The Message-MS [Leather Bound]

Eugene H. Peterson (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

EUGENE H. PETERSON is a pastor, scholar, writer, and poet. He has authored more than twenty books, including A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, The Contemplative Pastor, and Leap Over a Wall. He is Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Eugene founded Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he was the pastor for twenty-nine years. He lives with his wife, Jan, in Montana. They have three children and six grandchildren.

Product Details

• Leather Bound: 2272 pages
• Publisher: Navpress Publishing Group; 2 edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576832732
• ISBN-13: 978-1576832738
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,871,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God moves in mysterious ways..., March 25, 2006

By 

Pandra Selivanov "Pan" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Message-MS (Leather Bound)

I've read the reviews here and I'm impressed at the knowledge shown by many of the reviewers. I don't understand how they can be so smart and miss the whole point of The Message. Bible, paraphrase, collection of Bible stories, Peterson's personal opinion-whatever you want to call this book, it has the word of God coming through loud and clear. It's a book that says God loves us and it's a book that reaches people. What more do they want?

Personally I love the King James Version. I have a little checkbook sized copy I carry around with me, with all my favorite verses highlighted, and I read it every day. I love the language, the poetry, the imagery. I also love Shakespeare, but I don't let my love of the King James Version or Shakespeare cloud my judgement. There is a language barrier there. I believe it's a barrier worth overcoming, but some folks are not willing or able to make that effort. If they don't read Hamlet, it's not going to affect their immortal souls. If they miss God's word, they may not find salvation. It's as simple as that.

What's really funny about The Message and the negative reviewers is how they sound like the criticisms leveled at the King James Version when it first came out. Don't these intellectuals know there was a time when translating the Bible into English was banned by the church? Don't they know a lot of the King James Version New Testament is straight out of Tyndale's version, which was considered provocative and controversial? Don't they know the original Bible texts were not in English? There were a lot of people uneasy about the King James Version when it first came out-they didn't trust the common people to read the Bible for themselves. Looks like times have not changed. Personally, I agree with New Testament scholar J. Harold Greenlee when he says "No Christian doctrine...hangs upon a debatable text."

I like to read The Message side by side with the King James Version. I gave a copy of The Message to my son and he reads it and discusses the stories with me. When he has a question I am always ready with the King James Version. I recommend The Message to everyone I know-it reaches people and touches people and brings them to God.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great translation of the Bible, October 5, 2002

By 

Eve Chapman (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Message-MS (Leather Bound)

I love the message, contrary to popular opinion, Eugene Peterson has done an excellent job. I believe he has faithfully tranlsated the Scriptures. It is a great Bible to read for devotions, but i also admit that you need a bit more depthy Bible to study from. But it is a breat of fresh air when you read it. I can feel the emotions through the words chosen by Eugene Peterson. I am able to give it to non-Christians to read and they love it because it appeals to them.

It is an excellent paraphrase and just because it's a bit different to normal translations, it is still great for getting the overall message of the Bible. Keep an open mind while you read it, because it will challenge you, but don't right it off just because it's a bit different.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Study With This ...RELAX and ENJOY With This...!, October 24, 2002

By 

Christian E. Senftleben "christian__s" (Costa Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Message-MS (Leather Bound)

This is a great work. I love it and have spent a great deal of money on different editions. However, I agree with the person who wrote that it is more a running commentary than a Bible unto itself. I don't, however, agree that it "talks down" to the reader... rather, it seeks to bridge the culture gap AS WELL as the language gap. As such, we measure this work by its accuracy in INTENT rather than word-for-word correctness.

This should be a Bible for those intimidated and those overly-familiar. It speaks to all but particularly those of us in either camp ...it often happens simultaneously, strangely enough!