscious theological bias which are less likely in translations done in collaboration with others. I suppose his biases match mine, because I haven't noticed them yet! This is NOT the Bible to buy to the young person taking a college course in Bibilical studies - stick for one of the more traditional types of translation for them. But if you want to read the Bible for your own enjoyment, enlightment, guidance, and spiritual growth, put your other Bibles away and read this one daily for a month. You may never go back to your old translations again.
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Summary: Love this Book !!
Review: I really enjoy reading this book. Easy to read and understand. Smooth. The Bible is #1 and The Message is #2. This is a great gift for friend and family members.
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Summary: Text, context and commentary, all in one!
Review: The Message presents a unique opportunity to understand timeless biblical truth in today's context. Peterson has incorporated sound exposition into the text he offers. The result is a naturally flowing understanding that previously required diligent study of both text and commentary. While some are not comfortable with Peterson's unconventional blending of language, meaning and context, I submit this version of the bible is a faithful witness to the message the bible reveals. This version is excellent for those who have never read the bible before, those who seek to go deeper into scripture and those who would study and comment on the bible academically.
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Summary: Fresh, vibrant, accessible translation!
Review: After growing up on the King James Version, and after spending the last 15 years in the New Internation Version, The Message proves a lively rendering. It is not a "dumbed-down" version. Rather, it accomplishes what new translations are supposed to--accurate expression of the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic texts in the current venacular. Apart from the academic issues, what makes this work unique is the active, aggressive voice it grabs readers with. The Message says, "Hey, listen--these are God's commands, God's stories . . . yes God's MESSAGE for you!" Scholars, pastors, parishioners, and spiritually curious people will find Peterson's translation dynamic and true. If you want to hear God's voice through his Word, The Message will speak to you!
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Summary: Go to the Source
Review: There's no better place to go for wisdom, rest, relaxation, guidance, insight, or love than God's Word. And this is the best, most readable version out there. Everyone should own it. And not just Christians- I think they'd be surprised what's in the Bible if they just picked this one up! A shining example of brilliant communication.
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