- The word on the street
"the word on the street" (formerly "the street bible") is a
Bible -based book byRob Lacey that paraphrases key Bible stories using modern language. It is a modernization of Scripture and should only be used as a reference for further study and not to replace The Holy Bible as scribed and Translated by inspired writers.Publication
It is Lacey's first major book, and was originally published in 2003 as "the street bible". "the word on the street" is described as a "'dangerously real' retelling of Scripture," [http://www.laceyproductions.co.uk/the%20books%20home.htm] condensing the story of the Bible in less than 500 pages, paraphrasing the text in a distinctive, urban style inspired by Lacey's performances. Major biblical stories are recast as mini-blockbusters; individual psalms are rewritten as song lyrics; the letters of Paul become emails to the fledgling "Jesus Liberation Movement" (aka the church). "the word on the street" is published by
Zondervan .At the same time the book was launched, Lacey partnered with musicians Bill Taylor-Beales and Rachel Taylor-Beales to produce an audio CD of his 75-minute performance of the Bible. The CD was nominated for an Audie Award by the Audio Publishers Association in 2004.
The book was first published in the United Kingdom in 2003 and was one of the bestselling religious books for the next two years, ultimately winning the Christian Booksellers Convention's Book of the Year award in 2004. In the US,
Barnes & Noble recognized "the word on the street" as one of the ten best "religion & spirituality" books of 2004.Lacey followed this book with "The Liberator" (2006), a retelling of the life of Jesus based on the gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Analysis of the text
The author and Christian reviewers have described the book as the Bible as
performance art .Fact|date=May 2007 In the words of the author, "No way is this the Proper Bible. It’s a trailer for, an intro to, an overview of The Bible (capital 'B'). For those who’ve never read it, And those who’ve read it so much it’s gone stale on them". [http://www.portsmouth.anglican.org/jesus/the_street_bible/]The following shows a comparison between the
KJV and "the word on the street":External links
* [http://www.thewordonthestreet.co.uk/ the word on the street]
* [http://www.billtaylor-beales.com Bill Taylor-Beales]
* [http://www.racheltaylor-beales.com Rachel Taylor-Beales]
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