pursuing faithfulness to the Word of God and fullness of the Spirit of God
Archive for June, 2009
Book Review – Death by Love (Mark Driscoll)
Jun 28th
A similar high standard of creativity is on display in the way the book is organised. This is a book on the doctrine of the atonement, and works its way through some detailed theology. But the way it is presented is quite unique.
Each chapter starts by briefly telling the story of a person known to Mark Driscoll. Some are Christians, others are not. Many are struggling with the consequences of shocking episodes of their past, whether that be being betrayed or abused, or being an abuser themselves. But a broad spectrum of people are covered (including “good Christian” David, and “pastor’s kid” Gideon), so it is likely that most readers will find at least someone they can identify with.
Having introduced the person, Mark Driscoll writes them a letter. In it he seeks to explain how a specific aspect of the doctrine of the atonement is directly relevant to their situation. These letters are forthright and direct, but also heartfelt and rich in biblical theology. Those who have heard Driscoll preach will know what to expect. He never minimises or excuses sin, and is quite willing to speak of God’s anger at it and the threat of hell, but holds out the good news of grace and forgiveness through Christ for even those who have committed vile offenses.
At the end of each chapter, Driscoll’s co-author, Gerry Breshears answers three or four common questions relating to the doctrine presented in the chapter. The questions are well chosen, and the short and helpful answers complement the letters nicely.
So what does the book teach about the atonement? Well right from the start, Driscoll emphasises that it is multi-faceted. One description or metaphor alone will not do justice to the cross. At the same time, the concept of substitution is clearly presented as the primary model. He takes the example of the scapegoat and sin offering from the day of atonement to illustrate that propitiation and expiation go hand in hand.
We are of course living in times where there is controversy over the doctrine of the atonement, with the idea of penal substitution coming in for severe criticism. This book robustly defends it as a fully biblical concept, but does not fall into the trap of ignoring or minimising other ways in which we should reflect on the significance of the cross. For example, the first chapter in the book deals with Jesus as Christus Victor, while another presents the concept of Christus Exemplar.
I won’t go into all the topics he covers, but suffice to say that there are some very clear explanations of many important doctrines in this book. Driscoll has a knack for presenting familiar material in a fresh way, and the fact that he writes each chapter as a letter to a real person keeps it very practical, and never merely abstract theology.
While I wouldn’t say this book has knocked John Stott’s “The Cross of Christ” off the top of my list of favourite books on the atonement, it deserves a special place of honour simply for the superb presentation of the material. It would be beneficial for anyone who wants to teach on the atonement, or who is involved in counselling to read this book, to see more clearly how to apply the message of the cross to a variety of difficult situations. But this book is also appropriate for any Christian who simply wants a deeper understanding of the message of the cross.
Book Review – The Language of God (Francis Collins)
Jun 20th
He starts off by telling the story of how he came to be a believer in God, from an atheistic background. He was strongly influenced by the arguments of C. S. Lewis, but also was profoundly impacted by seeing the faith of the dying in his work in a hospital.
He devotes a chapter to providing brief answers to some of the common atheistic objections to faith. Isn’t belief in God just wishful thinking? What about the harm done in the name of religion? How can a good God allow suffering? How can a scientist believe in miracles. He doesn’t have the space to address each of these in depth, but gives a brief outline of how he would resolve these questions.
He then moves on to some scientific material, starting with the origins of the universe. The big bang cries out for a divine explanation, since the universe seems fine-tuned for life, despite this being wildly improbable. In a chapter on the origins of life on earth, he is critical of “intelligent design”, seeing this as a form of the “God of the gaps” argument.
Next is his speciality subject, the human genome. This is a fascinating chapter, and a good introduction to DNA if like me you know very little about it. As part of this chapter, he explains why he sees the DNA similarities between humans and other animals as compelling evidence for evolution.
Then follows a series of chapters dealing with different beliefs about the origins of the universe. He points out that the church once thought that the Bible taught that the sun revolved around the earth, but came to realise that the Bible in fact taught no such thing. He is of the opinion that a similar realisation is required with regards to the origin of the universe.
In a chapter on atheism and agnosticism, he accuses Dawkins of using straw man arguments, and insists that science, let alone evolution, cannot disprove God. His chapter on Young Earth Creationism dismisses it as incompatible with modern science. He remains civil but it is evident that he has very little time for this view. He also is unimpressed with the “Intelligent design” movement, arguing that many so called mechanisms of “irreducible complexity” may indeed be reducible.
He presents a fourth option, traditionally called “theistic evolution”, but which he prefers to term “biologos”. He sees the hand of God in the anthropic principle – the fine tuning of the universe for life, and in the ways that humans are unique that defy evolution (moral law plays an important part in his argument). He closes with a plea to all people to live as seekers of the truth, and not just stopping at those truths that science can determine.
A fascinating appendix deals with some of the ethical dilemmas raised by science, with a particular focus on DNA related issues such as cloning. As throughout the book, he is very humble in his arguments and seeks to strike a conciliatory tone as he presents opposing views.
What can I say about this book? He is of course going to upset many atheists on the one hand and many creationists on the other with his views. But both groups will at the very least find food for thought. It certainly is a good book for someone who is questioning various viewpoints and wants to hear a simple and respectful argument from a theistic evolutionary perspective.
From an evangelical perspective, what one makes of this book will depend largely on whether you are prepared to join him in reading Genesis 1 and 2 more as a “morality play” than as literal history. It seems to me that evangelicals are in the midst of a period of reconsidering their hermenuetics of Genesis in the light of scientific consensus, and there are a lot of options on the table.
The theistic evolutionary position has the strong benefit of being in complete agreement with the majority view, but from a theological perspective raises some very tricky problems. (not least at what point was there a being “in God’s image”, and whether there could be death and disease before “the fall”). These are questions that I don’t feel Collins tackles in sufficient depth to persuade most young or old earth creationists. Evangelicals will also perhaps question the way that Collins seems to have a somewhat ambiguous view towards the truth claims of other faiths, and can seem noncommittal on various aspects of bioethics (such as the point of the conception of life).
Overall I would recommend this as an interesting read from a scientific point of view (especially as an introduction to DNA), and also an introduction to the theistic evolutionary position (albeit without addressing the theology in sufficient depth). It may prove helpful to share with those who consider evolution to be a barrier to them exploring the Christian faith more seriously. It is a helpful contribution to an important debate, and one that has provoked me to read a little more on the subject, both from the same and competing viewpoints.
Spotify Albums of the Month – May
Jun 6th
Here’s some of the albums I’ve been listening to on Spotify last month. Apologies to any readers in countries unable to use Spotify.
Newsboys – In the Hands of God (3/5)
The only Newsboys album I own is Thrive, which I thought was a nice mixture of the anthemic and the quirky. In some ways this new album has a similar sound, but lacks the stand-out tracks that Thrive has. Lyrically it was a little disappointing. "This is your life, treat yourself right, treat others right, live like you know you should". … "heaven’s calling for your best shot", sound like little more than a motivational pep talk. "In the hands of God" and The Upside are my favourites.
Chris and Conrad – Chris and Conrad (4/5)
This a very strong debut album with impeccable production quality. In fact, it almost seems too slick in places – did we really need auto-tuned vocals in Rescue? Its filled with lots of big, anthemic melodies. The songs are well crafted, and the lyrics express complete devotion to Jesus. Lead me to the cross (which interestingly also features on the Newsboys album – I don’t know whose song it is), Love Revolution, and Breathe Your Life are my favourites.
Jeremy Riddle – The Now and Not Yet (3/5)
Jeremy Riddle is a Vineyard pastor / worship leader. The album features a mix of driving praise tracks and more reflective ballads. Bless his name is perhaps the most suitable for congregational use, with a strong melody if a little unadventurous. I didn’t think any one track really stood out, but I liked Among the Poor and I am Redeemer.
Jonny Diaz – More Beautiful You (3.5/5)
This album has a cheerful and sometimes cheesy pop sound, but thanks to some nicely crafted lyrics and melodies, I still found it enjoyable. The opening track More Beautiful You, tackles self-esteem issues in young girls, although risks sounding a little clichéd. The humorous bonus track The Opener is a nice addition.
Abandon – II (3/5) 
Rather unconventionally, Abandon have followed up their debut EP with another EP rather than a full album. The opening track Song for the Broken has a U2 feel to it. If I could write a song, has a beautiful melody, although I was not entirely sure I knew what it was about.
