7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mark Driscoll answers the Question, Who Is God?, August 23, 2008
This review is from: On Who Is God? (A Book You'll Actually Read) (Paperback)
In the midst of our culture of ever expanding information, it can be difficult to get a clear picture of who God really is. The portraits of God painted in recent books, movies, & magazines are often confusing at their best and downright wrong at their worst. I'm confident that this short book by Mark Driscoll will be a valuable resource that will add clarity to the fragmented picture many people have of God.
Mark is very engaging as a speaker. The same style that draws you into his sermons and lectures is alive and well in his writing. The material in this book is presented in a concise and clear manner that is accessible to the philosophically and theologically astute as well as the novice. There are two focuses in this book. First, Mark wants the reader to have a better understanding of who God is, in order that they might have a life-changing relationship of loving trust with him. Second, he wants to give a philosophical and theological explanation for who God is.
The book is broken down into five chapters and two appendices.
* Chapter 1: Knowledge about God
* Chapter 2: Perspectives about God
* Chapter 3: Nature of God
* Chapter 4: Incarnation of God
* Chapter 5: Worship of God
* Appendix 1: Websites for further study
* Appendix 2: Books for further study
Throughout the entire book, Mark backs up nearly every point he makes with a scripture reference. Readers will want to have their Bibles at hand. I would also encourage readers to take the time to read through the appendices in order to get familiar with various internet and print resources that Mark has recommended to enhance the reader's study of who God is and other apologetics-related topics.
Next time you're at the local bookstore, be sure to browse through this great little book. It is a great resource to share with non-believing or recently converted friends and family. Also, this book or any of the other three books in this series would be a great gift to share with visitors at your church.
Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill church [...] in Seattle. He is also co-founder and president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network [...]. Mark has penned an ever-growing list of books including: A book you'll actually read series, Vintage Jesus, Death by Love (Sept. 30, 2008), and others. Mark is married to his high school sweetheart Grace. Mark and his wife have been blessed with 5 children.
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17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
too many imprecisions, January 26, 2009
This review is from: On Who Is God? (A Book You'll Actually Read) (Paperback)
Driscoll has the right idea. I was looking to promote a newer book that provides a short, simple, and theologically accurate explanation of the nature of God. For the most part, Driscoll meets the criteria. For the most part, that is. As a bonus, Driscoll throws in some apologetics and various worldview stuff (which turn out to contain maybe the best material in the book).
Short. It is that, though I was unable to read it in an hour (despite the advertisement in the intro). It took me a couple but, admittedly, I stop often to underline and make notes.
Simple. There are some big words that those new to apologetics will trip on but the author generally does a good job of defining the terms if the context doesn't already take care of it.
Accurate. Here's where I'm not altogether thrilled with the book. I was in disagreement with how the attributes were assigned but that's not the end of the world. What really got me were the numerous theologically and otherwise imprecise statements.
For example, there is a statement about "mere monotheism" (p. 30) as if Trinitarianism is qualified monotheism. Later, (p. 57) Driscoll asserts that Jesus' claim to be God "crushed the monotheists' claim that God is anyone other than the Trinitarian God of the Bible." But orthodox folks never make such a claim and they are always monotheistic. Yes, some monotheists deny the Trinity but Driscoll doesn't spell out who they are as he should. It's a bit like telling a foreign exchange student, "The southerners' claim that whites are superior has been refuted." It pays to be specific- that's all I'm saying.
Also, Driscoll writes (p. 59) that "no leader of any religion has ever claimed to be God." Is he counting out the cults? In fact, plenty have made such a claim.
On page 66, Driscoll equates "Christian" with "little Christs". Yikes! That's Benny Hinn talk. I know what he means but these are dangerous grounds in my opinion. In fact, a Christian is a Christ-follower; let's leave it at that. I don't want anyone to think me a "little Christ". I need the Messiah. I'm not one, not even a miniature version.
On the same page, Driscoll writes that Christians "worship Jesus alone as God." This would make any modalist smile. But the statement is not true. Christians worship Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as God.
There were several other lines that were potentially confusing for an immature believer but they may not deserve mention here.
Those who have studied will survive Driscoll's occasional sloppiness, but those folks aren't the target. If the book aims to introduce the immature believer to a theological book, however small, it should take into greater account that immature believers need to be handled with care. Theological precision is a must.
The book has zest which counts in its favor. For example, "It is also said that pain, matter, and evil are unreal illusions, which does not make any sense after you stub your toe as you leave your yoga class." I was actually hoping for more of this.
One final thing: The book is overpriced. It is 6"X6" by 3/16" thick. It seems like $5.99 would be about right.
Shawn Meyer
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