My first book review!

The Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament Dramaztized Audio Bible is a wonderful updated take on an ancient body of writing. This is a great introduction to the Word of God for young people of the next generation. I love that the actors portraying these ancient characters are teens and adults that are popular and well known among people who know about pop culture today. Sean Astin, as the narrator, has a strong and likeable voice, which makes listening easy. While Cody Linley has an innocence to his voice that seems strange at first, but after thinking about it, it resonates that Jesus was the most innocent of all. The entire cast captivated and held my attention through the entire production. Some things that I did not care for were the modernization of words when used in well known passages. It seemed to take the impact out of the verses and water it down. For example, the “beatitudes” were changed in such a way that it changed the meaning for me. Traditionally, it is written, “Blessed are the ....” but these words of been changed to, “Happy are the....” For me, happy does not equal blessed. It's not even close. When you are blessed, you are not necessarily happy. Blessing offers hope in a deep and meaningful way, but happiness is a fleeting emotion. Though I understand altering words so kids can understand, the word “blessed” in such a prominent text is not so confusing that a teen should not get the point. So, although I liked listening to this dramatization, I hope that it wouldn't mislead young people or new readers into a more superficial understanding of God's Word. That said, if it gets kids interested in the Bible, I'm all for it.