The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary Language

Rating:
Summary: Change Your Life
Review: "The Message draws you to embrace the truth of the New Testament in a way that it is applicable to your life right now! An easy read for new Christians and ideal for the youth, quite entertaining. Change your perspective of the Bible through reading this book, change your life! Great Gift, anytime!" - Angelina Musik, Christian recording artist.

Rating:
Summary: Very good...
Review: During the summer of 2000, I was given this book by a Bible study leader just before I left for an inner city mission trip.
I have a few different versions of the Bible. And while I love them all, this one is my favorite. It's written in what a lot of people call "street English,"... It's a good book for the average lay person to refer to when they're explaining things of their Christain faith to others. It's laid out in regular story form and is very easy to understand, too. I'd recommend it to anyone.
To Eugene Peterson, nice job!!!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Modern Rendition of The New Testament
Review: During the summer of 2000, I was given this book by a Bible study leader just before I left for an inner city mission trip.
I have a few different versions of the Bible. And while I love them all, this one is my favorite. It's written in what a lot of people call "street English,"... It's a good book for the average lay person to refer to when they're explaining things of their Christain faith to others. It's laid out in regular story form and is very easy to understand, too. I'd recommend it to anyone.
To Eugene Peterson, nice job!!!

Rating:
Summary: Good, but for a limited audience...
Review: I have scanned over the Message version of the NT, and find it not quite as offensive as I had feared.

For those who are worried about the "jots and tittles," they will find no solace here. But then again, if we are to believe the critics, generations of scribes and scholars had already purée the true Word of God, centuries ago.

Peterson had decided to connect the remaining dots, but by using a rather wide brush. You lose the details, but the overall picture turned out pretty good.

But what should you do with it? It is not literal enough to be used as a study bible. You can't even find a specific verse, at least in this paperback version. If you need a simple version to use in a real bible study, may I recommend the NCV?

I think I would consider giving it to a young person, tween-aged-to-twenty-something, who has had no significant biblical exposure, but a mild, or potential, interest in knowing who Jesus is, and what He wants him or her to do with their life. Yeah, give them the book, with, perhaps, a tract on how the NT is laid out, and let them read it at their own pace, offering to answer any questions that might come up. If it sparks their interest, then they can eventually move up to a more literal translation. But if not, I don't think it would be the fault of this book.

As to some of the criticisms I have seen from other readers:

Yes, if you think calling Jesus "Master" is "New Age," then I guess it is. But guess what? If that young person has watched Saturday Morning cartoons during the last ten years, they already have been exposed to more "New Age" doctrine than you could ever imagine.

There have been those who say that this version is soft on sin, particularly on homosexuality. They apparently had not checked out its first chapter of Romans.

And yes, if you insist that we are saved by "faith alone," then this is definitely not the book for you. For example, in John 3:16, Peterson has resisted the trend in modern translations to escalate "should not perish," up, and out, to "will not perish."

Instead, he wrote: "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life."

I cannot find any more "serious" faults in this version of the Bible than I can in most others.

If it can get someone into Heaven, I will not stand in its way.

But I only gave it three stars because I think it has limited appeal, like bikes with training wheels.


Rating:
Summary: Very good...
Review: I wanted to give this book 5 stars but about a 5th of it was dry. The rest is just GOLD. I'll definatly consider this book for my personal ministry.

Rating:
Summary: Deceptive New Age Paraphrase of the Bible
Review: The Message is not a translation of biblical scripture. True translation is taking the original Greek and Hebrew texts, being very careful to preserve their true meaning as much as possible, word by word and phrase by phrase, while translating them into another language so that the exact meaning is kept intact, nothing is removed or added, and there is no discrepancy about what God is actually saying in the text. Anything outside of this is changes the true meaning of the Bible, and is re-wording God's Word. Please allow me to illustrate to you several terms that Mr. Peterson has used in his paraphrase that show that he did not directly translate the Greek and Hebrew text, and thus has changed not just God's actual meaning of key phrases and verses, but has removed key phrases from his paraphrase that directly change the actual words, phrases, and true message of God. This then makes The Message one man's interpretation and paraphrase rather than God's direct Word. Example 1: Please compare Matthew 6:9-13, the Lord's prayer, below with Mr. Peterson's version: Matthew 6:9-13 from the NIV:"Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation,But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. From The Message: "Our Father in heaven,Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best-As above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge!" Let me extract from Mr. Peterson's words, the phrase "As above, so below." This is the key phrase here that is not a direct translation of scripture, and it does not even come close. Here is why: This is a classic new-age term and phrase used widely in the new-age realm. It got its start, and has its main domain, in the new-age movement. It does not represent Christianity. If you do a Google search on the phrase you will see how many Wiccan, pagan, and new-age sites come up that use this phrase and its meaning. "As above, so below" agrees with the "immanent" new-age view that God is not only outside of creation, but also within creation. It means that God is "in" everyone and everything, and denotes the new-age concept of "One-ness." It is a pantheistic term. Pantheism has no place in Christianity or the Bible. It says all of the universe (the heavens and heaven), the cosmos, and the earth-everything existent in creation-is part of God, is one with God, and one with everything, in a form of new-age unity that opposes scripture and the true nature of God. From the new-age book written by Ronald S. Miller and the editors of "New Age Journal" titled "As Above, So Below": ..." 'As above, so below; as below, so above.' This maxim implies that the transcendent God beyond the physical universe and the immanent God within ourselves are one." Mr. Peterson should not be using this terminology to paraphrase the Bible when Christianity and God's terms and meanings are as opposite to the pagan new-age movement and their beliefs as night-time is to day-time. Mr. Peterson again presents a similar use of this new-age phrase in place of "in heaven" and "in earth" in Colossians 1:16: "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below..." Example 2: Mr. Peterson has directly removed key phrases and meanings from a lot of the scripture he has paraphrased. Let's look again at the Lord's prayer for a key example: The NIV: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come. The Message: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; "Hallowed be Your name" has been totally removed, and not even rephrased and added back in with the rest of his words. "Your kingdom come" has also been removed. This essentially takes the actual words and meaning which the Lord Jesus spoke and changes what He actually said. It removes the expressed, exact meaning, and therefore it removes the value of the written text. "Reveal who you are" and "Hallowed be Your name" are not even close to having the same distinct meaning to each other. "Your kingdom come" and "Set the world right" do not even come close to having the same distinct meaning. Jesus was speaking directly of the Father's kingdom; Mr. Peterson is talking about the world in his paraphrase. This re-phrasing of the Lord's prayer changes the Lord Jesus' spoken words and teaching into flimsy "requests" that He did not say. He was not making requests, He was teaching us, sinful people, how to we are to approach a pure and holy God in prayer. Mr. Peterson has changed the true meaning and character of the scripture here. This is not a translation of true text. No man has any right to do this. The Bible is clear about that. There is plenty of warning in the Bible about removing from or adding to God's words and His distinct meanings. For example, Deuteronomy 4:2 "You shall not add to the word which I command you to observe, nor take anything from it..." Deuteronomy 12:32 "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." Proverbs 30:5-6 "Every word of God is pure...Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar." Mr. Peterson has both added meanings that are not being represented by actual scripture and he has removed key phrases and meaning from the actual scripture, thus greatly changing the meaning in many parts. There are other verses that Mr. Peterson has done the same thing with as the examples above, but time does not allow for that here. Anyone can compare Mr. Peterson's words to the actual Word of God and see for themselves as a personal study. These are just a few examples of why Mr. Peterson's The Message should not be even referred to as a translation of the Bible. It is easy to accept and believe everything that comes along that is labeled "Christian", but the new-age movement is creeping into the Church and many Christians can't see it. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." What I would like to know is, if Mr. Peterson is a Christian then why did he choose to use the new-age phrase "as above, so below" and from what source did he get it from?

Rating:
Summary: Great translation!!!!
Review: This is one of the two bibles that I read. The Mass Market Edition is great for just flipping thru and randomly reading passages. It feels great in the hands and the pages move very smoothly. It's very readable and relateable to living life today. If you want to know how the bible was ment to be read this is it. It's so personal and down to earth. I can't have things beat around the bush and this goes right to the point. Get it and sit back and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Great translation!!!!
Review: This is one of the two bibles that I read. The Mass Market Edition is great for just flipping thru and randomly reading passages. It feels great in the hands and the pages move very smoothly. It's very readable and relateable to living life today. If you want to know how the bible was ment to be read this is it. It's so personal and down to earth. I can't have things beat around the bush and this goes right to the point. Get it and sit back and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: What a read!!
Review: This is such a cool translation of the Bible. I love the way it brings Jesus into such immediacy. Sometimes that awesome directness is clouded by stuffy translations. Now I know this is a paraphrase, and I wouldn't really recommend it for serious Bible study, but it is a great way to get into your Bible reading, especially if you're young and/or intimidated or put off by other translations. My only minor problem with The Message is that it doesn't do verse-by-verse numbering. Maybe that's not really feasible with this translation; I don't know. I can't wait for the rest of the Old Testament to be finished!!

Rating:
Summary: Strange
Review: While I haven't read the whole 'Message' I've read enough of it to know what I think of it. I'll tell you right off it's a strange and weird translation and I prefer the NIV or ESV Bible. But, if it is the only way some non-Christians can be brought to Christ, it is a tool for His Kingdom, yet be careful when using it as a witness tool. Some non-Christians, (especially ones who have never really been introduced to the Word of God,) will be confused about the completely modern language and think that the Bible was written by men alone. Then it becomes a tool for the kingdom of the prince of this world to use at will. Here on Amazon, you can look inside The Message. Look at it and decide for yourself.