Can we just say it? Homosexuality is going to
be the dividing line between the true church
and the rising apostate church. And Eugene
Peterson's The Message is being used by those
who want to avoid or deny the truth that
homosexuality is a sin. The Message flat
out deletes homosexuality as sin from two key
New Testament passages and gives a politically
correct spin to a third (1 Corinthians 6:9-11,
1 Timothy 1:8-11, Romans 1:25-27).
The
Messages Effect on the Church -- We are at the
point where many in the church are wavering
about homosexuality. As with 1 Corinthians
6:9-11, homosexuality is again deleted in 1
Timothy 1:8-11.
The Message is weakening
the church. Our long-term acceptance and use of
The Message explains in part why many
Christians are lukewarm on the issue of
homosexuality. Society continues to undergo a
paradigm shift. Christians are daily being
exposed to a barrage of pro-homosexual
propaganda via media, entertainment, politics,
and education. Certainly, The Message is not
the only factorbut place this 'Bible' in a
person's hands, and it can have, over time,
significant influence. The Message will be
increasingly used by on-the-fence churches,
apostate churches, and by homosexual
'Christian' activists.
The Message is not a
translation of the Bible. It is not a para-
translation, as its publishers have so cleverly
called it. Nor is it a paraphrase, because
Eugene Peterson has omitted, and he has added.
The Message should not be used by the body of
Christ at all.
