About the Book: 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.
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.
The Review: Though I don’t think this is Driscoll’s best book (for me it’s Death by Love), I still found it thought-provoking as it provides a series of scripturally-grounded responses to 9 major issues facing the church today. And I’m still amazed at what issues made it into the top nine… here are my thoughts on each of the issues covered in the chapters:
Birth Control: A lot of technical information on the different forms of birth control coupled together with a very good pastoral response to each. Plus I really appreciated Driscoll’s stance on the topic of abortion… something a lot of mainstream churches refuse to do for fear of being branded intolerant or irrelevant.
Humor: This would have to be my least favourite chapter of the book though it is the funniest. Simply, I don’t agree entirely with his view of humor in the Bible and its use from the pulpit. As I read this chapter, I can see how Driscoll can go over the top with his witty remarks – something that has incurred heat recently from other church leaders/pastors.
Predestination: A great mini primer that deals with the historical and theological roots behind each of the major players in this discussion. I also really enjoyed Driscoll’s closing remarks on this topic – it’s something that all Christians should be mindful of…
“Sadly, the doctrine of predestination too often devolves into Reformed and Arminian Christians quoting from their favourite pile of verses until they cease to be loving to one another, and winning the never-ending argument takes precedence over glorifying God and helping people.”
Grace: This issue, unlike the others, was the answer to a personal question. Driscoll was asked “Of all the things you teach, what parts of Christianity do you still wrestle with? What’s hardest for you to believe?” His reply was “Grace.” Driscoll shares his testimony about how God’s grace saved and transformed his life. Then he goes on to distinguish between common grace and saving grace. He then concludes with thirteen experiences of grace. A powerful and yet challenging chapter.
Sexual Sin: This is probably Driscoll’s pet subject. Driscoll spends considerable time on the spirituality and psychology of sex. He deals with the topic very biblically and this chapter alone would be beneficial to anyone under the bondage of sexual sin or for a pastor counselling another on the topic.
Faith and Works: Another good chapter that uses a lot of scripture to explain the contrast between both. I appreciated Driscoll making the connection between regeneration and good works.
Dating: Being married, I have no need to read this chapter but I did anyway. The Bible doesn’t really address this topic, so a lot of it is the wisdom of a pastor who cares for his flock. I like the series of questions that Driscoll puts forward at the end for those looking into entering into a relationship.
The Emerging Church: Another chapter that will serve you well as a primer on a very recent controversial topic. However, if you know your stuff on this topic, you’ll find it pretty elementary.
The Regulative Principle: To be honest, I had no idea what this was until I read the chapter. I think Driscoll does very well in explaining the differences between the Normative Principle (church worship includes everything prescribed in the Bible and anything not prohibited by the Bible), the Regulative Principle (church worship includes only things prescribed in the Bible), and the Missional Worship Principle (which seems to me to be the middle ground). I also appreciate how, throughout the chapter, he reminds us that it’s not necessarily the principle that we use for worship, but the object of our worship that really matters. That is, God of course.
Overall it’s a good and challenging read for anyone who has been thinking about these issues.
