Letters from the Cross
Whether you know of Mark Driscoll as a funny guy, or a hard-hitting preacher, if you read his latest book you will encounter him first and foremost as a pastor...
Mark Driscoll is the founder of one of America's fastest-growing churches; Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and last summer he served us magnificently at our Together On A Mission conference. Since then he has released a new book; Death By Love.
The book masterfully gives Jesus' work for sinners centre stage, and nowhere is this message eclipsed. It's a book all about Jesus
It's also a book about twelve people who, in different ways, find themselves in desperate need of a saviour. Death By Love contains a letter dedicated to each one. Whether he is writing to a demonised woman, a 'good' Christian, a child molester or a rape victim, the author is at pains to communicate Jesus clearly to each one.
I was taken aback by Driscoll's utter confidence in the gospel. Not for him, a self-help approach. Lost people need Jesus and therefore need to hear the gospel. And this is the undiluted rescue plan Mark Driscoll offers to those he counsels.
I didn't expect to become a theology student as I read this book. But as I read, I found magnificent truths, which I had previously assigned to the department of academic study, brought colourfully alive as I eavesdropped on an under-shepherd tending his flock.
At times I was shocked by the horrendous nature of the sin in the lives of the recipients of these letters. But I was quickly brought to the conclusion, by the words of a seasoned pastor, that even the most horrific of examples could just as well apply to me.
In this book Mark Driscoll engages wholeheartedly as a pastor with some serious sin-issues in the lives of his friends. I had expected that this book may help me to counsel friends in similar situations (it will), but by far the biggest challenge was to my own soul. I could see elements of my own sinfulness in every one of the situations he addresses. I was reminded afresh that without Christ my human heart remains a fountain of evil. Only complete acceptance of the gospel of grace transforms me. Without Jesus I have nothing to offer those who are perishing.
Why should you read this book? You could read it because you want to learn more about the cross, or because you want to see how Mark Driscoll shepherds his flock. You might want some practical help with dealing with sin; either in your own life or in the lives of people around you. Reading Death By Love could achieve all of the above. What you might find surprising is how God uses this book to edify your soul, reminding you of the magnitude of your sin and the lavishness of His grace, unfolding timeless layers of the gospel you'd forgotten were even there.
Luke Wood
Life Church Southampton
