Posted on 08/11/2019 10:21:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In the aftermath of Eugene Peterson's controversial remarks about homosexuality, followed by his retraction, many have asked me if they should still use The Message.
My answer to the question remains the same today as it has always been: The Message is not a translation and should not be used as your primary Bible. However, as a very free paraphrase, it is sometimes powerful and brilliant while at other times it is seriously off target.
We can get a glimpse of the strengths and weaknesses of The Message by looking at how Dr. Peterson treated a number of key verses dealing with homosexual practice. This is a useful place to start, given the controversy currently surrounding this popular, 84-year-old, Christian author.
Let's look at Leviticus 18:22, first in the ESV, a conservative evangelical translation, then in The Message.
The ESV reads: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."
The Message reads: "Don't have sex with a man as one does with a woman. That is abhorrent."
Nothing is watered down here, and the paraphrase is close and fair. And the word "abhorrent" is as good a rendering of the Hebrew as is "abomination."
Next, we'll compare Romans 1:26-27.
The ESV reads: "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."
The Message reads: "Worse followed. 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. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men — all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it — emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches."
Dr. Peterson's paraphrase here is vivid and powerful, with nothing watered down or weakened, describing the most debased aspects of homosexual practice in stark, clear terms. (For the record, Paul was not saying here that homosexual couples are incapable of love or that all homosexuals are sex fiends. He is emphasizing how these same-sex acts are flatly contrary to God's design and also explaining how, historically, the human race was given over to idolatry and sin.)
When it comes to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, The Message is not clear at all, but I don't think it's because Dr. Peterson was trying to water down the two Greek terms used for homosexual practice. Instead, he became way too cute with words in general, taking away from the clarity of the original and even introducing some foreign concepts. This displays The Message at its worst, and it's another reminder as to why we should never use it as our primary Bible.
As translated in the ESV, Paul wrote, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? 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."
In The Message this becomes, "Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. 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."
So, The Message does speak about those who "use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex," but what in the world does that mean?
If you're reading the ESV (or most other translations) and you're sleeping with your girlfriend or committing adultery with your neighbor's spouse or practicing homosexuality, Paul's words will hit you between the eyes: "Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality . . . will inherit the kingdom of God."
If you're reading The Message, it will go right over your head: "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."
In fact, you might even turn to your partner as you read the verses together and say, "That doesn't describe us! We love each other, and we're not using or abusing each other."
This, again, is a great weakness of The Message: It sometimes produces beautifully phrased lines at the expense of the truth of Scripture. And notice also the reference in The Message to those who "use and abuse the earth and everything in it." When did Paul write this? He didn't.
Of course, I could cite hundreds of brilliant renderings in The Message, and sometimes, when preaching, I'll cite one of them, since it powerfully drills home the point. I've even cited The Message in some of my academic, biblical commentary writing.
But, to repeat: It should never be used as your primary Bible, since it is not a translation of the Bible but rather a free paraphrase of the Bible. And whenever I see people carrying The Message into church services, I groan, since I assume that, for those people, it is their Bible.
Use it, then, in a supplemental way and, where it really nails things or clarifies things, learn from it. But use it with caution: It is, by design, a very free paraphrase.
In sum, my view today of The Message is the same as it has been for years, unchanged by the controversial events of this week. I appreciate the years of effort that were put into it, and I recognize it for what it is, with all its great strengths and great weaknesses.
For a fair assessment of Dr. Peterson's comments and retraction this week, see Bill Muehlenberg's article here.
Okay, okay.
Anyone have info on Power of Now by Tolle?
Eugene Peterson did not attempt to translate the Bible word for word, but idiom for idiom. We can say in our culture, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” Translated word for word, the statement is true, but not particularly useful unless you have a horse suffering from dehydration. As an idiom, it is full of rich meaning and applicability. There are instances of sarcasm in the scriptures that the King James version fails to convey to the average reader and idioms from ancient culture that don’t hit us between the eyes the way that God intended.
The Message should not be our source of theology or study, but sometimes we need for God to smack us on the head and say, “Well, think again, you idiots, fools—how long before you get smart? ...”
Here is a spreadsheet listing many such. It predates The Message, but it is worth checking.
http://www.av1611.org/biblevs.html
Just kidding. I start every day with a passage from BibleGateway.com.
I read several versions to make sure I get the full context Holy Spirit wants me to get.
I apologize. Please forgive me. Norski.
BookMark
No apology necessary. Have a great day in The Lord.
Amos 8: 1 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
****9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:*******
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
The message is like a mullet haircut. The back side of the mullet.
The Message is one guy’s take on the Word of the Lord. It is personally biased to say what the author believes the Scripture says to him. It has its uses but should not be read as Scripture - more like study notes.
His version of Leviticus 18:22: 22 “Don’t have sex with a man as one does with a woman. That is abhorrent.”
So, when he wrote The Message he understood the sinfulness of homosexuality.
“The Message”, as are most dynamic equivalent bibles, is more of a commentary than a translation.
In short, you shouldn’t. You should only use the Douay-Rheims
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.