BrianD blog

Mark Driscoll, the teaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, has written a very helpful book on the New Testament called A book you’ll actually read: On the New Testament.

Designed to be read in one hour, this small, 88-page book tells you not only what you need to know about the 27 books of the Bible that comprise the New Testament, but also about how to read those books.

Driscoll’s well-known (and, in some circles, infamous) sense of humor is muted, as he approaches the various subjects he writes on in a serious, straightforward, thoughtful manner. His aim seems to be to give the reader a well-rounded, concise, treatment of what the New Testament is and how to read it, and he does well.

He tells the reader who wrote those books, and the God who inspired those authors. He also addresses such topics as the question of errors and contradictions in the NT; how the books were chosen as Scripture; what principles can help the reader interpret the NT; what the central point of the NT is; and how we should come to the NT.

Driscoll also provides helpful, capsule summaries of each book in the NT, as well as a general overview of Paul’s epistles, all of which tell the central point(s) of the book and what the reader can expect to find.

Two appendixes end the book, one which is a Bible-reading plan and the other which is intended to help the reader compile a theological library, full of books designed to help the reader dig into the Bible and all that it has to say. From Bible handbooks to confusing verses, Driscoll breaks down the various categories and gives his suggested picks of helpful books and resources. For commentaries, he gives some general advice on looking for commentaries, then recommends books to help the reader distinguish helpful commentaries from bad ones.

Another helpful resource found in the appendix is a list of websites with resources designed to help you in your study of the Bible.

A plus is that you can buy this book, through Amazon, re:lit, christianbook.com or your local Christian bookstore, for only 9.99 (or lower, depending on where you buy online). You also may check out free PDF excerpts from this book here.

Those who are looking for a thorough, inexpensive primer on the New Testament and have questions about its reliability and main points – and aren’t offended by Driscoll himself – will find a good resource here.