Customer Reviews

the word on the street

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I can't say enough good about this book. I own numerous bibles in all kinds of translations and have never felt like I was reading something that made sense. I could never retain what I'd read or make complete sense of it. None of the translations 'spoke' to me. When I read the first page, I was hooked! I read the entire Old Testament in 1 day - it was THAT easy to understand. I just couldn't put it down! It reads like I hear todays kids talk (and I have 3 teenagers) so I understood it and it felt like I was there. Passages that I THOUGHT I understood before, became surprisingly clearer after reading them from this book. I was continuously thiinking "Hmmm. So that's what that meant!". It was one light bulb going off after another. The whole thing just flows like a history lesson or something.

I read parts of it to a friend at work and within 5 minutes, the break room was packed with people listening. They were even sitting on the floor. When I'd finish, they'd ask me to read something else. Have you ever had that response from reading the bible? I haven't until now! This will be the best money you spend.

Reading these back-and-forth reviews, I can only snicker. It seems that those who aren't saved will see the most benefit in this paraphrase. Yeah, it's not an actual translation, and yeah, it takes some risque leaps to reach it's reader. It "rocks the boat" as it were. As I read the previous reviews it struck me that the ones who hate it are most guilty of the Laodicea address in Revelation. Seems to me all Jesus himself did was rock the boat. It also strikes me that the very people who hate this parphrase do so because of their lack of ability to be zealous Christians. Hey! Do whatever it takes to reach people! Stop protesting every time something new comes along. Go with it. Otherwise you're standing still and in no way effective in these times that demand every effort possible. THAT being said:

This is the bible re-written the way our culture today talks. Period. Here's my favorite verse:

"Timothy 3:1-6 You must understand this: In the last days there will be violent periods of time. People will be selfish and love money. They will brag, be arrogant, and use abusive language. They will curse their parents, show no gratitude, have no respect for what is holy, and lack normal affection for their families. They will refuse to make peace with anyone. They will be slanderous, lack self-control, be brutal, and have no love for what is good. They will be traitors. They will be reckless and conceited. They will love pleasure rather than God. They will appear to have a godly life, but they will not let its power change them. Stay away from such people. Some of these men go into homes and mislead weak-minded women who are burdened with sins and led by all kinds of desires."

That's from "God's Word" translation, and although not bad, still reads like a bible. Which for someone considering God for the first time, may be a bit over-whelming. Here's Rob Lacey's re-write:

"Don't say I didn't warn you: Before it all gets wrapped up, there'll be some ugly stuff going around. People will have multiple love affairs, with themselves, with money... They'll be cocky, arrogant, mouthy. They'll ignore their parents. "Thanks" won't be in their vocab. They'll fit it in with the rest of the hate-culture. They'll only bother to talk if it's malicious. They'll only get off their backsides for a good scrap. Good things give them the creeps; they'll jump ship when it suits them; they do whatever when it suits them and they're so full of themselves they can't take any criticism on board. They'll love the next high more than God. They'll go through motions of relgion, but it'll be unplugged - God's power will be off at the mains. Don't waste your time on them."

If this doesn't make things CLEAR, nothing will. Rob cuts out the noise of endless litanys designed to connect the dots between Jesus and David and other lineage tirads. He also cuts out antiquated - page after page - Old Testament Rules that were fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament and summarizes them (and when he does so, notes that it is his doing as if the bold print isn't enough).

Rob took every precaution to not only write this book as if he were addressing someone who had never read the bible before, but to ensure that they new bits and pieces had been omitted and for more info they should refer to the MASTER EDITION.

As for those of you offended? Well, the Pharisees were CONSTANTLY offended by Jesus who hung out with tax collectors and whores. And probably WOULD have referenced "Strip Poker" had it been culturally relative.

I bought The Word on the Street this summer on a friend's suggestion, and was pretty skeptical. Paraphrasing the Bible, is that good? I was pleasantly suprised, TWOTS is really interesting. Sometimes, as I'm sure many Christians do, I struggle to find out what a passage really means. Lacey breaks it down quite well, and the imagery and wording he uses is comedic and poetic at times. The Psalms and New Testament are especially great to read. Still, you can't take it 100% at face value because Rob Lacey is not God. Be sure to consult God first before relying on this book to explain passages, I made that mistake. I think it's an interesting interpretation of The Word, and could be a useful evangelism tool.

Can't tell you how many people have picked my copy up and couldn't put it down; even the minister's wife. ALL have enjoyed it.

Fundamentalists beware - This is a paraphrase, NOT a translation. The youth are the target audience. Therefore, you will sometimes see Jesus referred to as "coach" instead of "teacher", mainly because most kids today respect their coaches as mentors more than their teachers. Therefore, the intended message of that particular passage will click better. That's just one example. It's called Word On The Street, because it's written in the "street language" of kids today. They can identify with it better. They can always dive deeper into literal tranlsations later. Let's get the point of the story across first, in words that make sense to THEM.

I'm the Sunday school teacher for the junior-high kids. After hearing a passage from the King James version, I asked them to tell me what the story was about. Responses were typical: Down cast eyes, starring at the floor, speaking in barely audible tones, "There was a judge, or something, and a widow, or something, and she was mad, or something..." Then, I read the same passage from Word On The Street. You should have seen all of the light bulbs come on. Heads raised up, frowns turned into smiles, eyes started sparkling, "Now I get it. Now I know what they're talking about. That's much clearer and makes much more sense than the other book." They were excited about the lesson. Usually, I have a hard time getting them to engage. Today, I can't get them to shut up.

So, no it's not a "real" Bible. But if it get's them to reach for one, and suspect it will, it's done its job.

If you are or work with someone who has little or no experience with the church, the book is the most useful thing I've come across. Non-Christians of our day DO NOT understand churchy language...words like sin, redemption, consecration, justification, etc. So this book is a great starting point to get across the STORY of the Bible without having to stop every 2 minutes to explain a word (doing that only leaves the reader more confused anway). This was not meant to be THE Bible. It is not another translation, so don't criticize it on that. I have found this book to be surprisingly accurate, even pointing out minor details in order to better explain the story. Readers will come away with a full understanding of the Bible story by reading for a few hours. Lacey hopes to spark these readers to then pick up the real Bible to examine the details.

I just want to emphasize my excitement with this book. I work with unchurched at-risk teenagers who usually suffer from some kind of learning disorder, at least dyslexia. I've tried reading the Bible with them but they can't even explain one verse after they read it. One of my girls read 3 paragraphs in Word on the Street and she understood the point completely! I honestly call that a miracle, and she is excited about studying God's story using this book! Really, what could be better than getting a teenager excited about learning about God??!!

I like this book, but I wish it had all the books in it and not left portions of scripture out. Maybe a version 2?

Absolutely awesome paraphrase. I've been a Youth Leader for 3 years, and this is great! Written in modern language as the youth of today understand. Definitely a paraphrase, but doesn't skimp on real message; uses additional explanations and commentary. Both British and American editions - make sure you get correct edition for your audience.

I bought this for my wife because other versions had a somnolent effect on her (she's not much into reading). After a casual perusal of some passages in this book, I came to the conclusion, after some initial hesitation, that this paraphrased and abridged version of the Bible is just as much God's word as the KJV, or any other version, just as no one would condemn a bumper sticker with John 3:16 written on it, and say that it's not God's Word because it's not there in its entirety. And it expresses God's Word in a way that is relevant to a modern audience. So I felt good about purchasing it.

Compared to some older versions, for instance the KJV, which contains a swear word (p**s) and is based on more recent manuscripts, this version should offend no one (other than purists) with its simple style and message.

I know that there may be people who say that the Bible should not be added to or taken away from, citing Revelation, and I used to think like that, but I have come to realise that these verses were refering to the book of Revelation, and to its message, not the specific wording in which it is conveyed. If I wanted to be pedantic, I could say that, based on the purist kind of reasoning, no other version would be safe other than the original Greek! My verdict is, if it contains the same message as other Bibles, that Christ died on a cross and rose again, and the importance of faith in Him, then it is God's Word. And this does. In the end, it's the message that's important, not the wording.

My wife enjoys reading it, and I think that's better than her not reading the Bible at all.

Quite a unique paraphrase of the Holy Bible. Rob Lacey does do an excellent job at capturing the minds of post-moderns who may have never read the Bible or young adults who may have never understood the story of God. This gives a clear picture as to the story, just don't rely on it for the details.

i highly recommend this "Bible" to anyone who longs to get into the Word of God but longs for a version in our current tongue. This bible is great for adding new life to stories we've heard over and over;however, it shouldn't be replaced for the real Bible. Buy it!!!