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Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions (Re: Lit Books)

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I like the concept of the book as found in its title Religion Saves. As much as a book debunking that religion saves needs to be written I think it is hard to do in the format Mark Driscoll has chosen. Letting others pick your topics and then finding an appropriate title would not be an easy task for anyone. I say that as I ask the question of whether or not the topic of religion saves was actually tackled. Most of the topics aren't really salvation issues. They are moral issues for the world and Gospel issues for the church. Driscoll is very good at addressing moral issues, their practical outworking in one's life and practical solutions. Let's browse through the topics.

Question 9: Birth Control

This chapter is to be appreciated. Driscoll goes over the biblical view of people as God's creation, families and children. He then lays out a helpful over view of the history of birth control. Birth control is looked at in five different levels. No birth control (19), natural (33), non-abortive (34), potentially abortive (37) and abortive murder (40). He walks the reader through the different forms of each type of birth control and attempts to give biblical guidance for each. Mixed in with Driscoll's answers are historical and medical research. I found this chapter helpful as it offers a good over view and wisdom from which to make decisions.

Question 8: Humor

Next to the question what is too crude for a pastor and the pulpit, this is a much wondered about question from Driscoll's perspective. I appreciate much of Driscoll's humor. Not all of it. Even though no particular group is under his radar as names them off I wonder at times just how pastoral this approach is. Is there a time when you stop making fun of the guy downloading porn and sleeping on Star Wars sheets and bring the Gospel to light as the solution. (45)

As he seeks to answers the question of whether or not humor is biblical, he simply asserts his position. Showing that humor is biblical is not the same as pointing out what an individual personally finds humorous. Driscoll points to the greek word skubalah, meaning "s**t" according to Greek scholar Dan Wallace, in Philippians 3:8 as scatological humor. While the language might be scatological I don't see it as humorous and neither does Wallace as Driscoll has quoted him. Just as the reference to Noah who is referred to as a camping redneck when he became drunk.(49) Again, this doesn't prove that the Bible is humorous. Actually, these acts aren't acts of humor, but of showing the sinful side of men that needs to be repented of. He uses a similar approach when quoting the Wisdom books pointing out God laughing at the wicked. There are just too many assumptions built on Driscoll's personal taste to prove the point he is trying to prove.

Driscoll goes on to quote Elton Trueblood's The Humor of Christ to build his case about Jesus and humor. I don't know enough about this book to comment either way. I do agree that Jesus laughed. He was God and Man. While I appreciate Driscoll laying out his ten ways humor is helpful (61) and ten commandments for sanctifying humor (64) I wonder if he could stand up to his own test at times.

Question 7: Predestination

Driscoll starts by defining monergism and synergism. Then he gives a brief history of some key theologians throughout church history and their views on this topic. Getting to the heart of the chapter is when Driscoll lays out the five points of Calvinism and the Arminianism.(74) He explains some of the nuances of each position. Showing his cards he lets the reader know that he named his second son Calvin Martin after Martin Luther and John Calvin.(75) He explains that he doesn't base his fellowship with other Christians on this issue. The real meat of the chapter is where many questions about predestination are answered in light of salvation, free-will, God being unfair,etc. Though this is a pretty good and thorough chapter it is another one of those topics that will be debated until our predestined life ends. As a bonus, there is a very helpful appendix with Bible verses on predestination.

Question 6: Grace

"Grace" answers the question for Driscoll of what is the hardest part of Christianity for him to grasp.(105) I can't help but relate to his thinking here. The grace of God in my salvation is beyond my comprehension. Driscoll relates this by telling the story of his life as a sinner. As a "good" moral guy. It's a good recounting for all to reflect on.

He then expounds on grace in Scripture. The reader is walked through 13 experiences of grace. These include the aspects of grace working in electing, preaching, regeneration, conversion, justification, adoption, ministry, sanctification, empowering, provisional, miraculous, persevering and glorifying. (117) Understanding grace in this way if very helpful so that we understand it is God sustaining us in all we do not just in salvation, but in life as a whole.

Question 5: Sexual Sin

This chapter deals with the question of breaking free from the bondage of sexual sin.(127) Driscoll starts by describing something I'm not familiar with called "Naughty coffee". His description of what happens while ordering this coffee might be enough to make a man's mind wander where it shouldn't. The author moves to briefly describing sexual sin in Scripture and then sexual sin today. A whole barrage of different types of today's sins are given. Included in these descriptions are historical, medical and societal statistics. These statistics are helpful and informative as far as facts go. It will probably be eye-opening to those out there who take such things for granted. An excerpt of an interview with Ted Bundy just before his execution certainly puts these issues in a different light.(138)

Winding the chapter down are 11 tips for breaking free of this sexual bondage.(140) These tips are helpful and rooted in Scripture. However, the Gospel seems to be assumed rather than explicitly applied. The redemptive aspect of the Gospel and the Christian's identity in Christ could be a bit stronger. I'm reminded here of what Bryan Chapell calls the "deadly be's". "Be" like this person in Scripture, etc. is the message and it must be accompanied God's grace.

Question 4: Faith and Works

Not only is this a debate between Protestants and Roman Catholics, it is also a type of wrong thinking that occurs in religious people as far as works go. Good works are certainly the religion of the world. Driscoll does a decent job of laying out the doctrine of justification. I really appreciate how he explains that justification is about Jesus.(162) He then takes 12 pages on the doctrine of regeneration in the middle of a chapter on faith and works. Finishing the chapter is about one page on the doctrine of sanctification. Even though I appreciate the author's presentation on regeneration I don't understand why it was inserted in this chapter. The biggest disappointment is that Driscoll doesn't deal with the exegetical work of concerning faith and works with James and Paul. Instead, he assumes his position.

Question 3: Dating

This is a another good topic for Driscoll. He seems to do well with the social, moral aspects of life. Again, the reader will find some decent research of dating in times past into the present. The author tackles cohabitation citing statistics touching on who engages in, and some of the outcomes of, this practice. The issue of singleness is up next touching on the gift of singleness (1 Cor. 7) and those who might create different idols within it.

Driscoll nicely lays out 16 helpful Christian dating principles for men and women.(191) He offers much wisdom here from maximizing one's singleness for God to agreeing theologically with a potential date.(195) Many of these points are over looked by today's Christians. The chapter ends with seven Christian dating questions for men (198), seven for women (200) and dating methods.(202) Again, this is where Driscoll shines and gives some good practical advice.

Question 2: The Emerging Church

The question is what can established/traditional churches learn from emerging churches?(209) A brief history of Driscoll's association with emerging church leaders kicks off the chapter. He gets into the differences of the emergent, emerging and missional categories of churches. Rob Bell is singled out as the exception among acquaintances and friends of Driscoll's in these movements.(210) Concerning the church the author explains the cultural shifts, the need to be missional and the friendships that blur theological lines with in these movements. These things are said to account for confusion in understand how the differing positions are defined.

The reader is then given four lanes on the missional church highway.(213) They are missional evangelicals (214), missional house church evangelicals (215), missional reformed evangelicals (216) and emergent liberals.(217) Driscoll goes on to finish the chapter with strong critiques, really rebukes, of the emergent liberals. He takes on Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, and Rob Bell by analyzing their theology where some key problems lie. This chapter ends with a damning prognosis. Driscoll states that the emergent leaders and their churches are not leading people to Christ and His Gospel. There is actually no Gospel and no salvation found amongst these communities. This is an important chapter that needs to be read by today's post-moderns.

Question 1: The Regulative Principle

Full disclosure, I was one of the folks who helped Timmy Brister get this question through by using my votes on it. Driscoll starts off explaining that this is a foreign topic to most aside from single guys in seminary in need of a wife who are reading dead authors.(243) He does admit that this is an important topic though. The answer to what worship is and isn't is first laid out. I appreciate that he contrasts solo scriptura with the correct doctrine of sola scriptura as he looks to Scripture to answer the question of worship. These definitions will give the reader an understanding of Driscoll's method of worship that he employs and how he draws it from Scripture.

Getting to the heart of the chapter, the author lays out what he sees as strengths and weaknesses in both the normative and the regulative principles of worship. While I would fall somewhere between the two principles I don't think Driscoll is fair in his critique of the regulative principle. He uses a reductio ad absurdum strategy to argue against it. That is, he attempts to take this worship principle to it's logical conclusion to show that it falls apart. For example, he claims that churches that forbid instruments during worship must posit that the Bible sins when instruments are mentioned.(254) This approach is really unhelpful as it doesn't really deal with the actual arguments for the regulative principle. If we applied this to Driscoll in a similar manner we'd have to granted that those he lists as holding to the regulative principle - John Calvin, the Puritans, Presbyterians, those following the Westminster Confession - are all seminary students who need to find a wife.

He closes with a position he created called the missional worship principle. This is basically where everything is done that God commands, nothing He forbids is followed and everything else prayerfully considered.(257)

Finally

First, this book is not for everyone. Driscoll uses very direct and mature language. I think can be good as it doesn't let the reader skirt around the issue. The reader also knows exactly what Driscoll is talking about, but I'm not sure everyone can handle such frank talk.

My opinion is that it's strong on morality, but weak in places on the application of the Gospel. Please don't hear me as saying that Driscoll doesn't preach the Gospel. I' m saying that in this book his application of the Gospel as the solution to "religion saves" could have been more thorough. See my comment on Chapell in question 5. There are, however, tons of Scripture references and 13+ pages of footnotes. It was a little confusing at first to have the Scripture footnoted at the bottom of each page and the bibliography noted in the back of the book. Then, I realized why the numbers weren't matching correctly.

If you are interested in Driscoll's approach to Scripture and his hermeneutic this may be a good book for you. This is also the book for you if you are curious about what the attraction to Driscoll is in the Seattle culture. Though I very much line up with Driscoll theologically and appreciate much of what the Lord is doing through his ministry, there are better books on some of these topics. The strongest chapters are on birth control, predestination, grace, sexual sin, dating, and the emerging church. So I'm recommending six out of nine chapters. Some of the more theologically astute will want more exegetically inclined works on these topics. However, this book can certainly help communicate in a more modern, contextualized manner, if you accept this approach.

This is essentially a case of the book being better than the movie. I listened to the podcasts of these sermons as Driscoll delivered them, and they were good, if moderately frustrating at parts, but Driscoll has really improved his work by putting it in print, attributing more quotes, and enhancing the content itself. Specifically, when he spoke about the emerging church (question 2), he told his congregation that he knows this was all from internet voting and that they don't care, so he only used half of his time to address the question and then picked a topic of his own for the rest of the sermon (I don't remember what it was, but I remember feeling cheated, since Driscoll has a unique position as someone who used to work with some of the big Emergent names but now is one of the leading voices in the Reformed movement) (and, seriously, the question about the regulative principle is the top question, and Driscoll didn't whine that the internet voters skewed that result?). This book treats each question with respect, presenting Driscoll's well-researched responses with dozens of footnotes and endnotes, along with an earnest but not humorless tone that makes it sound like he really cares that people feel like their questions have been answered. The footnotes and endnotes alone make this book a valuable resource (even moreso than recordings of the sermons).

I still think, as I thought when listening to the podcast back in the day, that Driscoll completely misses the point of question 8. Essentially, the question asks, "Why do you make fun of so many people and then expect them to become Christians?" and Driscoll answers (I'm paraphrasing), "You don't seem to like that I'm funny. Let's look at how humor is used in the Bible." The problem isn't that Driscoll is funny. He is. The problem is that he's mean. He demeans people, and yes, he refuses to single specific people out or over-focus on one people group, but his attempts to get laughs (while often successful) are not gentle, and they don't feel loving. I have read enough of his books and listened to enough of his sermons to know that Driscoll has a loving heart beneath the pugnacious exterior, but that does not often come across in his funnier sermons. Question 8 is, at the heart level, "Why are you mean?" and Driscoll answers, "Hey, I don't have to apologize for being funny." This book was a chance for Driscoll to really address what was going on, and although I love the book overall, I think he made a mistake on that chapter.

Driscoll answered questions submitted and voted on by his young, alternative congregation, and he expands the sermon series into this book, which I listened to on audio. He covers topics like Calvinism (specifically, sovereign grace), sex (several blunt chapters, including one on birth control), the proper place of humor, sarcasm, and satire, and the emergent church.

Overall, it was a good book. It was mostly review of material I had read elsewhere, and the author's reading style was strange to my ear (e.g., he paused in odd places), though I don't think I would have that impression if I had read the text myself.

Check out the table of contents. If the topics look interesting to you, Driscoll does a good job covering them in the depth allowed by a book chapter. The chapter on humor was worth the price for me.

I will start out by saying I really like Mark Driscoll and really enjoyed his other other books. In saying this, this is "classic" Driscoll.

Religion Saves is a (I believe this was how it worked) transcription of his sermon series of the same name, and was widely successful online. I went in reading the book after watching the entire series, and I was happy with the book. It follows the series very closely, but also adds some more content that was either more detailed or more up to date.

Content wise the book is very intriguing. I especially appreciated the chapter on the emerging church, which gives a view of the the emerging/emergent movement from an insider's perspective as compared with other authors which have critiqued the movement from the outside, and the chapter on grace for the candidness he had on the subject.

The reason why I give Religion Saves 4 instead of a 5 is that he seems to drag in some sections. He has "Piperisms" where he seems to overkill a particular thought, which is good, but it can get repetitive. That really shouldn't deter anyone from reading this though. Vintage church was pretty epic, so I may just be reeling from that.

Driscoll seems to couple books together in a sort of theme, so I'm thinking this is the practical book in the practical/theological theme, with its counter thought being his next book Doctrine.

all in all 4/5

Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions by Mark Driscoll is not a pessimistic look at Christianity, but is instead a clarifying one that addresses questions that many modern parishes and Christians probably have. Driscoll, a Seattle minister, allowed his congregation to text message him during sermons, and he would provide answers on the spot. These texts led to the creation of a section on his website where people could ask questions and vote on the top questions to be answered. Driscoll took the top nine and preached about them in his sermons. Religion Saves is an expanded summary of the entire project, complete with Biblical references.

The book begins with the controversial topic of birth control and applies it to Christians and the modern society. Driscoll certainly does not shy away from tackling this often sensitive subject. Also covered are sexual sin, humor, grace, dating, faith and works, predestination, the emerging church, and the regulative principle. Religion Saves is a sermon book, laden with Biblical quotes, stories, and analogies.

Driscoll does a wonderful job of getting his point across while expressing and explaining others. There are no hellfire and brimstone rants and Driscoll does not place judgment on anyone. Religion Saves is a balanced account and personal explanations of difficult topics. For the non-religious, this book may be a bit much to get through, follow, or take anything from, yet for those who are interested in a new look at the Christian church, this book offers a fresh new perspective without being fanatical or forceful.

Religion Saves takes real life situations and wraps age old philosophy around them. This makes the situations, stories, and issues understandable in a simple, concise, and very intimate way. Driscoll's warmth and humor enable him to set the stage for his greater message and for readers to find bits of the book to pertain to their lives and themselves.

*also posted at[...]*

First of all, this book is fun to read. Mark Driscoll has encouraged me through this book because he is edgy, writes what he really thinks, and isn't overly concerned with who might be offended. I like that.

Second, there is a lot of practical, biblically based advice in here. The chapters that really shine are:

Birth control. Here's a great overview of the issue, including some insights into the history of birth control for the past few thousand years, and a process of arriving at a balanced yet biblical point of view. This is Mark Driscoll at his best. Especially fun are all the erotic, and completely permissable within the bounds of marriage, er...activities that are encoded in the Song of Solomon. He includes scripture references for these, but I think on a few he's reaching a bit. I'd like more here than just a scripture reference in a footnote. How did he reach some of these conclusions?

Humor. Well, I'm already familiar with the passages he covers here, so it wan't that funny to me, but he made his case well. It really never occured to me that the use of humor by Christian leaders or in the scripture was an issue at all.

Predestination. Here is where the heavy dogma happens. Mark Driscoll is a Calvinist. He takes a large number of scripture-bytes out of context and lists them all together as if this somehow proves he is right. For example, just dropping "You were slaves to sin" (Rom 6:20) on a page as if this helps prove the Calvinistic "point" of Total Depravity doesn't do much for me. There's no context here so it really doesn't prove anything, except that the Christians in Rome that Paul was writing to were once slaves to sin. But slaves can rebel, and I sort of like to think of turning to God through Jesus Christ as a slave rebelling againt the world and Satan.

And, in the appendix "Bible verses on Predestination" Driscoll lists Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, since when is this a verse on predestination? Huh? Time to take a breath and back away from the issue a bit.

(It's this kind of stuff that reminds me of why I don't like to read Christian books much anymore. It seems that in so many of them the author has an axe to grind, so he throws the Bible into an cognitive blender and pulls out the shreds that make his case. This is self serving, not completely honest, and gets really old fast if you have an inquisitive mind and like to verify what people say and write. All I would say with this book, like any other, is don't assume an author is right just because he can cut and paste scripture shreds on a page. Look it up and study it for yourself. If you genuinly seek truth and study for yourself, at least then you own your beliefs. As for me, "All is foreseen; yet free will is given" (Rabbi Akiva, Pirkei Avoth 3:15) which is a great thought that I discovered through doing a little verification on the teaching in this book.

Grace. This chapter is too permeated with Calvinism to be useful to me, sorry.

Faith and Works. Great balanced and thoughtful approach.

Dating. Really really great advice!

The Emerging Church. Dead-on brief buy pithy overview of what this "emerging church" is all about. I particularly appreciated the section on Emergent Liberals.

So, here's a fun to read book loaded with practical advice on a number of issues that affect us all to one degree or another, but also sadly laced with many presumptive uses of scripture in support of Calvinism. Take it with a grain of salt.

I agreed with everything in the book and I absolutely love Mark Driscoll. I love his writing - his preaching - and his passion for God's Glory. This book just wasn't his best in my opinion. I was particularly disappointed in the chapter on Birth Control which I thought was WAY over-the-top for a Christian book. In discussing birth controll Mark goes into the history of it and describes in graphic detail different ways it was used and applied down through the years. These details were at times gross and were just not necessary to the points he was trying to get across in answer to question in my opinion. The same could be said in his description of some modern day uses.

The rest of the book was good and I would recommend it but caution that parts of it are not for the squeemish. I particularly liked the chapter on Emergent Churches - of which I know very little about.

Last winter I listened to the series of Sermons on which this book was based and I think they were better. One might want to consider downloading them off the Mars Hill webset and giving them a listen before diving into the book - or instead of it.

Using a quote from Paul in I Corinthians 9:22 - 23, author Mark Driscoll strives to meet his readers and his church members right where they're at. "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." He consistently seeks to remain "culturally relevant" and once again succeeds with "Religion Saves".

This book addresses some tough questions Driscoll drew from the expansive source of his church members. The members literally voted on which questions were the most important from a list of 893 questions, and the top nine questions make up his latest work. Driscoll covers an eclectic mix of topics from the concept of grace to sexual sins. He also waxes brilliantly on birth control, humor, faith and works, dating and the emerging church (vs. Emergent).

Driscoll has an amazing ability to take tough theological questions and break them down into manageable bites so that even the newest Christian is able to follow his logic - his interpretation of Scripture (once again, his work is inundated with hundreds of Bible references). One of the toughest questions people have about God is this: Why does an all-loving, all-knowing, and all-sovereign God will into creation people [H]e foreknows will suffer eternal condemnation? Driscoll doesn't hesitate to tackle predestination, the concept behind the question, with amazing clarity. He skillfully explains the two major differing camps, Calvinist (John Calvin) and Arminian (James Arminius), and sums up his belief in one incredible quote, "Understanding our desperate condition as sinners, the question is not how can a loving God send anyone to hell but, rather, how can a just and holy God allow anyone into heaven?"

"Religion Saves" is a great book for those Christians asking the same questions as Driscoll's congregation. Some may find his very conservative views on birth control a bit tough to swallow, but he backs his position thoughtfully and compassionately. His chapter on the emerging church was outstanding, though in typical Driscoll bluntness, he lampoons some big names in our current culture, such as Rob Bell and Brian McLaren. This author's work is always worth his sometimes crass, but always bold, style. His passion for Truth is what makes Driscoll shine!

Humorous and thoughtful. States, for the most part, the Reformed position on a few important issues and provides wisdom on other issues of sexuality that most in the Church struggle with.

Religion Saves, by Mark Driscoll is a simple, straight forward book about misconceptions that Christians have about nine topics in particular. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to take the step out of drinking spiritual baby milk and wanting to chew on some solid food! I truly believe that in Religion Saves Mark Driscoll wishes to answer these nine questions with simple straight forward, biblical answers.