Rating: 
Summary: For mature readers only...
Review: My recommendations if you must read "The Message":1) Read with a mature Christian
2) Always read side-by-side with a real translation
3) Use as a study aid, not a Bible
4) Do not use for memorization A paraphrase is a restatement of a text in different words, hopefully to clarify the meaning of the original. Although "The Message" succeeds at this in a number of places, it fails in far too many--either to clarify or to restate the original meaning. Having said the above...I do believe that the author created this work with good faith and intent. He is a good writer with a flair for the poetic, which I appreciate. His "take" on some passages has led me to research them in the original texts and reflect on them further, which certainly benefits me. As I said, my recommendation, if you are going to use "The Message," is to use it with great care.
Rating: 
Summary: Did someone call this accurate?
Review: This is absolutely awful. It is neither a translation nor a paraphrase of the Scriptures. A paraphrase should be an easy to read rewording of a text, which does not alter the meaning of the text. Just consider what Peterson does to John 1:1, "The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God." In case you are thinking I am just a narrow-minded KJV only person, (which I am not), here is John 1:1 in the translation known as GOD'S WORD, "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." As you can see, Peterson takes a passage that is easy to read and understand in ANY translation and makes it more unclear, not clearer. It is the Holy Spirit's job to illuminate His word to us so we can understand it. Beware of thinking a translator can do the work of the Holy Spirit. Peterson has utterly failed to produce an accurate rendering of the Scriptures. He should apologize to everyone who purchased this pathetic work, and refund their money.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!
Review: The whole point of the Bible is to teach us what we need to know. You can't do that if you do not understand the Bible. Eugene H. Peterson puts it in context for today to better understand God's word.
Rating:
Summary: the Remix
Review: To put it simply, the Remix edition of The Message flat out ROCKS! The addition of chapter and verse numbers as well as subject headings makes this edition a wonderful tool when you want to study and cross reference between translations. I am not going to go into the great spiritual debate of our time as to whether Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of scripture is on par with the NIV or King James translations of the Bible. I will say that I own both an NIV(New International Version) and an NASB(New American Standard Bible) and yet at times neither one has been able to illuminate Christ's words like Peterson's work.
Rating:
Summary: A great version for habitual Bible reading
Review: One of the most important Christian disciplines is spending time regularly reading and studying the Bible. Along with prayer, it's a critical way to grow deeper in our relationship with God. However, it can be difficult to find a translation that lends itself to regular contemplation. "The Message" solves that problem. Written in contemporary language, "The Message" really makes the Scriptures accessible for everyday meditation. I have been going through it during my lunchtime at work, and I enjoy its overall tone, vocabulary, and structure. I've run into some words and phrases that are a bit jarring (you'll know them when you see them), but nothing to cry "Ichabod" over. There are those who struggle with the idea of a dynamic or paraphrase-style Bible version. True, they are not word-for-word like a literal translation from the original languages. But Hebrew and Greek do not easily conform into smoothly flowing English. So stick with a literal translation for study, but if you want the best readability you'll have to go the dynamic/paraphrase route. As Mr. Peterson writes in the preface, he intends "The Message" to be "a reading Bible", and not a replacement for study Bibles such as the New American Standard Version. If you own one of each and use it accordingly you'll be good to go. I had a seminary professor who half-joked that NIV stood for "Nearly Inspired Version" due to some passages he felt were inferior to those in the more scholarly translations. I suppose a similar moniker could be applied to "The Message", since it may share that issue as well. Be that as it may, Mr. Peterson has delivered a paraphrase translation that God can use to make Himself known to you. Whatever version you ultimately choose, I can't stress enough the importance of spending time in the Word. "The Message" will make that an easier habit to develop.
Rating: 
Summary: A true Bible?
Review: Personally I think the argument over the legitimacy of "The Message" is somewhat ridiculous. Having had the great opportunity to receive formal training at a Christian college I study texts in the original language, but I would never preach or teach from a Greek edition. Why? Because few, if any, would understand it! Perhaps the reason so many of the church attending public are biblically illiterate is because of the over-emphasis on word for word translations. These translations are good for studying, but honestly are not easy reading. Though the biblical authors were inspired, their language was not. Language is simply a tool used to communicate ideas; the goal of Peterson's translation is to "convert the tone, the rythym, the events, the IDEAS, into the way we actually think and speak" (Introduction, emphasis added.) Not everything in the Bible can be easily understood, and until the end of this present world there will be those God has gifted with the building up of the church who are able to offer additional assistance - but this easy to read paraphrase is certainly a good avenue for the layperson to become familiar with the Bible's content.
Rating:
Summary: SloppyNoodle.com Youth Review -Understanding for Modern Life
Review: Recommended not to replace the bible, but as a representation of the bible for todays everyday modern life.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Paraphrase in a helpful edition
Review: I have loved Peterson's The Message since I was introduced, and bought the hardcover full Bible when it was released. I am a minister and often preach from this paraphase so that those that know the passage will have to "hear it again for the first time," and those that never have "get it" on first listening. I compare and contrast with actual translations, but Peterson's choices are enlightening and enjoyable. I saw the Remix edition and went and bought another. The size and formatting made it far more reader friendly. I use my Message like a Bible, and not as a hardback novel and the edition released last year was too cumbersome. I appreciated the new Remix edition so much I went ahead and purchased the bonded leather. I was glad I did. It is sturdily bound, compact in size, but not tiny in print. I am glad I paid the extra for the cover. It will be used often and enthusiastically. I was a little cautious with the alligator styling, but it is actually fun and tasteful. If you love The Message as much as I do, its worth the difference for a Bible that is formal enough from which to preach but sensical enough to use in my daily devotions.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific! ...as long as one remembers it is a paraphrase.
Review: When it comes to reading the Bible, I usually prefer a fairly literal translation rather than a modern paraphrase. Literal translations tend to be filled with poetic, metaphoric imagery lifted straight from the Hebrew and Greek. Paraphrases and "dynamic" translations, in trying to be clearer to modern readers, usually suck the life out of the biblical text, the New Living Translation being particularly guilty in this respect. Powerful, evocative phrases ofen come through the grinder of modern biblical translation sounding like bland cliches. Not so with "The Message"! Although *far* from literal, it nevertheless remains vivid and thought-provoking. I often find myself laughing out loud with pleasure at what I've just read... pretty unusual when reading a paraphrase of an ancient sacred text! Let me illustrate with a brief example from Proverbs 30:21-23. Here's a fairly standard, literal translation (ASV): For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, which it cannot bear:
For a servant when he is king;
And a fool when he is filled with food;
For an odious woman when she is married;
And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress. "Odious woman" is catchy. Here's how "The Message" words the same verses: Three things are too much for even the earth to bear, yes, four things shake its foundations--
when the janitor becomes the boss,
when a fool gets rich,
when a whore is voted "woman of the year,"
when a "girlfriend" replaces a faithful wife. Wow! Now one can certainly argue about the liberties taken in the translation (and there are many), but this short example shows how "The Message" is often startling enough to make it a worthwhile paraphrase. It wakes the reader up and provokes thought in surprising places, often in verses that one might overlook in more traditional translations. And even though extreme liberties are taken in the wording, it tends to remain reasonably faithful to the spirit of the original text. Now having said that, it is not *nearly* literal enough to be used for in-depth Bible study, where individual words often carry important meaning (this is a weakness of any paraphrased translation). But "The Message" is quite good for casual reading, and often causes the reader to re-examine previously neglected passages. It can be especially illuminating to read it with a more literal translation close at hand for comparison. My advice: read it, but treat it as an entertaining commentary on the Bible, rather than as actual scripture.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific! ... as long as one remembers this is a paraphrase.
Review: When it comes to reading the Bible, I generally prefer an essentially literal translation to a paraphrase. Literal translations tend to be filled with poetic, metaphoric terms lifted straight from the Hebrew and Greek. Paraphrases and "dynamic" translations, in trying to be clearer, usually suck the life out of the biblical text, the New Living Translation being particularly guilty in this respect. Not so with "The Message". Although *far* from literal (or accurate), it remains fascinating and thought-provoking. I often find myself laughing out loud with pleasure at what I've just read... pretty unusual when reading a version of the Bible! Let me illustrate with a brief example from Proverbs 30:21-23. Here's a fairly standard, literal translation (ASV): For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, which it cannot bear:
For a servant when he is king;
And a fool when he is filled with food;
For an odious woman when she is married;
And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress. Here's how "The Message" words the same verses: Three things are too much for even the earth to bear, yes, four things shake its foundations--
when the janitor becomes the boss,
when a fool gets rich,
when a whore is voted "woman of the year,"
when a "girlfriend" replaces a faithful wife. This is an example showing how "The Message" is often startling enough to make it a worthwhile paraphrase. It wakes the reader up and provokes thought in surprising places; verses that one might overlook in more traditional translations. Having said that, it is not *nearly* literal enough to be used for in-depth Bible study, but is quite good for casual reading. It can be especially interesting to read it with more literal translation close at hand, for comparison.
| 
