The Message - Clarified

About six years ago, my husband was sitting with the teens in his Sunday School group, taking turns reading passages of Scripture for the lesson.  Another leader began reading, and before she was finished, the room erupted in the uncomfortable laughter of disbelief when she read the words "barbecue beef."  No one else in the room had a Bible that used that wording, making it unexpected, and so informal and contemporary that the distraction of it completely derailed the rest of the lesson. He was mortified that it caused the youth to mock the Bible, as they snidely repeated the phrase over and over. 

It was the first time we became aware that The Message, a casually worded paraphrase from Eugene Peterson, was being used as a replacement for the Bible by average believers in the church.  We did some initial digging to see if there were more ridiculous or dangerous word choices, and were quite surprised not as much at what we did find, but more with what we didn't. 

Then came Rick Warren's 40 Days of Purpose, and all of a sudden, pastors were taking his cue and "mixing it up" with not only Bible versions, but books like The Message to illustrate their sermons.  I thought we were safe, but when our Baptist pastor used The Message from the pulpit, I knew this was a serious problem and sought God's wisdom in the matter. 

It used to be a lot harder to cherry pick the Scriptures, but thanks to Warren's "find the version that says it best" approach, pastors and teachers around the world are now free to twist and contort God's Word to suit their every whim.  But this blog is not about Rick Warren. I'm not out to accuse any one person, not even Eugene Peterson.

No - this blog is a chronicle of my journey through a book I don't want to read.  I've already seen enough to know that The Message is not for me.  Apparently though, God has a different idea.  He has made it perfectly clear to me that He wants me to read The Message and compare it to the NIV.  The Holy Spirit will show me the things He wants brought to light.  I'll be honest and admit that I have no idea if this type of research has already been done - actually, I'm pretty sure it has.  That's not really my concern.  It's my job to do the task I've been given, and I'm going to use this blog to keep track of my progress. (I will not engage in any debate about the NIV - I'm using it as my comparison because it's been the number one selling version for years, and because it's the one I could get in a side-by-side print copy with the Message.)

I'm not a scholar, but neither are probably 97% of all the people who own a copy of The Message.  I am literate, and that makes me qualified to take this on.  I am a Christian, unlike at least 30% of all the people who own a copy of The Message, and from what I've seen in my preliminary research, if all they read is The Message, they are likely to miss the point entirely and run the tragic risk of never being convicted of their sin and need for the saving blood of Jesus.

I understand that The Message is quite popular, I know it has entire endcaps dedicated to its various incarnations in every Christian bookstore in the country.  I know that the very existence of this blog will anger a great many people, and that's ok.  I know that great teachers like Beth Moore and Angela Thomas hold Eugene Peterson up on a pedestal and have no problem using The Message as if it were a version of the Bible. I am doing this comparison regardless of these things, because I was directed to.  If, as I read and compare, the Spirit shows me that I'm wrong, and The Message is not misleading and potentially dangerous, I'll happily admit it.  You may not believe me, but I'd actually like nothing better than to be proven wrong. 

I don't fault anyone for using The Message as a study aid, alongside a valid translation of the Bible, in fact, I can see how it would be helpful in many instances.  I do believe that there is a danger in the new trend of referring to The Message as a version, or translation of the Bible.  It is not.  Mr. Peterson himself is careful to remind readers that it is a paraphrase. 

Decades ago in 1971, another paraphrase shook up theological circles, The Living Bible, Paraphrase by Kenneth Taylor.  It too is filled with interesting word choices, some embarrassing, some profane, and it too became a runaway best seller.  After it was widely accepted regardless of its issues, in 1989 Tyndale embarked on the most expensive translation project in history, and put 90 scholars to work revising Taylor's book to give us the New Living Translation.  To this day, my mom prefers her Living Bible - I only mention the Living Bible and it's story to point out that a one man paraphrase of Scriptures is not a new idea.  Nor is it new that a one man paraphrase has problems.  The Message needs the 90 scholar treatment, but we can't wait until 2015 to get started.  Time grows short, friends.  We very well may be the last generation.  We can't afford to be peddling Bibles that don't do their job.

Pastors should be fully aware of what The Message is before they endorse it from their pulpits.  They have the ultimate responsibility to filter all resources for their congregations, but in today's busy world, they must rely on the recommendation of trusted or popular national teachers, or trust the reputation of publishers.  When those sources become unreliable, pastors are left exposed, as they have been in the case of The Message.  I hope that this blog will be a resource and an eye-opener for any pastors and teachers who happen across it.

I also hope that any nonbelievers who choose to follow this blog will be shown the way to the cross and shown their dire need for the redemption and forgiveness it brings.

I do not wish to be contentious or divisive with this endeavor.  I hope that is understood and respected.

Good journey...
Mikayla Kayne