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Title: Death by Love: Letters from the Cross (Re:Lit)
ISBN: 1433501295
Author:
Mark Driscoll
Gerry Breshears
Publicate Date: 2008-09-30
Publish: 2008-09-30
List Price: $19.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $12.70
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $14.04
Amazon Merchant Price: $13.59
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Creative Format and Orthodox Theology
In Death by Love the reader is treated to a little different Driscoll than they may be accustomed to. The comedic phrases and funny stories from his book Radical Reformission are notably absent here. And, as much as I enjoy Driscoll's comedy- that's a good thing.
Mark and Gerry do a fabulous job of showing us what Christ accomplished on the cross. They prove four important things:
1. Theology and theological terminology is important and helpful to know.
2. Rich deep theological truths have relevant impact in the lives of Christians today.
3. Theological truth is accessible and understandable when clearly explained.
4. Learning the rich, orthodox, historic teaching on the atonement is not only not boring, it's quite exciting.
Thanks Mark and Gerry. I pray your book will continue to help Christians for years to come.
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2: Best book I've read in a long time
Over the past year or so I've become a big Mark Driscoll fan as I have watched podcasts from Mars Hill. This book just made me a much bigger fan. This book is one of the most practical I've ever read in applying the Gospel to day to day life and I've already recommended it to a number of people. You should read it, too.
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3: The Cross Meets Us Where We Are
This book is a collection of pastoral letters pointing different people to different aspects of the theology of the cross. Clear and straightforward, the letters themselves are generally marked with concern and godly counsel. The situations the recipients face run the gamut, but many are very dark, and they are considered with the gravity they deserve. At the conclusion of each chapter are some theological FAQs that answer necessary questions not included in the text of the letter. If you are looking for a book to remind you of how Jesus meets us where we are at the cross, I would commend this to you.
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4: good, but not what I'd hoped
When I heard about this book, the thing that interested me was that it took real life stories and told of their connection to Christ's death. Why is Jesus the answer for the woman who has been raped? Why is Jesus the answer for the pedophile? Why is Jesus the answer for the man whose wife has cheated on him?
I bought the book because in my own life, I often see a separation between hurting people and the gospel, I was hoping to gain insight as to how to counsel individuals who have gone through similar trauma. I think I was expecting more of a narrative. Each chapter starts with a short narrative, and each letter of response from Mark Driscoll begins very warmly and in the concrete, but I found myself struggling to track with the responses. There was a very definite demarcation between the "theology" part and the "real life" part. I was hoping there wouldn't be, which is why I bought the book. From the title, cover, and much of the letters written, I got the feeling Mark was trying to communicate that Christ's horrible suffering and death takes Him from an abstract theology to a very relatable, concrete personhood. The problem is that it's hard to relate to torture, and also hard to explain to people who are hurting that someone else's torture absorbs and alleviates their own.
All that being said, the book does give a great defense of substitutionary atonement. He explains it in very simple language. I was moved and inspired by the author's heart of love for each of the people he dealt with. And I appreciate that he presented Christ as the answer. I guess I was hoping that His life and resurrection would play into that answer a little more.
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5: Another Book on the Cross?
Books on the cross - what it accomplished, the significance, etc. - seem to be a dime a dozen in Christian publishing. Safe to say it's a fairly saturated niche, so you may be wondering how any book on the topic could present a fresh perspective. However, that's exactly what Mark Driscoll does in "Death by Love".
Using a modern day Pauline-type approach, Driscoll explains the far reaching power and significance of Christ's work on the cross by using examples of friends, family, and acquaintances. The result is a powerfully instructional work, which gives practical examples of the importance of the cross. Additionally, I loved getting a sneak peak at Driscoll's approach to counseling and evangelism.
As with the other Driscoll/Breshears book, "Vintage Jesus", this book includes a Q&A section at the end of each chapter to address potential questions or problems that the reader might have after completing the chapter. The insight that Breshears brings to these sections is appreciated.
Driscoll takes a lot of, in my opinion, often misguided heat for his preaching style and humor, but those elements are nonexistent in this book. "Death by Love" is just solid, challenging teaching.
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