The Word on the Street by Rob Lacey

The Word on the Street by Rob Lacey is first and foremost a paraphrase of the Bible. The book was written with the sole purpose of getting people interested in reading the Bible. This book would be the Bible if you read it like people communicate today – newspaper, email, and social networks. This paraphrase of the Bible was written by a poet. He uses many poems, stories, and images that people would recognize today. Bible stories are retold as mini-blockbusters. Psalms are written like song lyrics. The New Testament epistles are written as emails. Revelation is written like a virtual reality program.

This book was a refreshing read. Instead of struggling through the Bible, I found I could read this paraphrase in two days. The advantage is the fact that this paraphrase reads like a fast-pace adventure. To do this, the author has to summarize who sets of chapters, even books of the Bible. As a result, the size of the Old Testament is similar in size to the New Testament. Much of Israel’s history is summarized in order to move the story along. The most damaging part of a paraphrase is the need for the author to make a summary of whole chapters and books in the form of personal commentary.

The best part of reading this paraphrase is the way the Gospel accounts are presented. The four Gospels have been combined into a 4D biography. Lacey has written a “harmony of the Gospels” in his own style. This continues through the New Testament. The church is called the “Jesus Liberation Movement,” to clarify the Biblical meaning of the word “church.” Each epistle begins with a summary of the “story” which it presents. In all the epistles, the introduction is written like an email correspondence header. This helps the reader quickly understand the background and setting.

The Word on the Street is a unique contribution to the library of paraphrases one can use to get to know the Bible better. The book can be bought on Amazon, Google Books, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble.