• Does Satan have the power to read our minds?
• What does having a relationship with Jesus look like? Does the Bible give specific instructions on how to do this?
• Is it true that when Christ returns, those who are alive in Christ will escape death?
• Is Hell a literal place of fire?
• What is the biblical teaching on the Antichrist?
• Should we ask for forgiveness every time we pray?
• Doesn’t having the Bible in the hands of the laity lead to bad interpretations? Where does the final authority of Scripture interpretation come from?
• In John 17:20, Jesus prayed, “that they may all be one,” why then there are so many denominations?

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• What is your view of the rapture? Is it pre or post tribulation?
• How will same-sex marriage destroy the family unit?
• What is the biblical significance of modern-day Israel?
• What will happen when Christ returns? If Jesus returns right now while I’m driving, what will happen to my car?

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• Will there be signs before the Second Coming?
• What are your thoughts on Perry Stone?
• Did God create the earth with the appearance of age?
• If the earth is old, how do you account for natural evil before the fall?
• Is the age of the earth a secondary or a primary issue?
• What are your thoughts on the pre-flood canopy theory?
• What is the biblical perspective on being in business with an unbeliever?
• What is spiritual warfare? Are there really evil spirits tempting us?
• Will there be a second chance for salvation during the Millennium?

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Vintage Jesus is remarkably accessible for young people and new converts. Driscoll’s informal style and ability to speak the language of young adults and teens are instantly engaging. His wide-ranging references to contemporary culture and earthy anecdotes keep things lively. Some of the anecdotes offer profound insight, both to believer and nonbeliever. For example, in the chapter titled, “Where Is Jesus Today?” Driscoll writes, “In a conversation I once had with a non-Christian friend, it became apparent to me that by not taking everyone to heaven, God is actually being very gracious. My friend said that God should take everyone to heaven. I then asked him if he wanted to spend eternity under God’s rule worshiping Jesus with other Christians. He replied, ‘That sounds like my hell and I would be furious if God stuck me in a place like that forever’” (p. 155).

Breshears’s “Answers to Common Questions” at the end of each chapter also help keep interest piqued as he addresses sometimes gnawing questions for contemporary readers. At the same time, he arms the reader for apologetics. For example, in the chapter “What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross?” the question is addresed, “How can I worship an unloving, cruel, primitive, and bloodthirsty God?”

Despite its unconventional approach, the book is suitable for anyone who wants to know more about Jesus. The authors do not skimp in presenting to their readers a sound orthodox Christology, devoting an average of close to twenty pages each to subjects such as the deity of Christ, His humanity, the Virgin Birth, the Atonement, the Resurrection, Christ’s session at the right hand of the Father, and the Second Coming. Additional chapters address topics such as the uniqueness of Christ and His impact on history. All the basics are covered so well that, as someone who teaches college-level classes on Christology for lay people, I would be comfortable using this book as an introductory text.

There are a few statements in the book with which I take issue. For example, Driscoll interprets 2 Corinthians 5:21 not as “some sort of covenantal bookkeeping,” but rather as likely meaning “that Jesus took on the weight of sin as he progressed through his life” (85). To hold that Christ “became sin” in any other way than through legal imputation is problematic and does not accord with Paul’s overarching teaching of forensic justification, with which Driscoll agrees. Breshears affirms that Christians should command demons “to get away from them in Jesus’ name” (115), but this is not a practice taught by Scripture. Such problematic statements are only made in passing and do not substantially detract from the overall soundness and usefulness of this book.

—Elliot Miller

Elliot Miller is editor-in-chief of the Christian Research Journal