On the dust sheet of Vintage Jesus a variety of adjectives are used to describe this book. It’s edgy, refreshing, interesting, colourful,sometimes lurid, and provocative. It is certainly all of these and many more besides. This is not a comfortable read. Certainly not comfortable for the easily offended evangelical who likes their Jesus sanitised.
Driscoll paints a strong picture of the basics of evangelical doctrine. He pulls no punched when it comes to describing the cross as a means of execution. He pulls no punches when he describes those things with which he profoundly disagrees. This is an unequivocally non-apologetic book of apologetics. It’s a book that will set your pulse racing, sometimes for the wrong reasons, often for the right ones.
I found myself skipping through some of the extended quotes from believers and non-believers, seeing them more as useful sermon illustrations than necessarily adding anything to the argument of the book.
The call for Christians to live in the light of the three-fold ministry of Jesus as prophet, priest and king, is both timely and valuable. His presentation of Jesus enjoying an urban paradise is provocative as is his challenge to see Jesus in both humble incarnation and glorious exaltation.
Overall there is much to commend the book if you can get past the stylistic issues and arrive at the content being presented. After all the package may not be to your liking, but as a committed follower of Jesus, the content is exactly what it should be.
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