Eugene Peterson's The Message

Hello all!  It's been a while, but God has been good.  I have been inspired to discuss some important topics.

I'm attempting to research The Message by Eugene Peterson (The Bible in Contemporary Language).  I know I'm a few years behind, but I have yet to research The Message for myself and see if it is really a trustworthy translation of Scripture or if it's something a little more sinister.  My friends, mentors, and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are all torn on this issue, so I feel it's important to discuss.

It's become clear to me that The Message is becoming a standard part of the Christian experience.  Many churches and Bible studies quote The Message and call it God's Word.  The effective marketing around The Message aims it toward young adults and "the average person", presumably one who is not familiar with Christian lingo.  This means that this version has permeated popular culture.  The Message is not going away any time soon.  


Despite Eugene Peterson's personal statement that The Message should be considered a "reading Bible" and not a "study Bible", people seem to be treating this version as THE Bible, and claiming that those who don't trust it are at best close-minded and at worst legalistic.

Now, I've seen great teachers argue over the slightest word change in the more standard Bible versions.  It seems that those who have studied the ancient text know the subtleties of the language and the danger a misrepresentation could pose.  Most of the Bible versions I have read have an entire committee of scholars, pastors, and editors that have spent endless hours pouring over every individual word of the text so that these discrepancies do not occur.  These scholars have a reverence about their work; they are accountable for their translation.  They seem to believe that there is no difference between a "reading Bible" and a "study Bible".  God's Word is life or death and is not to be taken lightly.

So the most nagging question in my mind is, why does Eugene Peterson claim to have the education and skills to translate the entire Bible on his own, and dramatically different from everyone else?  But the most important question is: can believers and unbelievers alike take from The Message and know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?

There are three main arguments I can see about The Message, and they are mutually exclusive.  If one is true, the others cannot be true simultaneously:
1) The Message is a trustworthy and divinely-appointed translation of Scripture.  The paraphrases do not take away from essential doctrine.
2) The Message is at best a human book inspired by Scripture.  Its purpose is to lead people to Truth, and encourage them to read the real Bible.
3) The Message is a deceptive version of Scripture that is infesting our youth and our churches.  It will eventually be accepted as a standard Biblical version, and doctrine will be based on it because it is accepted as a Bible by publishers and pastors alike.


I intent to research these questions and arguments to the best of my ability.  I imagine I will learn a lot about other versions of the Bible along the way.  During my initial stages of research, I have seen some pretty severe claims against The Message.  What disappoints me is that most of the propaganda against The Message appears to be wildly biased and some claims against the character of Eugene Peterson are unsubstantiated.  The propaganda I've seen so far supporting The Message is based on Peterson's accurate translation of the ancient text, quotes from popular and trusted Christian superstars supporting this version, and some very clever marketing.  


At this point in time, I do not fall into any of these 3 camps above.  I am researching, and I pray that my quest will be untainted by bias.  I have no agenda; I simply seek truth.   I hope that what I find can help others as well.


If you have questions or arguments as well, please do not hesitate to leave a comment or email me at thegodfiles@gmail.com.

My book review of Masters & Slayers by author Bryan Davis

Masters & Slayers is the first book in the adult fantasy series called Tales of Starlight, which comes out September 14, 2010. There is a corresponding young adult series called Dragons of Starlight, the first book of which is Starlighter. Starlighter is also a fabulous read, and it is published already by Zondervan. It's really amazing to read both series simultaneously, as it is told by different perspectives with different adventures centering around one major event. There is certain information you gain in one series that you do not necessarily gain in the other. I think this is a great and creative touch by Bryan Davis, as he knows that many times a parent is fully engaged in reading the young adult story and does not want to read duplicate, limited facts about a particular world or species. These worlds are extremely well developed. I still feel as if I have yet to scratch the surface.

I found the characters to be some of the most exciting parts of the novel, as they had some compelling development. The main characters' personalities are distinct and some defy the average archetype of gender roles and gender expectations. The evil character was not your typical obvious villain either; he was particularly calculating and scary in his "logical" thought process. Readers will really enjoy when information about a character's past is revealed, it weaves an intricate web of the character's life and allows the reader to predict what actions they will take next. Whether they are correct in their predictions is another story altogether!

This book was correctly labeled for adults, as it deals with many gray areas of morality and difficult choices that stimulate a lot of higher level thinking. But this is precisely what made the book a fascinating read for me. I often found myself wondering what I would do in these sorts of situations, and what would have happened if the character had made a different choice. Sometimes I honestly could not answer myself, as the content matter would sometimes include difficult adult-only appropriate situations, like gruesome deaths and rape. These are, of course, shed in the proper light and shown as evil. I would not recommend that a child read this book for these reasons; that is another great reason why Starlighter exists for young adults.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to the long-time Bryan Davis fans and any new fans that are bound to crop up. Anyone expecting this Christian author to present predictable black and white situations with a cliché moral message is in for a shock! Expect to be drawn in to a new world, weeping for the lost and abused and cheering on the heroes who would do anything to save them.