Doctrine by Mark Driscoll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Not being a Driscoll fan, I was surprised how much I enjoyed and agreed with this book. It is very hard to review an audio-book in depth as you don’t have a ready reference to which to turn. This book in particular, which is very dense, follows an almost catechetical format, and would be at home in the class-room, took some getting used to in the audio-format. The narration also took some getting used to, something about the inflection in the narrator’s voice, I think. However, it was clear and helped understanding. I would recommend reading a text version of Doctrine, but be prepared for some time and work, it’s taken me months to get through the audio book (listening in the car when alone).
As the title suggests, Doctrine covers major Christian beliefs such as creation, the Bible, sin and judgment (and others, about 13 in all). In some ways it is a reiteration of classic Reformed Evangelical teaching, but adds a contemporary and accessible flavour through the application and illustrations. It is thoroughly biblical, weighing and critiquing alternative views and then often arguing for one based on how they see the evidence. In this way the approach and conclusions are conservative and biblical. The authors affirm 6 day special creation, for example, the eternal conscious punishment of the unrepentant, and the complementarian view of women in ministry.
I don’t agree with all of the authors’ conclusions, but only over what I consider secondary matters, and they certainly are very orthodox. In cases of disagreement, their presentation of the alternatives helped me locate and think through my own views on the spectrum. However, there were moments of brilliance, particularly in one of the later chapters dealing with stewardship and consumerism.
I started this book when I was a pastor looking for a resource for young adults to get a grip on basic doctrine. I would recommend it for this purpose, although it would probably be best for group work – both to encourage perseverance in reading, and to flesh out the challenging discussion it contains. But even as a post-graduate trained pastor I found it worthwhile and even, in places, refreshing.
3 stars (subjectively on the Good Reads scale, maybe 4 stars if one considers its value) – I like it, but it is hard work and doesn’t fit the audio format so well (although if it’s the difference between reading and not reading, get it on audio!).
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