The Thoughts of Ryan-C

So back in October my friend Jimmy told me that Mark Driscoll was coming out with a new book entitled Vintage Jesus. As soon as he told me I got on my phone and pre-ordered a copy (luckily I was one of the first 1000, so I got a signed copy). Basically this book is the answers to the most common questions about Jesus and is based on the sermon series Mark did back in the summer of ‘06.

So my copy of the book came in a while back and it took me way to long to dedicate my time to read this book, but once I did it definitely payed off. If you are a ‘non’ reader, this would be a great book for you because Mark’s writing style is very conversational and his humor is beyond witty and hilarious.
The books website reads:

Roughly two thousand years ago, Jesus was born in a dumpy, rural, hick town, not unlike those today where guys change their own oil, think pro wrestling is real, find women who chew tobacco sexy, and eat a lot of Hot Pockets with their uncle-daddy. Jesus’ mom was a poor, unwed teenage girl who was often mocked for claiming she conceived via the Holy Spirit. Most people thought she concocted the crazy story to cover the fact she was knocking boots with some guy in the backseat of a car at the prom. Jesus was adopted by a simple carpenter named Joseph and spent the first thirty years of his life in obscurity, swinging a hammer with his dad.

In Vintage Jesus, one of America’s most influential young pastors teams up with a seasoned theologian to lead you on a hilarious theological journey chasing Jesus through Scripture and pop culture. The authors provide timeless answers to twelve timely questions about the most important man who has ever lived. Each chapter concludes with answers to common questions about each subject.

When reading a book about common Jesus questions you don’t really expect to get convicted (at least I didn’t), the chapter What Makes Jesus Superior to Other Saviors? punched me in the face. Mark always has a way of making you feel great and then whipping out his spiritual wanker and slapping you across the face with it (Sorry if that was too graphic, but its true). The basic theme of the chapter is that we tend to create functional saviors in our lives that are not Jesus. Whether it is a game, a car, a person, or what have you, they become our god and we essentially put Jesus on the back-burner daily. Sadly I do this often and create my own little idols instead of placing Jesus first on my daily to-do list. This needs to change, not only for me, but for all of us.

So… basically you should go out and buy this book. I will leave you with this quote…

“[Jesus] Joining them later at the party at Matthew’s house was nothing short of a very bad hip-hop video, complete with women in clear heels, dudes with their pants around their ankles and handguns in their underwear strap, lots of gold teeth, bling, spinners on camels, cheap liquor, and grinding to really loud music with a lot of bass. When word got out to the religious folks, they were perplexed as to how Jesus could roll with such a jacked-up posse. Jesus’ answer was purely priestly. Jesus said that they were sick and needed mercy.”
-Mark Driscoll, Vintage Jesus Pg. 77

and if you would like to read a conservatives view on “Mark Irreverent Potty Mouth Driscoll’s” latest book, then check out this link: Here