According to the subtitle of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Jesus (Crossway, 2008) aims to provide “timeless answers to timely questions.” Actually, this book offers the reverse – timely answers to timeless questions.

Vintage Jesus takes weighty theology and breaks it down into today’s vernacular through the inclusion of quotes and stories from a variety of cultural sources. The way that Vintage Jesus has been crafted may tell you as much about Jesus as the content. Here is theology that takes on flesh, namely – the current flesh of contemporary American culture.

Driscoll stands out as a pastor and author because he is well-read, not only in theology, but in culture. His innate ability to communicate theological concepts in a timely, relevant manner has brought this book attention in the forms of both praise and criticism.

In Vintage Jesus, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears take important questions about Jesus, strip them down to their essence, and then answer them in the “in-your-face” style that Driscoll has become known for. Questions like “Is Jesus the Only God?,” “Why Did Jesus’ Mom Need to Be a Virgin?” and “What Makes Jesus Superior to Other Saviors?” are answered in an easy-to-understand way and with cultural points of contact that keep the reader interested. Driscoll doesn’t shy away from tough questions. He hits them head-on and offers solid answers.

Strengths

The strengths of Vintage Jesus are numerous. First, the book’s outline shows how theological questions are relevant to the Christian faith and to every-day life. Anyone involved in ministry with 20-somethings can probably testify to fielding these questions. Driscoll has provided an immensely-readable book that dives into deep theological waters without drowning newcomers to the Christian faith.

Secondly, the points of cultural contact help readers to make connections between the biblical worldview and the world we live in. I can see this book being well-received by those in my Sunday School class. In fact, I have already decided to pass this book along to a young man in jail who I am discipling. (No big books are allowed, so I am having to copy portions of the book and staple them together in book form!) Rarely do I come across good theology that is expressed in such a readable, relevant way.

Third, Vintage Jesus saves the best chapters for later in the book. The first few chapters are the most entertaining for sure, but as the book progresses, it seems to get better and more theologically precise. One of the later chapters mentions the great contributions of Christianity to the world and responds well to objections to the Christian faith.

Weaknesses

Vintage Jesus has already caused a stir in the blogosphere – in true Driscoll-like fashion - as many reviewers have criticized some of the crude, seemingly irreverent language that Mark employs to get his point across. Because of some of the reviews, I started this book fully prepared to despise certain aspects of it. Surprisingly, though there are times where Mark crosses the line into juvenile humor, I did not find the book irreverent or blasphemous. Most of the people I minister to would not bat an eye upon reading words like ”shagging” or “knocking boots” as euphemisms for other activities. (My only issue with using this terminology is not its potential “irreverence” but that it contributes to the trivialization and cheapening of sex – a sacred gift from God.)  

This kind of language necessarily dates the book. In many ways, using current lingo is a strength, as it makes the book accessible to today’s generation. But the timeliness of Driscoll’s delivery virtually ensures its eventual relegation to the Bargain Book section of Christian bookstores. Imagine picking up a book from the 1970’s that talked about how “groovy” Jesus’ disciples were.  

The other weakness of Vintage Jesus is that Mark tends toward oversimplification, and ironically, this leads to a lack of clarity in some cases.

Take for example this statement from Mark about the eternality of Jesus. “Finally, the statement that he came down from heaven also indicates Jesus’ eternality; he existed before his birth as a man, which is the repeated teaching of the New Testament.” (18) Mark is clear that Jesus was pre-existent, but because this affirmation is merely stated, rather than explained, we’re left with the puzzling sentence: “He existed before his birth as a man.” This could mean one of two things: ”Jesus, before his birth as a man, existed” (the orthodox belief that teaches that Jesus had not yet become human, though he eternally existed as the Son) or that “Jesus existed as a man before his birth” (a heretical teaching that denies the special nature of the Incarnation). I’m confident that Mark believes Option 1, but his simple, hard-hitting style sometimes leaves us with less clarity, not more.

At other times, Driscoll overstates his case. Take for example this statement: “Jesus clearly, emphatically, and repeatedly said he is God.” (21) Of course, the Gospels show Jesus clearly implying his deity both in his words and actions, but we do not see him walking around “clearly, emphatically, and repeatedly” saying “I Am God” in such terms (which is the picture that Mark paints). I admire Mark’s desire to simplify doctrinal teaching, but at times, he makes simple, bold affirmations of truth that his readers/listeners may find expressed differently in Scripture itself and which will lead them to later cast doubt on Mark’s teaching, however solid and orthodox it may be.

Overall, Vintage Jesus is a great book that deserves a wide audience.  If Driscoll continues upon this current trajectory, I suspect that his influence over conservative evangelicalism will increase. I hope his book sells well and that we will see more books in this series.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog