What’s in The Message?

November 4, 2012

At church today, the bulletin printed the memory verse for the month.  It is:

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

I immediately thought of the Message Bible (A friend has referred to it as the Massage Bible).

Here’s Romans 15:13 in the Message Bible:

“Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”

The God of green hope?

The Message Bible that I have has some interesting endorsements.  It is not surprising that it receives praise from Richard J. Foster and Bill Hybels.  Mr. Foster is a “Living Spiritual Teacher” and Quaker mystic.  Mr. Hybels is the founding and senior pastor at a mega church called Willow Creek Community Church in the suburbs of Chicago (South Barrington).  Willow Creek’s theology and some who are allowed to speak there are questionable to say the least.

Here’s a Message book jacket quote by Rebecca St. James, the popular Christian recording artist:

“There is so much that is fake about our society.  My generation is craving something that is real, honest, and true. The Message is straight up! It’s modern, relevant, and direct.”

I respect Rebecca for many reasons.  How she could associate her name with the Message Bible I don’t know.  Maybe she isn’t aware, like so many others, that it adds words that aren’t in the original Greek.

I am passing along a word of concern to those of you who read the Message Bible.

Here are a few similar opinions:

Mystic Mess

“The Message” Exposed

Chris Reimers

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