I intend on doing a few more of these for the books I am reading.
Mark Driscoll has become one of the big names in Christianity Today. His church Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA is number 2 on Church Relevance's list of multiplying churches for 2007, #9 on America’s 25 Most Innovative Churches of ‘07, #15 on 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Churches of ‘06 , #22 on 50 Most Influential Churches of ‘06, #54 on 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Churches of ‘05, #23 on 50 Most Influential Churches of ‘05. What is interesting is that this guy is reformed(Calvinist). I am Arminian yet I have to admit that I do enjoy listening and reading stuff by them because it is so Christ centered and that's refreshing especially when most of modern Christianity seems to be me centered with 12 steps to get more money and all the like.Mark Driscoll is the chief author of this book and he writes most of the chapter followed by a series of answers pertinant to the topic by Gerry Breshears. As I have previously noted Driscoll is reformed in his theology however I don't see TULIP bleeding out through this book so as an Arminian I can deal with it. He is also Trinitarian and this definitely shows in his writing even to the point of bashing Apostolics as can be found on page 35 where he says "Oneness Pentecostals falsely teach that there is no Trinity but rather that Jesus appears in the roles of Father, Son, and Spirit." He also says on page 99 that the Doctrine of the Trinity is essential belief and puts it there with the infallibility of scripture, and Jesus' death and resurrection.
The real question in light of all of this is "Is the book good or is it junk?" I would have to say this is a great book. I can't give it all the stars because he bashes the biblical doctrine of the Oneness of God but Driscoll does an excellent Job at defending Jesus. In reading this book I began to think and realize that most of Apostolic's energies seem to be targeted mainly at defending The Oneness of Jesus and proving the doctrine of the trinity false. In other words it is done with the basic supposition that people already have a belief in the bible and that Jesus is the Christ. It is this very belief Driscoll seeks to lead the reader to.
We live in a postmodern world, where truth is relative and many non-Christian religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Rastafarianism and Buddhism seem to be gaining popularity. These religions question the Jesus of both the Apostolic and the Trinitarian and it becomes necessary for us to have answers for them as 1 Peter 3:15 instructs us. That is where the book's first chapter comes in "Is Jesus the Only God?" where the case is strongly made for the divinity of Jesus. The Fifth and Sixth points of this chapter is especially significant to me as it presents how Jesus claimed he was God and how Jesus confirmed to others that he is God. I have heard many people claim that Jesus is not God because he never claimed to be God and this debunks this myth.
The second chapter is also very significant, especially to Apostolics. Many would know that in 2003 the UPCI took a definite stand against the doctrine of Divine Flesh. Driscoll answers the question that many have "How human was Jesus?" in his very own way. On page 31 he writes " Jesus was a dude. Like my drywaller dad, he was a construction worker who swung a hammer for a living.Because Jesus worked in a day when there were no power tools, he likely had calluses on his hands and muscles on his frame, and did not look like so many of the drag-queen Jesus images that portray him with long, flowing, feathered hair, perfect teeth, and soft skin, draped in a comfortable dress accessorized by matching open-toed sandals and handbag. Jesus did not have Elton John or the Spice Girls on his iPod, The View on his TiVo, or a lemon-yellow Volkswagen Beetle in his garage. No, Jesus was not the kind of person who, if walking by you on the street, would require you to look for an Adam’s apple to determine the gender." He kinda reminds me of Jeff Arnold in his approach there - totally original but you get the point loud and clear.
The Book continues to answer other questions about Jesus such as - How Did People Know Jesus Was Coming? Why Did Jesus Come to Earth? Why Did Jesus’ Mom Need to Be a Virgin? What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross? Did Jesus Rise from Death? Where Is Jesus Today? Why Should We Worship Jesus? What Makes Jesus Superior to Other Saviors? What Difference Has Jesus Made in History? What Will Jesus Do upon His Return?
There are two things which especially stuck out to me in the book that are worth mentioning. One of these is a paragraph found on page 222 which is an amazing defense of the doctrine of Hell and how a Holy loving God would allow people to go there:
"God is literally holy, we are literally sinful, Jesus literally died to forgive our sin, and if we fail to receive his forgiveness, we will literally stand before him for judgment and be sentenced to a literal hell as an act of literal justice. To be honest, the doctrine of hell does not bother me. It makes perfect sense that guilty people would be sentenced and punished for their evil. What has always bothered me is heaven. How could a holy God allow any sinner to enter heaven? Furthermore, how could a loving God allow evil to continue without stopping it forever and bringing justice to all of the victims before wiping all their tears? Indeed, the joys of heaven and not the pains of hell are more difficult for me to reconcile with the character of a good God. The cold, hard truth is that for those who do not love Jesus, this life is as close to heaven as they will ever get. Hell awaits them."
The other is found in Chapter 4 where he discusses why Jesus came to earth. He presents the ministry of Jesus in a tri-perspective as Prophet, Priest and King and even gives a story of how Jesus impacted him in all of these ways and how they were all necessary in drawing him close to Jesus. His testimony is really powerful and is followed by him examining what happens when one of these perspectives is removed and the problems it causes. I must say that this chapter was by far the most impacting Chapter in the book and really helped me to Love Jesus more.
D.C. Lake
