130 of 138 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Same Driscoll, New Format, February 18, 2008
This review is from: Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions (Relit Theology) (Hardcover)
Vintage Jesus is the first book published under the banner of Resurgence Literature (Re:Lit) which is a ministry of Resurgence (which is, in turn supported by Mars Hill Church). This is also the first title in a series called "Vintage Jesus" that will build on the themes and doctrines introduced in this book. It is one of six(!) new books we'll see this year from the pen of Mark Driscoll. The book is a collaborative project between friends--Mark Driscoll and Gary Breshears. Describing how this collaboration unfolded, Driscoll writes, "In the chapters of this book you will hear my voice since I crafted the words onto pages, but many of the concepts were shaped and formed by my good friend. I sent the manuscript to him for his insights and suggestions, and he also wrote the answers to common questions found at the end of each chapter." Their hope is that "this book will be readable, practical, and biblical so that everyone from seminary professors and pastors to non-Christians would benefit from our work."
Those expecting another Radical Reformission or Confessions of a Reformission Rev will not find it here. This book, though still written by Mark Driscoll and still laced with the humor and unique writing style we've come to expect from him, is in a whole different category. The bulk of the book is simply straightforward, biblical teaching about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It also engages in some light apologetics, defending Jesus against the countless caricatures of Him that have arisen through the history of the church. The book offers "timeless answers to timely questions" and in that way is meant to speak to some of the strange and unorthodox teaching that we see in the church and outside it today. As Bruce Ware says in his endorsement, "Vintage Jesus offers a fresh, engaging, and insightful discussion of some of the oldest and most crucial truths about Jesus Christ that constitute the very core of the gospel itself."
As Mark covers this ground, you'll find some things that are funny, some that are profound, and some that are, in my opinion, in poor taste. I will provide a few brief examples of each.
There are some portions of the book that have the Driscoll flair that so many people have come to love. Some may just leave you laughing out loud.
* "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."
* "Also, the Orthodox and Catholic baby Jesus pictures are simply freakish, with him looking like a Mini-Me complete with a halo. Honestly, if I had a kid like that I would sleep with one eye open."
* "Sadly, the Catholic Church in which I was raised and served as an altar boy missed the punch line when Jesus called Peter the Rock and, rather than a good laugh, ended up with the papacy."
* Worse still, this weird Jesus seemed to really like sheep. I never saw a picture of him with a baseball glove or with other kids, but I did see him with a lot of sheep. Sometimes they even made us glue cotton balls to construction paper in an effort to make our own sheep so that we could apparently be as weird as Jesus. In short, Jesus seemed downright freakish, definitely not the kind of guy you'd want on your baseball team because he'd never have the guts to slide hard into second to break up a double play or throw inside to a batter to back him off the plate. Rather, he'd prefer to pick flowers in the outfield and daydream about fluffy sheep while praying for his enemies and keeping his emotions under control.
* "Jesus also tells some Sunday school teachers they are going to hell, which made the universalistic Emergent folks immediately engage in a conversation about the mythology of hell and fingerpaint about the emotional wounds caused by his words."
Like many who will read this book, I appreciate how Driscoll is able to communicate real truth in a way that is funny. He is able to poke fun at the way people think about Jesus and do so in a way that makes those beliefs seem so utterly ridiculous. He has his finger on the pulse of this culture and is able to speak to it.
But sometimes this humor gets a little out of hand. There are some portions of the book that I felt went beyond good humor and crossed the line into what is inappropriate. This is a common critique of what Driscoll says and writes and, I suppose, some were hoping that his transition from publishing with Zondervan to publishing with Crossway would signal the end of such statements. Somehow, while these statements may not seem so out of place in a Zondervan book, I had hoped for better from Crossway. I can't help but feel that certain words and phrases must mark a kind of low point for Crossway. Perhaps the editorial staff weeded out more and worse. But I think you'd be hard pressed to find any other Crossway title with this kind of language. I hope it is the last.
For example, when looking at the humanity of Jesus, Driscoll chooses to say that Jesus told the Pharisees "that their moms had shagged the Devil." Though what the Lord said may have such connotations, that particular phrase seems out-of-place and unnecessary. Similarly, a heading in the chapter entitled "Why did Jesus' Mom Need to Be a Virgin" reads, "Scripture does not teach that Mary knocked boots with God." While it is true that the Bible does not indicate that there was some kind of sexual relationship between Mary and God, using this particular term seems beyond good taste. The same phrase (and a passing supposedly-humorous reference to incest) appears on the book's first page:
# Roughly two thousand years ago, Jesus was born in a dumpy, rural, hick town, not unlike those today where guys change their own oil, think pro wrestling is real, find women who chew tobacco sexy, and eat a lot of Hot Pockets with their uncle-daddy. Jesus' mom was a poor, unwed teenage girl who was mocked for claiming she conceived via the Holy Spirit. Most people thought she concocted a crazy story to cover the "fact" she was knocking boots with some guy in the backseat of a car at the prom. Jesus was adopted by a simple carpenter named Joseph and spent the first thirty years of his life in obscurity, swinging a hammer with his dad.
What bothers me is not just the use of these phrases, but the utter non-necessity of doing so. They are designed to illicit laughs and perhaps show people how edgy Driscoll is. But they are, in my estimation, completely unnecessary, especially since Driscoll is perfectly capable of being humorous without being dirty. The chapter would not suffer at all without them. It is easy to gain laughs through such words and phrases, but just because we can do so, I don't think we necessarily should. Thankfully such examples are rare (though one could argue that their rarity proves how unnecessary they are).
There are also many portions of the book that gave me a lot to think about and showed some very good depth of insight. Here are just a few examples:
* "The warm, soft truth is that for those who do love Jesus, this life is as close to hell as they will ever get. Heaven awaits them."
* Sadly, it is too common for churches not to speak of Jesus, which is a tragedy akin to a wife rarely uttering the name of her own husband. In our day when there are innumerable contradictory beliefs about who God is, Christians must be clear that their God is Jesus Christ alone so as to communicate the same central truth that Scripture does. No matter how many verses are used, the Bible has not been rightly understood or proclaimed unless Jesus is the central focus and hero."
* "Sadly, some Christians and some Christian leaders, while not denying the cross, prefer to keep it out of plain view because they wrongly believe that nice, decent people hate to have their sensibilities offended by such violence and gore. Consequently, the word has gotten out that being a Christian is about avoiding the suffering, pain, and horrors of this life by living in a safe, zip-locked Christian plastic bag filled with diversionary worship songs to prom-date Jesus so we don't have to pick up any cross or shed any tears.
Statements like these, combined with the book's biblical foundation and the addition of several poignant descriptions of moments from Driscoll's ministry, make it a valuable read. Those who read it are likely to learn from each of the chapters. The teaching is powerful, biblical and weighty. This is solid food.
But would I recommend you read it? That is a tough question for me to answer. To be honest, there are some people to whom I'd hesitate to recommend it. I would certainly not be happy if Driscoll, standing face-to-face with my wife or my children, used some of the words and phrases in this book. Why then would I hand them the book and recommend that they read it? There is certainly much to gain from Vintage Jesus and I'm sure that many will read it and will benefit. But I'm sorry that Driscoll had to cross the line of good taste, even if only occasionally. It does not invalidate the book, but neither does it make it any better. It was so utterly unnecessary.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great theology, engaging style, some inappropriate humor, March 6, 2008
This review is from: Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions (Relit Theology) (Hardcover)
Vintage Jesus is intended to be the first in a series introducing core Christian doctrines to the postmodern crowd. If this volume is any indication, the series should be great.
The book is written with younger people in mind, especially people with little church background who are interested in the answer to the question "who is Jesus?" Each chapter asks and answers a related question, things like "Is Jesus the only god? How human was Jesus? What did Jesus accomplish on the cross? Why should we worship Jesus?" There are 12 chapters total, each of which is followed by a brief "Answers to Common Questions" section.
There are two things I especially appreciate about this book: First, it is thoroughly biblical. Not just in the sense of not containing things that contradict the Bible--I mean that the book itself is saturated with Scripture. Nearly every fact Driscoll puts forward about Jesus is backed up with a Scripture reference (although I wish this weren't just done with footnotes), and he is always appealing to the Bible as the basis for the book's arguments. The authority here is clearly with the Bible, not with Driscoll-the-author and certainly not with Driscoll-the-celebrity-Christian. Second, the book is theologically solid. Again, I don't just mean the lack of bad theology, but good, careful explanation of important truths. Driscoll explains why it's significant that Jesus calls himself the Son of Man (and it wasn't to emphasize his humanity!), what it does and doesn't mean that Jesus "emptied himself" (Phil 2:7), and why the Virgin Birth really is vital to true Christianity. This is a good book on Christology that's written in an easy style--not one that's dumbed down its content.
There's been a lot of chatter about some of the content of this book, specifically the use of humor. The first thing to say is that Driscoll is a great writer. He's engaging and entertaining without being silly. In fact, I laughed out loud several times while reading Vintage Jesus. It's also true that sometimes his humor pushes the line, and sometimes jogs nonchalantly right over it. So there were a few times I raised my eyebrows reading this book, and two or three times when I just flat-out thought something was inappropriate. It's not a question of whether Driscoll takes Jesus seriously; the book really proves that he does. It's a matter of "filthiness and crude joking" (Eph 5:4), which we are told to avoid. I'm not saying I avoid this any better than Driscoll--I'm convicted even as I write this--but I'm saying those things are most definitely out of place in a book about our Lord.
But again, this was only a very small part of my reaction to the book. All the theology and most of the humor is great. Driscoll is an equal-opportunity offender as he challenges our culture's images of Jesus. He puts Jesus in his rightful place, the place God the Father gives him, the place the Bible gives him: the very highest place, worthy of all honor and glory and worship. And he does this in a style that's not only readable, but gripping and appealing as well.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
