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Summary: A Good Effort, For Whatever It Is: But A Bible, It Isn't--
Review: I did not come here to rain on anyone's parade, but I have to say I am really disappointed in the newly-released, full-volume work of Eugene Peterson's bible account, marketed as "The Message." Ironically, many of the most biblically sophisticated people will love "The Message" and praise it for its freshness and relevance to today's world. Frequently these people are those who are very familiar not only with their home-faith Bible translations but with the many excellent versions that have blossomed during the Twentieth Century. In 1900 the lay reader was pretty much restricted to the King James translation of 1611 (which is still going strong today, along with its modern-vocabulary analog, the New King James); today we also have our choice among wonderful new translations such as the New International Version (NIV), the most popular Bible in the USA today; the New American Bible, which is Vatican-approved home reading for Catholic laity; and the New Revised Standard, darling of the "Mainline" churches like the United Methodists and the ELCA Lutherans. Also easily obtainable are more demanding but -- most scholars would argue -- more vivid translations like the New American Standard Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible which more fully flesh out the nuances of the Greek, Hebrew, and Latin text sources. So what am I griping about? We can argue over which, if any, of the above, is the best, the inspired, the most correct or inerrerant Bible. Regardless, if you have read any of the above, you can honestly say you have read THE Bible. Even people who have read only a light (or "dynamic-equivalent") paraphrase like the "New Living Translation" from Tyndale have read *A* Bible. In my opinion "The Messsage" is not a bible at all, but more of a running commentary of the bible; way beyond a paraphrase, more of a morphing of the bible text into late 20th-Century American Culture. And at that -- and this is crucial -- I don't mean just linguistical Americanese but a push through the aspic of time and transduction aimed at that exact stratum of business culture already so much catered to: the thought and style of in-flight magazines, of the business section of the daily papers, of Sunday chat shows and sound bites on network television. It is not irrelevant to comment here that Peterson's translation began with a home translation of the book of Galatians he undertook when he noticed the regular Bible translation was boring his Sunday School class half to death. For example, the Old Testament prophet Amos, in Chapter 5, verse 21, speaks for the Lord in despising the corrupt "feasts and assemblies" of the northern Kingdom of Israel of about 650 BC. Most translations use the same or very similar language. The "New Living Translation" clarifies the definitions a bit by calling them "religious festivals and solemn assemblies." Fair enough; it gets the meaning across. "The Message" instead says "conferences and seminars." It isn't the Babbitry I mind so much as the implied condescension that we readers aren't able to put ourselves into an historical situation where "feasts" and "assemblies" are involved. It doesn't take that much of a leap of imagination, and even without imagination, we have our own "feasts and assemblies"; after all, what are Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July? In Matthew Chapter 6, about halfway through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, most contemporary translations have Jesus warning us not to pray "babbling like hypocrites on the street corners" or in similar language. Peterson, riffing on an extended metaphor of stagecraft, has Jesus telling us, "When you come before God, don't turn that into a production either. . . Do you think God sits in a box seat?" No, I don't. I doubt even Hamlet or Ethel Merman did, either. But as in so much of this well-meaning but sometimes overwrought recasting, it is not the vulgarity of the Vaudeville but the mangling of the metaphor that disturbs me. Please do not think I am saying that shifting the cultural context is, in and of itself, despicable. Most of us no longer worry so much about things like drought and locusts and whether charring a fatted calf is sufficient sacrifice unto the Lord, and so dual-track analogies of despair and horrible surprises and spiritual loss in Peterson's version do indeed have the capacity to hit us "right where we live." And that's a good thing. It does, however, seem ironic that "The Message" strains to put so much of biblical reference into white-collar, upper-middle-class reference when so many millions of American so-called "un-educated" or "blue-collar" Christians attend Sunday School or home worship with their NKJV Bibles or their NAB's or NIV's and can tell perfectly well when "mountain" means "unattainable height" as a metaphor; when it means "unscalable," as the Rockies; and when it means "a brief flight into the nearby hills," as the Ozarks. And if that ambiguity is irritating or distracting, there are perfectly good paraphrases like the "New Living Translation" to housebreak the original word for "mountain" into something more accessible like "heavenly heights," "mountain ranges," or "nearby hills." Perhaps instead of glazing over the guys' eyes with Galatians at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings our churches might better have them meet after the main service or on a weeknight, when they are mentally fresher and better able to deal with abstract thought--like their so-called socio-economic "inferiors" I alluded to above. Two points, not one, go to "The Message" because if the entire Holy Bible were being dictated from God's Mouth to Eugene Peterson's ear, there are few who could do it better. The power and the passion do get through. And I must admit with no trace of irony that people who are far better biblically versed than I will probably like "The Message" better because they crave a new way of hearing God's Word and because they have achieved a level of sophistication that enables them to be relatively detached about things like literality of reference. But at that point, we have left the arena of compiling a type of bible to appeal to the biblically-ignorant and have begun to appeal to the bibically super-aware . . . useful, but not the intended message. "The Message" was a one-man job, and it took Dr. Peterson almost sixty percent of his entire career to do the translation, with only a little nudge or bit of advice from his publisher, NAV Press. It is a signal intellectual achievement. I don't intend to warn anyone away from it. Go and buy it, enjoy it. But do not be persuaded you have read THE Bible; you haven't, any more than seeing "West Side Story" enables you to say you have seen "Romeo and Juliet." I'd much prefer the reader try a real Bible first in order to claim s/he's read "The Bible," or at least a light paraphrase like Tyndale's "New Living Translation."
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Word of God? God might disagree!
Review: While reviewing the various comments about this work, I kept thinking about my initial experience when the Message New Testament was being prepared for its introduction a few years ago. I was working the Customer Service desk at NavPress (the books publisher) at the time. Because of my religious training, I didn't consider this a Bible either, I thought of it as a devotional work, or a cute little paraphrase. It wasn't the authoritative "Word of God," however. Then something profound happened. When the book was released, calls started coming in...incredible calls! People who would never read a Bible read The Message and made new commitments to walk a life of faith. Others who had experienced stagnation in their walk were renewed and strengthened. Because of this, I began to read the work, and experienced new depths in my Christian experience. In fact, several of the encounters I personally experienced were so powerful and life changing that to this day I can't discuss them without tears. Then, instead of putting my other translations into retirement, I began to study and appreciate them more fully, and I now read the KJV and NJB regularly. I've shared the above because I've read recent reviews that accuse The Message of being a watered down Gospel, a failed rendering, or a comic book edition of the scripture. Maybe so, but the Holy Spirit uses it to change peoples lives. I know this from listening to hundreds of stories, and experiencing it first hand. My suggestion is that you read "The Message" and see if the Holy Spirit speaks to you through it. If the Spirit does, continue to read it, if the Spirit doesn't, put the book down and find something else. It's that simple...and there's no need to berate it if it doesn't suit your spiritual temperament. By the way, I no longer work for NavPress or the Navigators, and I have no book to sell you on Bible translations. Sorry!
Rating:
Summary: Great tool
Review: I would not recommend this as your sole Bible Study resource, but as a companion to your regular Bible it's great. Very easy to read and clarifies lots of puzzling passages. And it's a great read.
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Summary: The Best Reading/Devotional Bible ever!
Review: I love this Bible! Mr. Peterson did a great job from start to finish. I have the earlier books as well like The Message - The New Testament and Job. This Bible is great for daily reading and devotions. In the introduction, Mr. Peterson recommends that a person should read The Message along with a good study Bible. Good advice! I've also have the pocket size leatherbound The Message-New Testament and mass market paperback editions. This Bible is great for people who never is able to read the Bible in one year or for people who never read the Bible at all. Everyone should a copy of it and read it at home!
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Summary: Want to really appreciate the impact of THE MESSAGE?
Review: As you read this Bible, keep your favorite version open to the same chapter. You will be amazed at how Peterson has been able to capture, not only the facts of the Bible, but the flavor, the ambience, the mood of the speakers and situations. (Try Isaiah 44). As I read it, it is NOT a paraphrase. It IS a translation, but you will see that for yourselves as you read comparatively. Oh, and be sure to read the Preface and the Introduction before you start. I am so impressed with this version that I have already purchased 8 as gifts!!!
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Summary: Compare With "The Living Bible"
Review: Great paraphrases of the Bible provide good instruction. "The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language" is a solid instrument to grab hold of the Bible. Eugene Peterson has earned a reputation of being a studious, yet acessible scholar, presenting Scriptural truth before the everyday Christian. Compare this with Tyndale House Publishers' "The Living Bible," the best known paraphrase, or, the lesser known but very popular "Amplified Bible." All reach a believer with different reading levels and expertise. Read alone, "The Message" might not be a great move. That would be like hearing a preacher without having a Bible open to see if he knows what he's talking about. Peterson has done Scripture justice by translating it directly from the original languages. It has not been filtered from Greek to Latin to English, but from Greek, and from Hebrew. This matters, as it keeps the reader closer to what was originally intended. For the casual, or nonbelieving reader, this will help bring them up to speed on what the Bible is about. The Bible, in its various forms, is among the most purchased and least read, and the most criticized and least read. This will help those readers actually read it. I fully recommend "The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language" by Eugene Peterson, and hope you buy it in tandem with another Bible, like the "New American Standard Version" or "New International Version." They are also in modern English. Anthony Trendl
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Summary: Refreshing to read, but *not* the word of God
Review: The Message is a great idea, and should be a welcome addition to every Christian's bookshelf. It is not, however, a true bible. The Message contains every book of the bible, and divides the books up in chapters, just like any bible. From here though, it is differs, in that each chapter is a paraphrase of its namesake in the bible. The chapters are not broken up into individual verses, and are generally of shorter length than chapters from the bible. Also, because the chapters are paraphrased, the Message loses some of the strength of a true bible, as Peterson is forced to make interpretations about some sections.
Despite this, the chapters remain quite true to the bible, and the Message provides a refreshing, if somewhat simplified read.
Just remember that this book is not the bible, just a great study tool to be used with it.
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Summary: Awesome, Fantastic, Incredible, WOW!
Review: The Message starts with a "Big Bang"... out of the mouth of God, that is! The Creation account in Genesis, along with Isaiah 54, 55, and 56 is worth the money you spend on this great translation of the Bible. It's like reading a novel! I am amazed at Eugene Peterson's ability to make the Word of God come alive in such a colorful manner. I grew up a pastor's child, and am now a pastor's wife, and I have never grapsed the Old Testament like I can now with the Message Bible. Read it up! It's amazing!!!!
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Summary: it is finished
Review: At long last, after eleven years of hard work, Eugene Peterson has completed his translation of the Bible. Before reviewing it, I'd like to just say thanks. The Message has added a dimension to my spiritual life. Having started the study of Biblical Greek myself about two-thirds of the way through Peterson's labor of love, I now have at least a partially complete picture of the joys and difficulties (or should I say impossibilities?) Mr. Peterson must have faced along the way. It has amazed me to see how much of the seething, vibrant, life that is so often removed from the New Testament in more formal and "stately" translations is brought by Peterson into powerful, everyday English--or as Peterson says--"American." There are some places where I fear certain sections have lost theological nuances (James' letter being a prime example) but one cannot argue that Peterson does, in the end, faithfully and creatively present "The Message" of the Living God. The Old Testament, which I am familiar with only in English, sings compared to other translations. Some high points for me in Peterson's Old Testament translations are: Job, 1 & 2 Kings, and Isaiah, (possibly my favorite of all of Peterson's translations: chapter twelve's ending especially gets me: "Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, oh Zion! The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.") Believer or not, "The Message" will wake you up. It does not do this at the expense of the gospel. It does so by giving worn-out language new wings. Just as the writers of the original books were used by God to communicate His message to a hungry, thirsty and longing world, Peterson has allowed himself to be used to speak to the world of today. I give "The Message" my highest recommendation. Get it today.
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Summary: stripped down, visceral, earthy...not for wimps!
Review: all i can say about the message is that i have read and studied tomes of commentaries and bible versions and paraphrases, so, i feel qualified to say that the message is excellent. so many people today embrace these sissy conceptions of christ, that he was too rarefied and somewhere "out there". well, christ was human(and god)and felt emotion, anger, sadness, etc. (personally, i think that christ enjoyed a good glass of wine(fermented even! there you go tony)
this book opens up vistas i have never even dreamed of with these other stilted, staid, regal versions. its alive, dynamic, vital, just like the spirit.. i have to say that the message is a resurrection of these dead versions and offers new life to its readers.. thank you eugene peterson
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