2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. One lady, a former church leader, reportedly lay awake all night wrestling with the issue. for his names sake. I also showed church leaders other occult words in The Message such as Light-bearers and Divine Guardians. When did Paul write this? Some scholars, like Michael J. Gorman, consider some of Peterson's idiomatic renderings unconventional. 13 And lead us not into temptation, I would sit alone on a sofa with no one ready to converse with me. They read a passage of The Message that theyve written down or read it from an app on their cell phone. A word-for-word translation like the ESV translates this as Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkeys colt!, The Living Bible translates this as, Dont be afraid of your King, people of Israel, for he will come to you meekly, sitting on a donkeys colt! Taylors use of dont be afraid is evidence that he does not realize that the common Hebrew expression of fear not means to have confidence.. God bless. Only the Bible is authoritative and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, as made clear in 2 Timothy 3:16. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom.". The New International I am thankful that Gods grace is sufficient enough for you, me and Eugene Peterson because God is the only one that knows the heart. He instead uses the 1901 American Standard Version as his foundation. One need only look at how the cultural mindset of those who use the Message tends towards a theologically liberal or completely postmodern way of looking at things. Amen. This is clearly what Eugene Peterson is looking at, since otherwise the prayer should end after deliver us from evil, or as the paraphrase puts it (I hesitate to call it a paraphrase, since a true paraphrase keeps the original thought intact), keep us safe from ourselves and the devil. I would point out that theres a huge difference between deliverance and keeping safe. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men all lust, no love. Verse Concepts. 3) The Message encourages laziness in Biblical interpretation, since it reads like a novel it does not force the reader to slow down and think things through and is a completely inappropriate book to use in the study of the scriptures. Taylors bias also leads to omitting text in key passages that do not fit his Arminian worldview, such as his deceptive repackaging of Acts 4:27-28, Acts 13:48, and Romans 8:28-29. your rod and your staff, It is specifically targeted toward U.S. English . 4 Even though I walk I so appreciate your comment, when reading the message bible which is use In my church along with the NIV and both are use, I found it to be valuable to understanding Gods word it not replacing the Bible , it all about evolving period! ", The Message reads: "Worse followed. Ephesians 2:2 reminds us of a time when we were walking according to the way of this world. That's not to say that the Bible contains no truths worthy of study. Look for Part 2 of this article, where we will review the top 5 Bible translations to use. Further the Message adds to the text (something forbidden by scripture) there is nothing in there speaking about any of Gods attributes at the end to the prayer, and I have no idea where he got that Yes. I ended up hearing The Message defined as all kinds of things to try to dismiss the problem that it tampered with scripture a practice which the Bible itself condemns. .". A man who has strong convictions, who speaks out boldly for God's truth, if he's not careful can become harsh or unkind. Remember almost the entire word is deceived. Thats my journey at the moment and I am trusting My Lord to guide me, not man! Okay to get to the point, desire for the truth even if it means finding out everything you ever thought to be true was not, and you will, then asking Yahweh (God) to unblind you and guide you to the truth as you search for it and for protection from satanic deception so you wont be deceived. Authored by Eugene H. Peterson and published in segments from 1993 to 2002, [2] the MSG falls on the extreme dynamic end of the dynamic and formal equivalence spectrum. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. However, as a very free paraphrase, it is sometimes powerful and brilliant while at other times it is seriously off target. It's no wonder the Bible consistently warns against it. I am not alone. This is not a study Bible, but rather ""a reading Bible."" The verse numbers, which are not in the original documents, have been left out of the print version to facilitate easy and enjoyable reading. However, with a number of passages warning of the erosion of faith in the last days, theres a rather strong motive to contend for the faith by insisting on an accurate Bible (Jude 3). And light appeared. Let's look at Leviticus 18:22, first in the ESV, a conservative evangelical translation, then in The Message. When bestows glory on anything, its beautiful. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Millions, if not billions of people, base their . In Luke 9:61-62, we read of Jesus' conversation with a person who wanted to follow Him, but was denied due to this reason. The Old Testament teaches that believers are defiled by their attempts at communicating with the dead, a practice that is detestable to God. They attempt to validate their erroneous theological claims by editing the Bible as they see fit. There are sections where the message really brings an idea into easy-to-understand language, but for me there is far too much dumbing down and softening of scripture. And there were other translation before the KJ Bible. I read your article, with interest. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The translators of the CEV prove their exegetical incompetence with confusing and illogical translations of verses, such as their handling of Acts 9:22. Dont let your guard down or forget that at any moment you can be deceived. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. None of those individuals ever identified themselves to me and to this day I dont know who they were. The Message Bible Good vs. By dictionary definition, power is the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Like you, I too have had a past of far left and far right exposure politically and spiritually but these days I am where Jesus was Render unto Caesar what is Caesars and unto God what us Gods Follow the Great Commission. Although most of these translations are not in wide use today, some are commonly used and unfortunately many fail to accurately and faithfully preserve the Word of God. This eventually led to the Reformation led by Martin Luther. We were breathing in polluted unbelief and exhaling disobedience. Clean Up Your Email. Eventually and with prayer other people in the church started to get disquieted by The Message. Its always better to refer to Scripture than to quote any pastor, preacher, biblical scholar, theological professor, etc., no matter where they are in their walk with Christ. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, 41,316 Views. You cannot say that just because divination is used in human sacrifice, it is evil. 4:29) The Mess routinely speaks "corrupt communication" with some curse words in its pages.This is just one example.. This, again, is a great weakness of The Message: It sometimes produces beautifully phrased lines at the expense of the truth of Scripture. In this article, we will discuss why it may be dangerous for ones understanding of the Christian faith and message. But nowhere in Scripture is sound thinking discouraged. A church that uses the Message, is a church that has let culture invade the Kingdom. Perhaps you can give me a link to read it? It wasnt too long ago that we were stuck in this stagnant life of sin, but thankfully, God has given us a new life through Jesus Christ. Keep pressing into the Lord! People at my church had seemingly fallen in love with The Message and I was chucking a big rock in their pool. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Bible translations will vary between these three categories and it is important to know which translation falls into which category, along with other attributes that will make the translation either a faithful representation of the original, infallible, and inerrant Word of God or a misleading book posing as a Bible. The answer to why people spend so much time studying the Bible is simple: it is the Word of God! God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss. . The men who spied out Canaan had returned to Israel's camp and reported that the Promised Land had giants. 1) The Message (MSG) - This translation is a paraphrase by Eugene Peterson. Although it is a . Through Jesus Christ, we have been freed from the bondage of sin and death. 1) The Message (MSG) - This translation is a paraphrase by Eugene Peterson. Psalm 119:1-2. Amen.. The Message translation adds an extra layer of meaning by suggesting that having a generous eye is a way of showing respect for Gods truth. Jesus is warning the people that they must repent and turn away from their sins if they want to be saved from Gods judgement. According to NavPress, publisher of Eugene Peterson's The Message The Bible in Contemporary Language, there have been over 10,000,000 readers of The Message. Human pride and boasting are utterly foolish and a great danger before this righteous God (2:11-17; 10:33; 13:11; 16:6; 23:9; 28:1-4). In this powerful message, Pastor Doug investigates a very real threat facing the church in the last days: Satan's plan to neutralize the transforming power of the gospel. But use it with caution: It is, by design, a very free paraphrase. For instance, the English Standard Version, a word for word literal translation puts the Lord's Prayer, from Matthew 6 as: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Biblical scholars can do real spiritual harm by casually dismissing the texts that students hold dear. The scene in Oslo after Christian terrorist, Anders Breivik, struck. We should remember that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Its an important doctrinal point that the modern church seems to have largely forgotten. 11 Give us today our daily bread. Ignorant people are either unaware or uninformed. On the two occasions when I have since heard it used, the speakers havent disclosed the name of the book they are reading from. It confirms science, reveals the Messiah, and proves that it is supernatural in origin. Hope youll give us another try and check out some other articles. However, as a very free paraphrase, it is sometimes powerful and brilliant while at other times it is seriously off target. Rare a member that actually brings a Bible and there are none available in the pews. I showed him the many websites that spring up connecting this phrase to Satanism and other forms of the occult. Authored by Eugene H. Peterson and published in segments from 1993 to 2002. Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. HE did say murder is a sin, which is ending the life of another human. There is a tool for every job. Seventh day Adventists is wrong. Ultimately, God is the judge and we are not. (For the record, Paul was not saying here that homosexual couples are incapable of love or that all homosexuals are sex fiends. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. A couple of church leaders also began to express concerns about the content. North Korea - In this totalitarian state, the only thing that North Koreans are permitted to worship is the nation's leader, Kim Jong-un. Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; They concluded that Eugene Peterson had indeed made a decision to insert occultic words into the book but they still chose to read from it! Translation Comparison - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Former Pastor: If there is a God, does he even make a difference? We can get a glimpse of the strengths and weaknesses of The Messageby looking at how Dr. Peterson treated a number of key verses dealing with homosexual practice. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. Death Valley, How do we know which book - The Bible, the Apocrypha, the Qur'an, the Book of Mormon, etc. Your kingdom come, Thought-for-thought presents the intended meaning of the author, which the original audience would have understood during the time the writing was originally created. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Jonathan Kotyk is a student, self taught philosopher, recovering addict and born again Christian. I told the minister that if they kept on reading passages from this book over me, I would stand up in the service and expose it. Often when Im studying the scriptures, I will read 3 or 4 versions (and I use the word version: to include Versions, Translations and Paraphrases or Commentaries). (23 October 2018). 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Paraphrase is often written by a single author who translates the Bible in their own words, sometimes not even using the original biblical languages as a foundation. Heather, theres more to it than that. Instead, they must be kind and gentle and not love money. Since it is more of a commentary than a real Bible, it does not have the same effect of cutting into the depths of the heart. ", Nothing is watered down here, and the paraphrase is close and fair. through the darkest valley, Youre in charge! 1. Here's Warren's 10 Scriptural Reasons Why Jesus Calling is a Dangerous Book, reprinted with permission: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. they comfort me. Yes. from. Jesus promises his disciples a reward in heaven for being persecuted and falsely accused in his name. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Jesus referred to sinners as a brood of vipers to remind people that sin can be deceptive and hard to recognize, and that they should strive for righteousness if they want to avoid Gods punishment. We no longer need to be slaves to the ways of this world; instead, we can walk according to Gods will and purpose for our lives. In Matthew 3:7, Jesus speaks to the people and calls them a brood of vipers. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. Ephesians 2:2 serves as a reminder that although it may seem like a distant memory, there was once a time when we walked according to the way of this world but now, thanks be to God, we are free! For a fair assessment of Dr. Peterson's comments and retraction this week, see Bill Muehlenberg's article here. The Message translation additionally suggests that people may reject Jesus teaching because the truth is too close for comfort. Apparently, she told the minister that she couldnt see why it mattered that Eugene Peterson changed Gods words. Rooted in his "translation" philosophy, Peterson has produced a "Message" which is nothing more than a commentary published as a translation. . But, to repeat: It should neverbe used as your primary Bible, since it is not a translation of the Bible but rather a free paraphrase of the Bible. as above, so below. He is further identified as the son of Amoz (Isaiah 1:1). The Message Bible is a paraphrase version of the Bible. I reminded them that we are told to have no fellowship with darkness (Ephesians 5:11) which should mean we dont use that book as a resource. Trust God to reveal truth to in Love, Solomon had clear instruction from the Lord not to marry foreign wives, but he chose . This is why HE he stated that the Sabbath was made for man, man wasnt made for the Sabbath. The Bible reveals that psychic experiences are real but demonic, and that deceiving . The goal of The Message is to engage people in the reading process and help them understand what they read. ", In TheMessagethis becomes, "Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Peterson's Approach Yields a Commentary. You are wondering about the question why the message bible is dangerous but currently there is no answer, so let kienthuctudonghoa.com summarize and list the top articles with the question. So, if the Bible is the Word of God, and God is perfect, it follows that the Bible must be perfect, too. I still get what The Holy Spirit is teaching me and have benefited Spiritually by it.. I hope this list has been helpful and will steer you in the right direction as to which Bible translations are profitable for training you up in righteousness. One person stormed up to me and demanded that I send her no more emails. Eugene Petersons translation of The Message removes this idea of worrying about paying for clothing and instead warns against vanity and attention to fancy clothing. Petersons lax handling of the Word of God results in stifled messages that are far less impactful than the original God-breathed directive. The Message is a spiritually dangerous book, especially for new Christians who dont know anything about the faith or are just starting to investigate it and as it is there is already a huge amount of false teaching out there, like the Word Faith movement, the New Apostolic Reformation, Jehovahs Witnesses, Hebrew Israelites, and so on. He acted out of grace in Exodus. The Message loses the idea of an evil demonic power in these verses. Required fields are marked *. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. My answer to the question remains the same today as it has always been: The Messageis not a translation and should not be used as your primary Bible. The abandonment of the King James Bible by our churches has not been a good thing. 26 Comments
It is written in a conversational style with contemporary language, making it easier for readers to relate to on a personal level. Gossip always distorts and exaggerates, and is never a reliable source of truth. 16 "Stay alert. In this case, divination is completely neutral. I began to show up where The Message had taken from, added to, and twisted scriptures in the particular passage that had been recited during the church service also explaining why those changes fitted a New Age and politically correct agenda. "[4], The Message was translated by Peterson from the original languages. Yes. In his book on Bible reading, Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson writes about his motivations in writing The Message. Taylors lack of understanding of Hebrew and Greek and absent use of the original manuscripts has led to disingenuous passages and verses such as his translation of John 12:15. Thats why officials must have a good reputation and be faithful in marriage. Again, the attempt to make a translation that is simple for anyone comes at the cost of containing misleading text, such as claiming the Holy Spirit actually replaces Jesus (John 14:26) and gender-neutralizing Pauls instructions for a pastor (1 Timothy 3:1-5). August 23, 2017
On the other hand, a man oozing with love and compassion can err by tolerating everything and everyone, thus compromising God's truth. How do we know the Bible is not just a fairy tale? Joe, this is an incredible story that you shared. And the word "abhorrent" is as good a rendering of the Hebrew as is "abomination. I believe that Gods people searchin n praying to Holy Spirit to guide us in understanding. Im not afraid ( Matthew 24:4-5) Just want to point out that Matthew 6 commonly includes a footnote now where it used to continue the prayer. "Eugene H. Peterson, 85, Scholar Turned Homespun Pastor, Dies". [2] It is a highly idiomatic translation, using contemporary slang from the US rather than a more neutral International English, and it falls on the extreme dynamic end of the dynamic and formal equivalence spectrum. " MARGARET FEINBERG, AUTHOR OF FIGHT BACK WITH JOY "The Message is original and refreshing. One of the most dangerous Bible revisions on the market today is "THE MESSAGE." This horrible PERversion which butchers the Word of God was published in 2002. . and send me in the right direction. Blog, Bible Message / January 12, 2023 by Karen Correia / Leave a Comment. Yes, God did use the koine or common Greek dialect of the first century. An overwhelming number of these translations suffer from the strong bias of an unfaithful group of translators. Good for you, Simon son of John! answered Jesus. They must be self-controlled, sensible, well-behaved, friendly to strangers, and able to teach. To be fair, a more accurate comparison might be to the Jehovas I have read and listened the audio of many different translation of the bible. Updated Jan 9, 2023. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Why The Message bible should not be used It is not the Word of God! The Bible is a dangerous book, though by no means an evil one. At one point, I emailed as many people in the church whose email addresses I could find, showing the problems with the book. Compare Micah 3:5 in the MESSage bible to the King James Bible and others. Sometimes we are ignorant because we did not know there was a need to learn something. Keep us alive with three square meals. There are words in every language that does and does not exist in another language. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Where secrecy is removed, gossip is hampered. 12 And forgive us our debts, Excellent observations on The Message. Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, "Introduction to the New Testament, from The Message", "2006 Christian Book Awards Winners - Bibles category", Eugene Peterson interview at a U2 fansite, The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts, Jewish Publication Society of America Version, New Jewish Publication Society of America Tanakh, New English Translation of the Septuagint, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Message_(Bible)&oldid=1142387790, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., North Park Theological Seminary (chair), Richard E. Averbeck, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Bryan E. Beyer, Columbia International University, Duane A. Garrett, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Donald R. Glenn, Dallas Theological Seminary, Paul R. House, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, John N. Oswalt, Asbury Theological Seminary, Prescott H. Williams Jr., Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, William W. Klein, Denver Seminary (chair), Moises Silva, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Rodney A. Whitacre, Trinity School of Ministry. Your article caught my eye because The Message has never sat well with me, precisely because, as you point out, it is a paraphrase and not a formal translation. Copyright 2023, The Bottom Line Ministries. Isaiah was born in 760 B.C. He outlined his grace in Leviticus. He gives me new strength. God spoke: "Light!" Faith
In sum, my view today of The Messageis the same as it has been for years, unchanged by the controversial events of this week. People dont see the name of the book. They must not be heavy drinkers or troublemakers. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches. Danger #2 "False guilt". However, Taylor does not follow the typical biblical translation process of using the original language manuscripts to create his translation. Schedule I: Drugs with no current medical use with high potential for abuse and/or addiction.