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Biblical but Boring
Gareth Russell
I bought this book hoping that it'd be a great, popular book that I could give to people about the Bible. The endorsements and hype were high, but when I sat down and read it, I just found it really rather boring. Kevin DeYoung can be a great author - funny, and ruthlessly Biblical - his book on Guidance, "Just do Something" is the best I know.
But this book is dull. It is a book that contains much that is good to say about God's word, much that is wise, and it is thoroughly Biblical. Yet, when the subject is so important: God's Word, we must do everything we can to enthuse people about God's word.
And that's why I won't be giving anyone a copy of 'Taking God at His Word'.
I'd recommend instead: Barry Cooper's new book, "Can I trust the Bible?" That's the book I wish this was.
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Thorough and thrilling!
David Buck
We need different books for different audiences. This one is for those who have been troubled by the often spurious claims of modern or post-modern scholarship. Solid, and deeply satisfying, it needs attentive reading but repays that many times over. Highly recommended.
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Gripping, concise and relevant
Chris Edwards
I was quite staggered to see another reviewer describe this book as 'dull' and 'rather boring'; I found it totally thrilling!
To be sure, it's not a book that coasts along from one humorous anecdote to the next; but it is full of real-life illustration and application, and so relevant to today.
DeYoung begins with the bible's love poem to itself: Psalm 119. Then he takes us through key doctrines about the bible's sufficiency, clarity, authority, and necessity, and helps us explore Jesus' own attitude to scripture.
This is all so helpful, in a world where even Christians are not sure how much confidence we can have in the bible, or how we should use it.
The book is a useful length: longer than Barry Cooper's "Can I trust the Bible?", and so able to go into more depth; but still only 120 pages.
A great book to read together as a house group, or as a church leadership team.
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My go-to book for explaining what the Bible says about itself!
Matthew Brown
The author's aim for this book is to lead the reader to a "Yes! Yes! Yes!" response to things like Psalm 119, Scripture's own love poem itself.
I definitely found myself being guided to such heights of affection by the time I had finished this book - my love and understanding of God's word increased greatly!
DeYoung wants us to understand the Bible on its own terms, and so he leads us through "a doctrine of Scripture derived from Scripture itself."
As other reviews have already stated, this is a clear and concise book, and is very helpful in understanding what the bible is and how we are to respond to it.
P.S. I read this book last summer, and ever since, I have been recommending it for others to read - it's that good.
