I am interested in your varied opinions. Thank you. I'm not sure where everyone who is posting here is from, but I am in Michigan, U.S.A. I was recently in a local "Christian" book store at a mall. The message is not found in their literature section. It is nestled right there among the other "versions of scripture." It is not so much a personal issue, as to whether someone who studies varied writers and usess different translations and paraphrases uses this book for something (entertainment, or whatever). Here in America, things are mass marketed and the church is sleepily purchasing any newest piece of rubbish being proffered.  We have a very real discernment defecit. Most firm church-goers are "pastor driven." If the pastor says so, it must be so. This is a very real down side of the single pastor system which I was posting about earlier. My pastor thinks for me, so I just support the church and him and everything is great.
  Another interesting bit of business is the "Purpose Driven" everything. That pastor has wrested scripture after scripture to stretch them into his own desired purposes. Sloppy exegesis of scripture is becoming more and more accepted as the church rolls over and says, in effect, "Oh, don't get all worked up about it! People are getting a blessing, and, after all, that's all that matters." I know that many people think they're getting a blessing from it. Perhaps they are. God uses everything for His purposes. I get a blessing from the web page where I find news and weather reports, but I don't call it something God designed and misquote scripture to support my belief of this.
In Christ Forever,
Brian

Greetings.
I was wondering if any of you have had the opportunity to look at Eugene Peterson's "The Message." If so, what do you think about it ? personally.