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The Word on the Street
'Rob helped me discover angry and sad voices in passages of the Bible that had left me indifferent, and he made me laugh at other passages so familiar that I had never seen the healthy irreverence, humor and irony they expressed.' --Dr. David Trobisch, Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Bangor Theological Seminary
For those who've never read the Bible, and for those who've read it too much. Rob Lacey's 'dangerously real' retelling of Scripture vividly demonstrates that the Bible is packed full of stories/poems/images that resonate with the big issues of today. This fresh paraphrase with running commentary brings the text alive: Bible stories are retold as mini-blockbusters; psalms as song lyrics; epistles as emails; Revelation as a virtual reality.
Out with stale religious terms, here's a 'Bible' that talks today's language---gritty, earthy, witty. Enough of starting at Genesis with good intentions but getting lost in Leviticus. Lacey succeeds in revitalizing a classic work by focusing on the big picture: fast-forwards through the 'slow-moving' bits with pace, passion and energy to make the Bible a page-turner again. What's more, Lacey's award-winning* tour de force was created during a remarkable personal journey through terminal cancer: the stuff the Bible stories are made of. This life-experience injects Lacey's take on Scripture with authenticity and authority---resonating with Bible characters who also wrestled with the big questions.
Purist alert: This is not THE Bible (capital B) ... but it might just get you reaching for one. *Book of the year (2004), Christian Booksellers Convention Ltd. (UK)
For those who've never read the Bible, and for those who've read it too much. Rob Lacey's 'dangerously real' retelling of Scripture vividly demonstrates that the Bible is packed full of stories/poems/images that resonate with the big issues of today. This fresh paraphrase with running commentary brings the text alive: Bible stories are retold as mini-blockbusters; psalms as song lyrics; epistles as emails; Revelation as a virtual reality.
Out with stale religious terms, here's a 'Bible' that talks today's language---gritty, earthy, witty. Enough of starting at Genesis with good intentions but getting lost in Leviticus. Lacey succeeds in revitalizing a classic work by focusing on the big picture: fast-forwards through the 'slow-moving' bits with pace, passion and energy to make the Bible a page-turner again. What's more, Lacey's award-winning* tour de force was created during a remarkable personal journey through terminal cancer: the stuff the Bible stories are made of. This life-experience injects Lacey's take on Scripture with authenticity and authority---resonating with Bible characters who also wrestled with the big questions.
Purist alert: This is not THE Bible (capital B) ... but it might just get you reaching for one. *Book of the year (2004), Christian Booksellers Convention Ltd. (UK)
491 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2002
28 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 19, 2009
I have actually read through some of this book. The shelf title is misleading, but then so is this book.
In case if you don't know this book, it is The Bible, but not that stupid old dusty book your old man and that wench you call mom would read, but a hip, happening book that speaks the language of the kidz (Fact: Christians like putting Z's on things when they want it to look cool, or for kids. Do Christian kidz fall for this shit?), or at least kidz who have like to talk like a white-bred suburbanized version of Snoop Dog.
Want an example of da bomb's this crazy motherfucker is droppin' on us?
1?2 First off, nothing . . . but God. No light, no time, no substance, no matter. Second off, God says the word and WHAP! Stuff everywhere! The cosmos in chaos: no shape, no form, no function ? just darkness . . . total. And floating above it all, God?s Holy Spirit, ready to play. 3?5 Day one: Then God?s voice booms out, ?Lights!? and, from nowhere, light floods the skies and ?night? is swept off the scene. God gives it the big thumbs up, calls it ?day?
Sorry for the poor formatting, I blame Satan for trying to disrupt the flow by frontin on the text. Stop hating, playa, ya know what i'm saying?
This kind of nonsense goes on for the whole book, and offers up an interesting glimpse into the psyche of the author (interpreter?). Jesus is sort of an asshole in passages, especially in the famous feet washing scene where he uses passive aggression and tells the disciple that he has stank ass feet to guilt his followers in to doing this nasty ass work themselves. The reader is also treated to finding out what type of hip music each of the psalms can be set to, like neu metal, or gangsta rap, or emo, grunge etc.,. It's a pretty awful book that seems to be insulting to anyones intelligence, or maybe I'm just being a smug elitist asshole.
Or am I?
Mr. Lacey, is at this moment dead. He died in 2006 from cancer. One could think that with all of his hardwork in duping kids for MC JC that he's up there rapping out psalms while Solomon and David Beat Box and pass the mic back and forth to the eternal amusement of J'Dawg and his posse. One could think that, or one could think that maybe Mr. Lacey went down like Biggie Smalls, getting capped with the Big C from the Big G who didn't care too much for some playa thinking he could just willy nilly re-write the playbook in some new jack style.
Lacey says that he speeds up the boring parts and skips over the parts that Christians don't read. I can see maybe speeding up the begats, maybe G doesn't like some punk ass remixing his tracks like this, but they are not the most essential part of the book. But like any good Christian who needs to believe in the literal truth of the book, but doesn't like to be reminded of the 'bad' parts, he has completely skipped parts like Leviticus. Actually he skips all of the problematic parts, and leaves in just the nice parts. He Disney-fies The Bible. Which one might think isn't so bad, everyone knows that you don't make women menstrate outside of the village these days, and we don't sacrifice animals to a God that acts like an abnormally self-centered three year old who really needs a nap, and that we don't stone doctors who happen to help someone on the Sabbath, but....
"17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-19
Oh, oh. Mr. Lacey says it's ok to break some of the Laws!! No heaven for you. No beat boxing with your homies, that means straight to hell with you!!
But, God doesn't want us to follow those silly OT Laws that he set forth. He sent JC here to bleed for us and give us a new law of love and compassion, and....
"It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law." Luke 16:17.
Oh, you mean the Law doesn't change? You mean by taking out the parts I don't like is in a sense blasphemy? Yep, sorry Rob. If I was a believer and you were still alive and I saw you, I'd feel compelled to stone you to death, because you're teaching a different religion than the one handed down by the enfant terrible of up in the sky. I'd hate to do it, but he's pretty clear, it's you or me buddy. If I didn't throw the stone, I'd be getting the wrong end of the cosmic bitch slap.
Now, if I was a believer I'd have to feel a little bad that poor Rob Lacey was so misguided that he ended up burning for eternity in H E double hockey sticks. But since I'm not, I can feel that he was a poor misguided soul, who probably had some insidious ideas of brainwashing children, but he probably thought he was doing the right thing and for whatever reason an awful thing struck him down at a young age. It's nicer actually thinking that he is just dead than having to believe he is burning right now for all eternity.
In case if you don't know this book, it is The Bible, but not that stupid old dusty book your old man and that wench you call mom would read, but a hip, happening book that speaks the language of the kidz (Fact: Christians like putting Z's on things when they want it to look cool, or for kids. Do Christian kidz fall for this shit?), or at least kidz who have like to talk like a white-bred suburbanized version of Snoop Dog.
Want an example of da bomb's this crazy motherfucker is droppin' on us?
1?2 First off, nothing . . . but God. No light, no time, no substance, no matter. Second off, God says the word and WHAP! Stuff everywhere! The cosmos in chaos: no shape, no form, no function ? just darkness . . . total. And floating above it all, God?s Holy Spirit, ready to play. 3?5 Day one: Then God?s voice booms out, ?Lights!? and, from nowhere, light floods the skies and ?night? is swept off the scene. God gives it the big thumbs up, calls it ?day?
Sorry for the poor formatting, I blame Satan for trying to disrupt the flow by frontin on the text. Stop hating, playa, ya know what i'm saying?
This kind of nonsense goes on for the whole book, and offers up an interesting glimpse into the psyche of the author (interpreter?). Jesus is sort of an asshole in passages, especially in the famous feet washing scene where he uses passive aggression and tells the disciple that he has stank ass feet to guilt his followers in to doing this nasty ass work themselves. The reader is also treated to finding out what type of hip music each of the psalms can be set to, like neu metal, or gangsta rap, or emo, grunge etc.,. It's a pretty awful book that seems to be insulting to anyones intelligence, or maybe I'm just being a smug elitist asshole.
Or am I?
Mr. Lacey, is at this moment dead. He died in 2006 from cancer. One could think that with all of his hardwork in duping kids for MC JC that he's up there rapping out psalms while Solomon and David Beat Box and pass the mic back and forth to the eternal amusement of J'Dawg and his posse. One could think that, or one could think that maybe Mr. Lacey went down like Biggie Smalls, getting capped with the Big C from the Big G who didn't care too much for some playa thinking he could just willy nilly re-write the playbook in some new jack style.
Lacey says that he speeds up the boring parts and skips over the parts that Christians don't read. I can see maybe speeding up the begats, maybe G doesn't like some punk ass remixing his tracks like this, but they are not the most essential part of the book. But like any good Christian who needs to believe in the literal truth of the book, but doesn't like to be reminded of the 'bad' parts, he has completely skipped parts like Leviticus. Actually he skips all of the problematic parts, and leaves in just the nice parts. He Disney-fies The Bible. Which one might think isn't so bad, everyone knows that you don't make women menstrate outside of the village these days, and we don't sacrifice animals to a God that acts like an abnormally self-centered three year old who really needs a nap, and that we don't stone doctors who happen to help someone on the Sabbath, but....
"17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-19
Oh, oh. Mr. Lacey says it's ok to break some of the Laws!! No heaven for you. No beat boxing with your homies, that means straight to hell with you!!
But, God doesn't want us to follow those silly OT Laws that he set forth. He sent JC here to bleed for us and give us a new law of love and compassion, and....
"It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law." Luke 16:17.
Oh, you mean the Law doesn't change? You mean by taking out the parts I don't like is in a sense blasphemy? Yep, sorry Rob. If I was a believer and you were still alive and I saw you, I'd feel compelled to stone you to death, because you're teaching a different religion than the one handed down by the enfant terrible of up in the sky. I'd hate to do it, but he's pretty clear, it's you or me buddy. If I didn't throw the stone, I'd be getting the wrong end of the cosmic bitch slap.
Now, if I was a believer I'd have to feel a little bad that poor Rob Lacey was so misguided that he ended up burning for eternity in H E double hockey sticks. But since I'm not, I can feel that he was a poor misguided soul, who probably had some insidious ideas of brainwashing children, but he probably thought he was doing the right thing and for whatever reason an awful thing struck him down at a young age. It's nicer actually thinking that he is just dead than having to believe he is burning right now for all eternity.
October 8, 2012
It's OK. It's good book to dip in and out of if you are looking for a modern take on the Bible, but aren't that interested in ever really reading the Bible. :-)
October 14, 2007
Great down-to-earth interpretation. Makes it so much easier to read the whole thing. Although the Bible can be so much more in depth, it's much easier to start from here, and then read parts of the real Bible if you want more on a particular chapter etc. People have to remember that the real bible is 66 different books!
March 14, 2017
Recently my vicar approached me with a favour to ask, and who can turn down the vicar!? What he needed was to find a Bible for the youth group which was easy to read and understand, but not too patronising, American or inaccurate and most definitely not too 'yoof'. And in this he gave me about 7 different Bibles and told me to go figure...hmm...so you can guess what you are going to be bored to tears with during the next few reviews...
===Boring Stuff===
Title: The Word on the Street
Author: Rob Lacey
Genre: Bible (supposedly)
Publisher: Zondervan (2 Feb 2005)
ISBN: 0-310-93225-4
Price: £8.99 or £6.99 on Amazon
===What is it===
Supposedly a 'dangerously real' retelling of Scriptures. Lacey is translating the Bible into what he counts as the street language of today, simplifying the stories and missing out the boring bits. His aim was to get rid of the 'stale' religious language and replace it with real, gritty down to earth language that is more understandable today, and making the issues in the Bible resonate more deeply. He attempts to do this by, for example, transforming psalms into song lyrics, the Epistles into emails and Revelation being seen through a virtual reality headset. He does not mean his work to take the place of the Bible, but to be a bridge to it, and to help people to understand.
===Changes in words===
Immediately I had an issue with this bible. Why? The use of some of the words, some inaccurate or just plain stupid - which meant that I was annoyed with the bible before I actually started reading Genesis. These aren't just ideas for how you might want to take other words, these are actual replacements. Examples:
Inaccurate:
Amen --------------> Absolutely - ('I agree' would be better)
Justify -------------->Acquit - (two different meanings)
YOOF!
Ungodliness -------------->Anti-God stuff
The Ten Commandments --------------> The Big Ten
Just idiotic :
Sanhedrin -------------->City Council (an accurate translation would be courtroom)
Temple -------------->God's HQ
How stupid am I meant to be?
Sanctified -------------->Keep out the pollution
Sinners ----------------> The messed up
Words cannot describe
Repent --------------> Turn back round 180 degrees to God
Fundamentalism
Faith -------------->Taking God at his word
Worthy of The Life of Brian
Church -------------->The Jesus Liberation Movement
Many of these seriously annoyed me, because most of the time he's made things more complicated solely because he wants to avoid religious terminology...which is what the Bible's about in the first place.
===The actual writing===
I personally found the entire thing to be patronising and on occasions just stupid. If I hadn't been looking through it for my vicar I would have thrown it away from me with as much force as I could possibly manage. The movement into modern day situations would have worked, if it hadn't seemed that the writer was just trying too hard. I have to admit that I actually found it painful on occasions, because if the audience he is writing for is as idiotic as he seems to assume, they are probably illiterate anyway.
I can see why he missed out certain parts of the Bible such as Leviticus, but even so these are parts which do play a role in anyone's reading of the Bible if they are taking it seriously. But if you just take his version of the Ten Commandments:
'You shall not steal' has been transformed into; 'You won't thieve, nick, lift, blag, fleece, half-inch, swipe or get sticky fingered.'
'You shall not kill' has been transformed into; 'You won't snuff out a life, stop someone's clock, blow anyone away, bump anyone off, dole out the big chill, erase, drop, hit, top, waste anyone.'
What is the problem with kill and steal? Is there anyone who cannot understand these two simple words? Did I buy a bible or a thesaurus? It seems that in this section 'yoof' seems to be a shorthand for euphemism. Throughout this poor excuse for a Bible the writing style and form does not improve, and I have never read a book which has made me feel like I should be a five year old...I mean 'woodgy words of wonder'??? Where's the sick bin?
A quick word on the Gospels, they have all been put together - which does make them easier to read but also loses the discrepancies between them...but calling the disciples Pete, Jim and Jonno!? The world has gone mad...and his writing on the Garden of Gethsemane actually loses the emotion and power that this particular point in the Bible should have. How? Because he's gone so far with lowering the language that any emotion is completely missed.
===Inaccurate===
The patronising tone and annoying style I could possibly have coped with, although I'd still tell my vicar how useless it is. But when it is condescending AND inaccurate I start having even more major issues with it. The missing out of certain sections is bad enough, particularly when they miss out Cain and Abel from Genesis - which no one could call boring. But trying to rename Passover the 'Flyby Festival' annoyed me a lot...particularly as 'Driveby' would have been more accurate considering the amount of people killed by the Angel of Death on that particular occasion.
Another section (in Job) which stated that God was nowhere also seemed highly inaccurate, because it might have seemed to Job that God was nowhere but the basis of my teaching has been that God is everywhere. It is just on that occasion he was not responding. He was still there, and making that sort of point without stating that this is just how it felt to Job is completely inaccurate. Also in the same book of the Bible calling sinners 'gangsters'...I thought we were all sinners who are relying on God's mercy...I have grave objections to being called a gangster. Or possibly worse God telling Job that he is suing for misrepresentation...compensation culture gone overboard?
The Psalms as song lyrics are an excellent example of his inaccuracy - I will not quote them at you because no one will read them and I'll get in trouble for not having enough of this review being my own writing...if anyone wants any examples (possibly highly unlikely) I have a guestbook! It will suffice to say that often or not the psalms that he has written have absolutely no resemblance to the actual psalm, in phraseology or in meaning. And to make matters ten times worse they are badly written, tacky song lyrics...
On a similar vein, his version of the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13 if anyone's interested), is absolutely awful. Again it is patronising, and ok it is in the vernacular but I have heard far better versions of it...which have been written by people with an understanding of both the Bible and of poetry/prayer.
===Good Points===
Drat, I now have to stop my rant and actually think. As a whole the story of Job is well done, this may be because the author was struggling with cancer at the time and put far more effort into this section of the Bible. He doesn't go too far overboard with the language, and many of the points are actually easier to understand than the original - which is what he was aiming for to begin with. Much of the Gospel is also quite well done, with the parables being put across succinctly and the meanings behind them being easy to understand...the biological reasoning about why when the soldier put the spear into the crucified Jesus blood flowed out with water' is also well put...and at least doesn't go with alot of the fundamentalist nonsense...
There is no bigotry, in this I am focusing on the letters from Paul to the Corinthians in particular. It is not a fundamentalist Gay hating text...it is a very straight forward explanation without any form of hatred or bashing of certain groups...I wouldn't usually include this as a good point as I'd count it as common sense...but I am REALLY struggling to find good points.
===Conclusion===
I would call it an ASBible but that would actually be an insult to the ASBO kids.
Suggested uses: Kindling for fires, Kleenex, and Andrex. It could also be used as a missile, a brick, or as a door stopper...
===Boring Stuff===
Title: The Word on the Street
Author: Rob Lacey
Genre: Bible (supposedly)
Publisher: Zondervan (2 Feb 2005)
ISBN: 0-310-93225-4
Price: £8.99 or £6.99 on Amazon
===What is it===
Supposedly a 'dangerously real' retelling of Scriptures. Lacey is translating the Bible into what he counts as the street language of today, simplifying the stories and missing out the boring bits. His aim was to get rid of the 'stale' religious language and replace it with real, gritty down to earth language that is more understandable today, and making the issues in the Bible resonate more deeply. He attempts to do this by, for example, transforming psalms into song lyrics, the Epistles into emails and Revelation being seen through a virtual reality headset. He does not mean his work to take the place of the Bible, but to be a bridge to it, and to help people to understand.
===Changes in words===
Immediately I had an issue with this bible. Why? The use of some of the words, some inaccurate or just plain stupid - which meant that I was annoyed with the bible before I actually started reading Genesis. These aren't just ideas for how you might want to take other words, these are actual replacements. Examples:
Inaccurate:
Amen --------------> Absolutely - ('I agree' would be better)
Justify -------------->Acquit - (two different meanings)
YOOF!
Ungodliness -------------->Anti-God stuff
The Ten Commandments --------------> The Big Ten
Just idiotic :
Sanhedrin -------------->City Council (an accurate translation would be courtroom)
Temple -------------->God's HQ
How stupid am I meant to be?
Sanctified -------------->Keep out the pollution
Sinners ----------------> The messed up
Words cannot describe
Repent --------------> Turn back round 180 degrees to God
Fundamentalism
Faith -------------->Taking God at his word
Worthy of The Life of Brian
Church -------------->The Jesus Liberation Movement
Many of these seriously annoyed me, because most of the time he's made things more complicated solely because he wants to avoid religious terminology...which is what the Bible's about in the first place.
===The actual writing===
I personally found the entire thing to be patronising and on occasions just stupid. If I hadn't been looking through it for my vicar I would have thrown it away from me with as much force as I could possibly manage. The movement into modern day situations would have worked, if it hadn't seemed that the writer was just trying too hard. I have to admit that I actually found it painful on occasions, because if the audience he is writing for is as idiotic as he seems to assume, they are probably illiterate anyway.
I can see why he missed out certain parts of the Bible such as Leviticus, but even so these are parts which do play a role in anyone's reading of the Bible if they are taking it seriously. But if you just take his version of the Ten Commandments:
'You shall not steal' has been transformed into; 'You won't thieve, nick, lift, blag, fleece, half-inch, swipe or get sticky fingered.'
'You shall not kill' has been transformed into; 'You won't snuff out a life, stop someone's clock, blow anyone away, bump anyone off, dole out the big chill, erase, drop, hit, top, waste anyone.'
What is the problem with kill and steal? Is there anyone who cannot understand these two simple words? Did I buy a bible or a thesaurus? It seems that in this section 'yoof' seems to be a shorthand for euphemism. Throughout this poor excuse for a Bible the writing style and form does not improve, and I have never read a book which has made me feel like I should be a five year old...I mean 'woodgy words of wonder'??? Where's the sick bin?
A quick word on the Gospels, they have all been put together - which does make them easier to read but also loses the discrepancies between them...but calling the disciples Pete, Jim and Jonno!? The world has gone mad...and his writing on the Garden of Gethsemane actually loses the emotion and power that this particular point in the Bible should have. How? Because he's gone so far with lowering the language that any emotion is completely missed.
===Inaccurate===
The patronising tone and annoying style I could possibly have coped with, although I'd still tell my vicar how useless it is. But when it is condescending AND inaccurate I start having even more major issues with it. The missing out of certain sections is bad enough, particularly when they miss out Cain and Abel from Genesis - which no one could call boring. But trying to rename Passover the 'Flyby Festival' annoyed me a lot...particularly as 'Driveby' would have been more accurate considering the amount of people killed by the Angel of Death on that particular occasion.
Another section (in Job) which stated that God was nowhere also seemed highly inaccurate, because it might have seemed to Job that God was nowhere but the basis of my teaching has been that God is everywhere. It is just on that occasion he was not responding. He was still there, and making that sort of point without stating that this is just how it felt to Job is completely inaccurate. Also in the same book of the Bible calling sinners 'gangsters'...I thought we were all sinners who are relying on God's mercy...I have grave objections to being called a gangster. Or possibly worse God telling Job that he is suing for misrepresentation...compensation culture gone overboard?
The Psalms as song lyrics are an excellent example of his inaccuracy - I will not quote them at you because no one will read them and I'll get in trouble for not having enough of this review being my own writing...if anyone wants any examples (possibly highly unlikely) I have a guestbook! It will suffice to say that often or not the psalms that he has written have absolutely no resemblance to the actual psalm, in phraseology or in meaning. And to make matters ten times worse they are badly written, tacky song lyrics...
On a similar vein, his version of the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13 if anyone's interested), is absolutely awful. Again it is patronising, and ok it is in the vernacular but I have heard far better versions of it...which have been written by people with an understanding of both the Bible and of poetry/prayer.
===Good Points===
Drat, I now have to stop my rant and actually think. As a whole the story of Job is well done, this may be because the author was struggling with cancer at the time and put far more effort into this section of the Bible. He doesn't go too far overboard with the language, and many of the points are actually easier to understand than the original - which is what he was aiming for to begin with. Much of the Gospel is also quite well done, with the parables being put across succinctly and the meanings behind them being easy to understand...the biological reasoning about why when the soldier put the spear into the crucified Jesus blood flowed out with water' is also well put...and at least doesn't go with alot of the fundamentalist nonsense...
There is no bigotry, in this I am focusing on the letters from Paul to the Corinthians in particular. It is not a fundamentalist Gay hating text...it is a very straight forward explanation without any form of hatred or bashing of certain groups...I wouldn't usually include this as a good point as I'd count it as common sense...but I am REALLY struggling to find good points.
===Conclusion===
I would call it an ASBible but that would actually be an insult to the ASBO kids.
Suggested uses: Kindling for fires, Kleenex, and Andrex. It could also be used as a missile, a brick, or as a door stopper...
December 27, 2017
A British street-slang retelling of the Bible's story that makes "The Message" sound stodgy. For those who revere the Bible's authority, it's best not to think of this as a translation or even a paraphrase (although it often is that). It's an exuberant, creative, funny, irreverent, worshipful tour of Scripture from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. It sometimes misfires, but more often it brings a smile or a fresh insight into a verse or passage I've read a hundred times before. The author, Rob Lacey, wrote the book in the early 2000's while battling terminal cancer, which gives added poignancy. Enjoyable reading--and I can also see pastors/teachers/students turning to it for a fresh take on a particular passage they're studying.
March 26, 2009
Really cool interpretation of scripture.
November 20, 2013
I saw this on the shelf of a holiday home in West Wales a few years ago. Knowing the Bible enough to know that it's as much Westboro baptist as it is happy clappy Islington, I opened randomly to a few pages and found nothing contentious. Then I deliberately turned to the one of the more unpleasant books ... Leviticus, so see how that could possibly be made more urban friendly. It was one paragraph, in essence, "This is where God lays down some of the rules, but I don't want to bother you with that".
From that I fully expect this to gloss over the nasty bits. The product of the minds of tribal men of antiquity has no placein the modern world, no matter how it's dressed up.
From that I fully expect this to gloss over the nasty bits. The product of the minds of tribal men of antiquity has no placein the modern world, no matter how it's dressed up.
November 22, 2010
I've really never liked to read the bible, but my sister gave this book to me.(When I declared that I'd never read anything like that, and that I wouldn't like it) And I ended up reading part of it one day. It made me laugh, and understand somethings more. My favorite book in it so far in Genesis, cause he tells about Adam and Eve exactly how I would see them reacting these days.
February 21, 2012
Loved this modern book.
April 10, 2014
to tell you the truth i'm reading it like a bible,
June 4, 2022
Yikes, what a train wreck! I’m giving this one two stars for pure entertainment value, but if you want to read a Bible just go pick up the real thing.
This is NOT a Bible.
I’m not even sure what this is or what it’s supposed to be, but at best it’s worth “having a laugh.” (that’s what British people say right?) It’s kind of like someone fed a bunch of censored rap lyrics and British murder mystery novels and fed it into an AI and told it to write a Bible. This one’s definitely going in “the bin.”
This is NOT a Bible.
I’m not even sure what this is or what it’s supposed to be, but at best it’s worth “having a laugh.” (that’s what British people say right?) It’s kind of like someone fed a bunch of censored rap lyrics and British murder mystery novels and fed it into an AI and told it to write a Bible. This one’s definitely going in “the bin.”
December 20, 2017
This is a Book for the believer who is stuck, for those who have never read the Bible from to back, and for those who read it to much.
Word is the book that taught me how to teach Sunday school. I had been to Catholic School, and went to CCD, went to Sunday School, studied the Bible. listened to others tell me what their interpretation of it was, and I even took some theology classes. In the end; I was so confused I almost cried.
Then I met a kind old gentleman who told me to just read it and listen. ("Listen?" I thought, "this old fart has lost his mind.") In fact, he was one of the two wisest gentlemen I've ever known. He meant for me to read and listen for that small voice, and we all hear it if we shut our heads off long enough. Then one day He told me that if I ever really wanted to know to invest in an Aramaic translated Bible, ( which I did ) because that was the language that Christ spoke, not Greek.
I Love God's Word! I have learned, cried, grown, thrown, and laughed with it. Then by happenstance ( ha didn't know that was a word) this book fell into my hands after a now wonderful friend dropped me into teaching the 4th and 5th grade Bible school with some of the smartest, craziest kids I have ever been Blessed to know. These kid's were not about to set and read these papers that the Sunday school director gad given me to teach them and do the Q&A. They were all over the place. Nancy, the Lady that was training me was a smart cookie. She knew what she was doing. She had a rewards system, and I latched on to it and added to it. But I also started reading this book and found out that reading the Bible could be fun. (Well, Fun in a way that that kids with hormones and 2 minute attention spans found fun.) So, I took it to the school board meeting, and the director was not to happy about it, but the majority saw no problem using it as an aid.
Soon it became standard to know the order of the books of the Bible before you left the Fifth Grade, and you were Given a Metal for doing so. There was a game started on Wednesday nights called are smarter than a Fifth Grader. These Kid's were on Fire for the Lord. We went through all Three of The Case For books in one year, and that was with the kids Learning the order of the books of the Bible.
The Rest is history, But I Love each and everyone of those Kid's dearly, and those years were some of the Greatest years of my life. They are all Amazing Young Adults today and my third class is Graduating this spring. I know that God has some wonderful young people working for Him now, and it is a Great Light Shining in Our Future. A Las, This book, WORD ON THE STREET had a huge part to do with it.
Word is the book that taught me how to teach Sunday school. I had been to Catholic School, and went to CCD, went to Sunday School, studied the Bible. listened to others tell me what their interpretation of it was, and I even took some theology classes. In the end; I was so confused I almost cried.
Then I met a kind old gentleman who told me to just read it and listen. ("Listen?" I thought, "this old fart has lost his mind.") In fact, he was one of the two wisest gentlemen I've ever known. He meant for me to read and listen for that small voice, and we all hear it if we shut our heads off long enough. Then one day He told me that if I ever really wanted to know to invest in an Aramaic translated Bible, ( which I did ) because that was the language that Christ spoke, not Greek.
I Love God's Word! I have learned, cried, grown, thrown, and laughed with it. Then by happenstance ( ha didn't know that was a word) this book fell into my hands after a now wonderful friend dropped me into teaching the 4th and 5th grade Bible school with some of the smartest, craziest kids I have ever been Blessed to know. These kid's were not about to set and read these papers that the Sunday school director gad given me to teach them and do the Q&A. They were all over the place. Nancy, the Lady that was training me was a smart cookie. She knew what she was doing. She had a rewards system, and I latched on to it and added to it. But I also started reading this book and found out that reading the Bible could be fun. (Well, Fun in a way that that kids with hormones and 2 minute attention spans found fun.) So, I took it to the school board meeting, and the director was not to happy about it, but the majority saw no problem using it as an aid.
Soon it became standard to know the order of the books of the Bible before you left the Fifth Grade, and you were Given a Metal for doing so. There was a game started on Wednesday nights called are smarter than a Fifth Grader. These Kid's were on Fire for the Lord. We went through all Three of The Case For books in one year, and that was with the kids Learning the order of the books of the Bible.
The Rest is history, But I Love each and everyone of those Kid's dearly, and those years were some of the Greatest years of my life. They are all Amazing Young Adults today and my third class is Graduating this spring. I know that God has some wonderful young people working for Him now, and it is a Great Light Shining in Our Future. A Las, This book, WORD ON THE STREET had a huge part to do with it.
February 22, 2008
I've read couple versions of bible, but this one has opened my eyes, thus i didn't stop reading this bible (on the bus, at work, everywhere). not all verses are there, only some of it. but the way Lacey 'express' it made me see things from the other side.
readable, not boring-able.
another point of view of a bible. written in slang-language made my imaginations expanded than ever :)
*writing this review has tickled me to read it again*
by the way, this bible is actually my birthday present on 2006. hopefully i'll get another outstanding birthday present this year ;)
readable, not boring-able.
another point of view of a bible. written in slang-language made my imaginations expanded than ever :)
*writing this review has tickled me to read it again*
by the way, this bible is actually my birthday present on 2006. hopefully i'll get another outstanding birthday present this year ;)
December 18, 2012
I really enjoyed this version of the Bible. It was unique. And I'll probably read it again. Every time I read the Bible I try to grab a different version, and I landed on "the word on the street" this last time. I've owned it for a while and thought it was time to sit down and go through it. The story will always be the same, no matter the version... Jesus died on the cross for us... to save us from our sins! What an amazing truth! "the word on the street" gave me another view to look at. Same story, different perception. I recommend it.
May 7, 2013
I read this because I wanted to develop a better understanding of the Bible's content without trawling through a complete archaic volume. Although the way the book's worded seemed quite cringeworthy as it attempted to establish a new kind of slang for a modern audience (perhaps I was a little too old for it really..) and in this way became a little difficult to get through in itself, I definitely got some of what I set out to: discovery and further understanding of the Bible stories.
October 19, 2012
Presented the Bible in a new way I would not have thought possible. In the vernacular of the street. Not truly THE Bible,but interestingly presented. Purists will find this offense and I am not going to recommend this to anyone who does not have a strong understanding of the Bible already.
April 27, 2008
A great great Bible.
August 14, 2008
Translates the Bible into common street language. I loved it!
June 17, 2013
This was a great book! It kept my interest from the first page and I could not put it down! I am now looking for the cd because I would love to hear this awesome text read by the author, himself.
June 27, 2018
A "relational take" on the Bible.
December 16, 2018
A very fun read of a poetic paraphrase of Scripture - in British slang! Sends you back to Scripture constantly to see what the Bible really says. Readable, thematically sound, applicable, fun.
March 12, 2020
This version of The Bible absolutely changed my life. It’s readable, it’s accessible and it’s funny. It finally allowed me to read The Bible straight through which meant I can see the connections between the Old and New Testaments better. It also bought alive and explained some of the staler books where I used to get caught up with names and complications I didn’t understand. It’s literally a masterpiece of re-telling.
May 19, 2022
I really enjoyed reading his interpretation of the Bible. It was a fun and new take on stories heard before. A great mix of comical and thought provoking writing styles all throughout. The addition of modern terms and phrases from "our day and age" was also a nice touch.
May 12, 2025
Started and finished date - 09.05.25 to 11.05.25.
My rating - One Stars.
I pick is book to see what is book was like and can say it was a strange read and cover of book was ugly. The writing was hard to follow and it took some time to get use to. The paced of book was too slow for my liking and I think is book could be structured better.
My rating - One Stars.
I pick is book to see what is book was like and can say it was a strange read and cover of book was ugly. The writing was hard to follow and it took some time to get use to. The paced of book was too slow for my liking and I think is book could be structured better.
February 5, 2024
Took me close to 4 years to finish — enough said
November 12, 2007
Gotta love a Brit who isn't too careful to use the word "squat" in his paraphrase of the Bible.
February 24, 2015
I found Rob Lacey's paraphrasing of the Bible in street English to be enlightening and enjoyable.
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November 30, 2017Genesis Account
alone is worth the price.
alone is worth the price.
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