Customer Reviews

On the New Testament (Book You'll Actually Read)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really appreciated this book.

I got it in the mail on Friday, and was easily able to read it in about an hour. As I was reading I kept thinking about how much I would love to get this book into the hands of members of my church.

As is probably obvious by the book's title and size, it is a very brief introduction to the New Testament. Driscoll started the book by answering nine basic common questions people have about the New Testament ranging from "How were the New Testament books chosen as Scripture?" to "How did Jesus interact with Scripture?" He provides all sorts of basic information that I could see being extremely helpful for someone who was first trying to get a handle on what the New Testament actually is. Chapter two provides basic instruction on how to read the New Testament. He discusses the different genres present among the 27 books hat make up the New Testament, and he offers a brief summary of each individual book. There are also some helpful charts and graphs sprinkled throughout the book.

The book ends with two appendices, one on building a theological library and the other a New Testament reading checklist. He recommends a number of good volumes on all sorts of theological topics that will be helpful for anyone desiring to become a more serious student of the Bible. The books he recommends are quite conservative, but I personally always feel more comfortable erring on the side of conservatism when it comes to pointing would-be Bible students to resources. I appreciate that fact that Driscoll makes it clear that becoming a student of Scripture is going to require the commitment of considerable time and resources. No one develops a deep knowledge of and love for the Bible on accident. Driscoll does, however, provide URL's for a number of excellent free online resources that will be of some help for those strapped for cash.

In sum, this is a great book to introduce people to the New Testament (particularly if they have a short attention span). I gave the book four stars out of five because it would have been nice to see a little bit more detail about how to read and interpret Scripture, but even as I say that I realize this was meant to be a brief introduction. Mark Driscoll and Crossway have done the Church a great service by producing this book.

This book, along with its Old Testament companion, are incredibly short reads, and nobody's going to mistake you for a Bible scholar after you've read them. That said, there's a lot of value in them. You'll get a quick overview of both testaments, including their history canonization, and themes. You'll also get a concise breakdown of authorship and major focus on a book-by-book basis. So in an hour or two, you can have a good understanding of the starting point for further Biblical study.

And if you go into these books with that expectation -- that they are in fact a starting place -- then you'll leave them pleased. As I've mentioned in my review of the Old Testament book, you'll get your money's worth purely from the recommended reading list, which is large, thorough, and well-explained.

Quick read that is jam-packed with the essential points of the New Testament. The "Building a Theological Library" appendix at the end is full of what seems to be great suggestions for further study.

On the Old Testament (A Book You'll Actually Read)

A great small book that would benefit anyone Christian for several years, nonChristian, or a new Christian as Mark Driscoll breaks down the New Testament in a short book that will take you about one hour to read, but is loaded with content.