Biblical
Bibles. From KJV, NKJV, NIV, NLT, CJB, NASB, ESV to ad nauseum, Bibles have more acronyms than the military. Which one you go for each day can vary more than my mood swings or you might have one special Bible which just grabs you. You might also have some strong preferences for the Bible you hear used at church. Some believers I know have only one preference to be used in their church - the King James Version. I am far from agreeing with them. Pretty much anything goes for me.
That is, except The Message Bible. I have tried to come to grips with my prejudices on this matter. I can understand some might consider me a narrow-minded pillock. Quite understandable. But there are reasons for my queasiness when The Message is read from the pulpit. They are shallow and insipid, without doubt, but they are mine.
First, The Message is a paraphrase Bible. It really is, as one writer put it, the sermonising of Eugene H. Peterson, which means it is his sermon getting inserted into the sermon of another. While it might be good for illustrative purposes, I squirm when a certain, admittedly low, threshold has been reached. I am not sure where the up-chuck point is; something for later discovery perhaps. In this old bigot’s opinion, the more sparing The Message is used, the better.
Secondly, because The Message “Bible” is a paraphrase, it lacks just about any gravitas of the more serious translations. And it is here that I sound the most like my mother banging on about the King James Version. How that snuck up on me, I have no idea, but there you have it. I have turned into my mum with slightly wider blinkers fitted. Even a Gen-X reprobate like me can appreciate the aural aesthetic of a King James Bible read with great skill. I would even say the NIV and others also elicit the same or similar feelings of divine presence when those Bibles are read aloud. This is something The Message lacks in entirety. A Mills and Boon two-dollar novel could hardly have less inspiration behind it.
For those who have one of these “Bibles”, don’t go chucking it out. There is a place for it in the life of a Christian. Who could not use a good door stop? If you are one who likes the breeze to blow through your windows during your quiet times, a cooling and soothing embrace, then a paperweight can be of immense value, especially when holding your real Bibles open at the correct page. Then there is always that annoyingly wonky table. Sure, it would have to be extremely off-kilter, but what better use for the Brick? Should your pile of “to-read” books beside your bed lack altitude, The Message should boost it by at least three inches just by slapping the other books on top of it. Your friends will not be able to help being impressed.
Keep The Message in its place. A chock.