Why I like "The Message"

Well, I've been taking a nice break from blogging, only to be interupted by the CBS "Ra^thergate" scandal, which is still brewing. Right now, the only people who truly believe the Texas Air National Guard memo's are authentic are Dan Rather and CBS News. For those who are interested, the latest tidbits on the scandal can be found at the following web sites: RatherBiased, Rathergate, and the one that started it all: FreeRepublic.

In other news....

I really like The Message. Though not a "proper" Bible translation, it does a fantastic job of communicating the essential elements of scripture in very straight-forward language.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. First, Colossians 2:6-7 from the heavy-weight champion of modern English translations, The New International Version (NIV):

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live in him,
rooted and built up in him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness.

Now here is the same passage from The Message:

My counsel for you is simple and straightforward:
Just go ahead with what you’ve been given.
You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him.
You’re deeply rooted in him.
You’re well constructed upon him.
You know your way around the faith.
Now do what you’ve been taught.
School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it!
And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

Yes, the NIV is much closer to the orginal word-for-word Greek, but The Message is far better at communicating the essential truth of the passage.

OK, now I'm going back on break....maybe I'll blog again in October...(yeah, right...)