I recently received a copy of Mark Driscoll's new book Religion Saves. I was particularly interested in this because he is the president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, of which my church is a part. I was really excited to read it because it address several questions that I myself have wondered about over the years.
About the Book
After 343,203 online votes on the Mars Hill Church website, nine questions for Pastor Mark Driscoll emerged as the ones most urgently calling for answers.
Inspired by 1 Corinthians, in which Paul answers a series of questions posed by the people in the Corinthian church, Pastor Mark Driscoll set out to determine the most controversial questions among visitors to the Mars Hill Church website. In the end, 893 questions were asked and 343,203 votes were cast. The top nine questions are now each answered in a chapter of Religion Saves.
After an introductory chapter devoted to the misconception that religion is what saves us, Driscoll tackles nine issues: birth control, humor, predestination, grace, sexual sin, faith and works, dating, the emerging church, and the regulative principle. Because the purpose of this book is to address commonly asked questions, all readers will find relevant, engaging material, written in Driscoll's distinctively edgy, yet theologically sound style.
In his distinctively edgy, yet theologically sound style, Pastor Mark Driscoll addresses the nine most controversial questions posed by visitors to the Mars Hill Church website. This book is part of the Re:Lit series.
There's definitely an edgy tone to the book, which makes it a fun read, despite it's theological depth. It's also very practical. I especially would have loved to read the chapter on birth control a few years ago, when I first got married. He does a great job outlining the options and bring clarity where I found blurry information in my own research. While he does freely give his opinions on some controversial issues, he's never condemning or judgemental in a way that would go against Biblical standards.
The book is chock full of practical Biblical exhortations as well as helpful theological explanations and good analogies. It's a book that is culturally relevant, especially considering the topics were chosen by ordinary people.
About the Author
Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, one of the fastest-growing churches in America. He is president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network and is the author of several books, including Vintage Jesus.
Pastor Mark preaches on Sunday, trains pastors, and writes curriculum. Mark is married to his high school sweetheart, Grace, and they enjoy raising their three sons and two daughters. More about Mark here!
If you you'd like to read and/or listen to an excerpt, you can do so here!
And If you'd like to read other posts in this blog tour, you can read them here!