Customer Reviews

Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe (RE: Lit)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Doctrine is in my opinion an essential book that every Christian and Pastor should make sure to have on their library. It is excellently written and thoroughly enjoyable to read. The authors nailed their goal of writing a book that is both helpful for the pastor but engaging for the layman. This book will be a great blessing to the church as it will be one that could serve for discussion groups or classes.

The book is laid out to follow along the meta-narrative for God and the story of the Bible. To highlight just a few chapters I would say the chapters on creation, Trinity, and the death of Jesus are worth the price of the book alone.

So why with all the warm word would I give this book only four stars? Good question. As I mentioned the greatest strength of this book is how broad its appeal and function will be. At the same time this forced the book (seemingly) to limit itself in a critical area of theology; the doctrine of Salvation. It was shocking for me to read through such a wonderful book on theology by a theologically solid pastor like Mark Driscoll and find no chapter on salvation. This is understandable if the book is striving to reach the entire range of evangelicals. The doctrine of salvation is historically and usually the most controversial chapter and topic any theologian writes on, and sadly, often serves as a litmus test by many pastors and readers. I am left to conclude either they forgot this (which is highly unlikely given the credentials of the authors and that I have heard Driscoll preach on it countless times). Or that they left it out in the ambition of giving the book a wider audience.

Though I am sure some could point to the chapter of worship and highlight that it does talk about regeneration, this is far from an adequate treatment on the doctrine of salvation. I had such high hopes for this book and the uses it could have in the church where I pastor. Now I am left though wanting the second edition of the book to come out so they can fix this glaring omission! Or...maybe just put this chapter on the book website for those who would not want it left out.

Theology matters, and greatly so. Churches that have lost their hold on the truths of the faith are destined to drift into destructive errors or to simply become social clubs with a religious overtone. This is why books like Mark Driscoll's Doctrine are so important.

What I Liked

Perhaps the best thing about Doctrine is that Driscoll took the time to write it. It is good for churches to see their leadership caring about the teaching of the Scripture in more than a simplistic or superstitious sense. Driscoll does his best to address important issues of the faith in a serious way--his trademark sarcasm is simply not present in this work.

Many of the chapters of this book are worthy of applause. Driscoll handles some heavy topics such as the trinity (chapter 1), the cross and atonement (chapter 8), and the church (chapter 11) with a great deal of insight. In most of these chapters, Driscoll addresses the issues with a nice balance of complexity on the one hand and explanation, simplicity, and application on the other.

What I Did Not Like

There are a few places where discerning Christians will have some questions for Driscoll as they work their way through Doctrine. In some of these cases, the issues may be quite secondary. In others, however, it appears that Driscoll makes some fairly dangerous statements.

The most serious error in this book comes early, in the chapter on divine Revelation (chapter 2). In explaining that general revelation will not bring a person enough knowledge of God to save their souls, Driscoll asserts that in countries closed to missionaries, God might send dreams, visions, or even angels to the lost to bring them the good news of Jesus Christ. Though I have no doubt that such stories have indeed been told, and perhaps by those whom Driscoll trusts, this is a direct contradiction of Romans 10:13-ff. In that passage of perfectly-inspired holy Scripture, God tells us that people will not be saved without a preacher, and the clear understanding of that passage is that the preacher will be one of God's children, a human preacher or missionary, not an angelic messenger. Besides coming from outside of the Scripture, this issue matters, because if Christians believe that God might save others without human contact through personal communication or written word (including the Bible), this will do harm to the missionary Endeavour.

There are at least two other areas where I found myself concerned about the content of this work. I found myself uncomfortable with Driscoll's openness to an old-earth creation story in chapter 3. I believe in a literal six day creation, and while I will not make this a first-level issue, I fear that old earth theories play fast and loose with the interpretation of Scripture. Also, again in chapter 2, Driscoll leans in a more charismatic understanding of revelation than I am comfortable with. I believe that a closed cannon of Scripture does not leave the door open to divine revelation in the form of predictive prophecy; Driscoll disagrees.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Overall, I am grateful to Mark Driscoll for the work that he has done in writing this very accessible systematic theology. Works like this need to be written, and well-known figures in evangelicalism need to show that such things are important. There are certainly areas where I could caution readers to read with discernment and even to reject Driscoll's conclusions, but such areas are not enough to make me recommend not reading the book as a whole. I have no doubt that my own point-of-view still needs much work before I understand all of what God wants me to grasp doctrinally, and thus I have much grace for a brother in Christ who is doing the work in a far more expansive way than I. So, my recommendation: Read Doctrine, but read it carefully--as you should any book you pick up or download.

Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. 464 pp.

[For this review, I read the excellent audio book from [...]

Christians are called to know, appreciate, and dispense the crucial doctrines of the biblical faith. Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears have stepped up and endowed the church with a modern and simple presentation of the most important doctrinal teachings of the Christian religion. The authors previously published the "Vintage Jesus" and in this new volume they help make theology appealing in their straightforward writing style.

Pastor Driscoll (Mars Hill) and Breshears (professor of theology Western Seminary) combine to bestow this volume to Christians whereby this very readable book instructs the reader in the most basic truths of Christianity. Yes this is not Berkoff, Grudem, or Reymond, but the authors approach theology from a Reformed position as they present doctrines concerning:

- Who God is
- How God speaks
- How God loves
- How God saves
- And much more

I came to this book because of the strong endorsement from John Frame and this work is excellent for the new believer, teens, busy housewives, and others who want to learn the basic doctrines of the Christian faith in a non-technical manner. Effective, exceptional, simple, educational, and edifying.
Truth, Knowledge and the Reason for God: The Defense of the Rational Assurance of Christianity
or
"God Does Exist!: Defending the Faith using Presuppositional apologetics, Evidence, and the Impossibility of the Contrary"

Though I have much respect for Mark Driscoll, I found the book to be less a systematic theology as represented and more of a "distinctives" book on Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I was less then impressed with his handling of many topics including his unorthodox view on the atonement where he coins the phrase Limited, Unlimited Atonement. Driscoll's attempt to reconcile the atonement between Calvinism and Arminianism is fraught with theological holes and dramatically limits the power of the cross. This was a great disappointment to me. It also sets an attitude of "everyone else for 1500 years is wrong but me". Additionally, the flow of the book can be confusing at times. I suspect this is due to the two authors trying to blend material. This is most evident in Chapter 1 where the topic seems to change from one paragraph to another and then back again.

His handling of the gospel and living a missional lifestyle is right on and well written. To be fair to Driscoll this is his specialty and he nails it. He is equally as brilliant in the chapters on the incarnation (very well done) and the handling of the church. These chapters alone make the book worth reading. Doctrine will challenge your view of the Gospel and incite you to action and for this I applaud the book.

I would recommend his book but be discerning about the theology and don't expect it to be a robust systematic theology. It is clearly not that.

Recently I received a copy of Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears' book titled "Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe". My first impression of this book was very positive. I opened the table of contents and discovered that the first doctrine they included was the Triune God. I found this refreshing. Many books or religious movements list the Bible as their first belief. Many times listing the Bible first does not change someone's view of God or their view of the Bible, but by listing God first we are reminded that the Bible is God's Word and there is much more to God than what God chose to provide for us in the Bible.

Sometimes when I pick up a book and look at the table of contents I get excited by the topics that are included, but I am only let down as I work my way through how those topics are presented. Such is not the case with this book. While I do not agree with everything that Driscoll and Breshears set forth I have found this book very helpful in my continuing journey to learn more about God. The sections that I agreed with were helpful to see how someone else related a shared belief. On the other hand, the sections that I disagreed with were helpful as well. They were helpful because they forced me to critically look at what I believe and evaluate why I believe what I believe. It some cases their very well informed and well researched claims have broadened my understanding on those issues, but other issues I am still grappling with. While I will never agree on everything that they posit in this book they have succeeded in educating and challenging me.

Driscoll and Brashears have a very reader friendly writing style and an easy to follow outline. This is book is a great read and well worth taking the time to work through it.

I received a review copy of this book from Crossway Publishers at no cost to myself.

I was looking forward to reading a book on Bible doctrine from one of the most influential pastors of our time, Mark Driscoll. Mark pastors a church of around 10,000 people and founded the Acts 29 church planting network which has planted over 300 churches world-wide. He co-authors the book with seminary professor Dr. Gary Brashears.

The book's appearance and construction is solid. Stitched binding and a hard cover make this book durable while the 1.5 inch line spacing works great for underlining and note taking. It seemed no matter how much I read it, the binding never "cracked." If I were to grade the book on construction, it would be 5 stars. It looks beautiful.

Too bad I am not grading it on looks.

The content of the book is "OK." I am in line with much of the doctrines inside the book. I am a "old earth, literal 6 days of creation" kind of guy. I am slightly charismatic in my beliefs about the gifts of the Spirit, and I am pretty orthodox in my thinking. For the most part, I would recommend this book to anyone who had questions or was seeking to "go deeper" in their studies of theology.

But...

The material is dry, rehashed, and full of opinions. As Driscoll does in this book, let me explain by making each of my critiques a point followed by summary.

* Dry - Drink a glass of water while reading this book. The material is predominately lifeless. It is the cold hard facts and nothing else. No pedagogical devices, no stories or allegories (that I remember), no humor and only a handful of exclamation points (which sometimes seemed out of place). Even "serious" theologians, like John Frame or Wayne Grudem, can be engaging.
* Rehashed - I knew going in the book was based on a sermon series Driscoll did a while ago. What I did not know is, at times, it would feel like reading the sermon manuscript. While the book contains a lot of new information (not included in the sermons), it feels "old." If you have listened to any of Driscoll's preaching, or read any of his books (he rips several paragraphs and a chart strait from Death by Love), you may be thinking to yourself, "I've heard / read this before..."
* Full of opinions - While the doctrine is pretty factual, sometimes Mark (or Gary) would put random opinions in the text. My favorite? Mark claims "Johnathan Edwards is the best American theologian of all time." Never tells us why. Never backs up his claim. Never gives us examples of why he believes this unprovable "fact." Driscoll also plays some semantic and word games with the text in Genesis to prove the existence of the Trinity. I believe there is enough evidence to prove this without having to attempt a substitution of Hebrew words.

Not all negative.

I do believe the book has some great things going for it. There are many facts backed up by quotes from other theologians (in truth, N.T. Wright should get credit for at least one entire chapter) who have been instrumental in my personal studies, like John Stott and Don (D.A.) Carson. I also loved the books dedication to many of the great theologians from the past generation or two who have played a key role in God's plan to educate and teach. Of course, I enjoyed the unabashed truths the book proclaimed. I think the book is a good resource and deserves three stars. Honestly, if it was not so dry, and contained less rehashed information I would have rated it higher.

I would recommend this book for two readers: Those unfamiliar with Driscoll, and those who have been Christians for about a year.

-Don-

Over the last three years, Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears have been releasing books at a mind-boggling pace.

Vintage Jesus focuses on the question of who Jesus is and why it matters; Death by Love looks at the atonement; Vintage Church explores what it means to be the Church.

And now they've released Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe. Based on Driscoll's sermon series of the same name from 2008, Doctrine examines 13 essential beliefs of the Christian faith: the Trinity, Revelation, creation, image, the fall, covenants, the incarnation, crucifixion & resurrection, the church, worship, stewardship and the Kingdom.

In many ways, this is Driscoll's most focused book. As the story goes, the book originally weighed in at over 700 pages. The authors were forced to do some serious pruning. The result is a sharp 464 page work that sacrifices cuteness for clarity.

This is a welcome change, particularly for those who really don't appreciate Driscoll's sense of humor (and even for those who do). While his personality is definitely present, it doesn't overshadow the content (something that happened in certain passages of Vintage Jesus). Honestly, this is exactly how it should be. The content in this book is compelling enough on its own.

As the authors provide readers with a foundational knowledge of each doctrine studied, they manage to tie each doctrine together so that we can see how they all fit. This is particularly evident in the chapter on worship. Here, Driscoll & Breshears write:

"Worship, rightly understood, begins with the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of image. . . . the Trinity [is] the uniquely Continuous Outpourer who continually pours himself out between the persons of the Godhead in unceasing communication, love, friendship, and joy. It follows that humans created in God's image would also be unceasing worshipers as continuous outpourers." (p. 338-339)

Because the Triune God "continuously pours" himself within the community of the Trinity, we, who are made in God's image do likewise. They continue:

"As the doctrine of image reveals, human beings are unceasing worshipers. We are not created to worship, but rather we are created worshiping. Everyone worships all the time. Atheists, agnostics, Christians, and everyone in between are unceasing worshipers. Everyone, everywhere, all the time, is always worshiping. While the object and method of worship vary, the act of worship does not." (p. 339)

This explanation (citing Harold Best's book, Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts) gives greater depth to the commands against idolatry. It's not simply that we're worshiping a false god--we're actually misrepresenting God when we worship an idol.

Also insightful is the importance they stress on the distinction between Creator and creation in what they refer to as Two-ism vs. One-ism. Where two-ism upholds the distinction, one-ism is "the eradication of boundaries and differences to bring opposites together as one" (p. 343). And this, the authors rightly say, is anti-thetical with the Christian worldview. When there is no distinction between Creator and creation, God and man, good and evil, man and animals, man and nature, man and woman, and between different religions, then situational ethics and relativism reign.

"Subsequently a Christian who makes distinctions (such as between God and man, Jesus and Satan, angels and demons, heaven and hell, man and animals, holiness and sin, the Bible and other texts, male and female, heterosexuality and homosexuality, truth and error, good and evil) is considered a fundamental threat to the utopian world of peace, love, and oneness." (p. 345)

What I enjoy most about Doctrine, its focus on the study of each essential belief, is also in some ways its weakness. Because the book is packed--and I mean packed--with information, it's requires a much slower, thoughtful read. It is a book you cannot rush through.

I sat with this book for a little over a week and felt like I could still be going slower. Maybe devote a couple of days for each chapter and take advantage of the study & discussion questions at the end of the book.

Take your time. Let the text work through your mind slowly. Wrestle with it.

And let reading the book be an act of worship as Driscoll & Breshears encourage you to grow in your understanding of what Christians should believe.

------

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review by Crossway Books

This is fantastic book. I couldn't wait to get it in the mail, and it was even more than I expected when I received it. It is very well written -easy to read, yet deep enough theologically for anyone from beginner to seasoned teacher to utilize. Tons of Scripture referenced to back up the doctrine presented. Fairly balanced when handling issues that are debated amongst believers. LOVE how each chapter title is referenced to God's action. I highly recommend this, it's a work that belongs on every Christians shelf.

I found the website of Mars Hill Church in Seattle about a year or so ago, and I have been downloading and listening to Pastor Mark's sermons ever since. This book is written in a conversational tone, much how Mark preaches. Clear, understandable, seasoned with humor, not to mention well researched and documented. The sheer amount of footnotes (both Bible references and other sources) puts this book on an academic level, yet it also contains many practical insights on living in a Christ-like manner.

I've tried several times to get through other theology texts such as Essentials of Evangelical Theology, but have lost interest quickly due to the dryness of the reading material. On the other hand, I have had to force myself to put Doctrine down on several occasions.

Cheers to both Mark and Gerry on a job well done.

I am not a product of seminary or advanced theological training. Rather, just a guy trying to learn so I can better lead a small group in studying and applying God's Word to our lives. I've found Mark Driscoll's leadership in the church and passion for Jesus to be both powerful and refreshing...in a time where we have largely strayed and really need the truth preached!

I appreciate Driscoll and Breshears for many reasons. However, the one aspect of their ministry that stands out is the way that they communicate Jesus, the gospel, and application of the truth to life today. There is no sugar coating. Simply put, they are real. Driscoll and Breshears are steadfast in conservative theology in a time when many have skewed Christianity to fit their lifestyle, as opposed to allowing that Jesus adjust them! Nevertheless, they still communicate in a way that strikes a cord with all backgrounds, ages, etc...

Doctrine is substantial and well-executed, while also remaining easy to understand and follow for all the theological lightweights like myself.

Oh, and did I mention the footnotes? Research, homework, due diligence...done.

Great resource. Great men of God.