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A good friend recommended Death by Love: Letters from the Cross (by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears) some time ago.  I brought a copy back with me from the States, and I've finally taken the time to read it.

Let me first tell you about my impressions of Mark Driscoll's books.

My first literary encounter with him was reading Confessions of a Reformission Rev. I found myself laughing out loud ad some of his straightforward observations.  I do wish he had chosen not to be so candid with one or two of his stories, but it was overall a worthwhile read.

Some point later I read The Radical Reformission. I thought Driscoll had some really good things to say about contextualizing ministry without compromising the gospel message.

Death by Love, co-authored with Gerry Breshears, is the third Driscoll book I've read.  This book is basically a collection of Driscoll's letters to those he has encountered in his ministry.  He takes the message of the cross and communicates certain aspects of it to those who desperately need to hear it.

Here are a couple of examples:

*A woman feels tormented by demons.  Driscoll speaks of the victory Christ won through his death and resurrection (Christus Victor). 

*A man's wife is suffering from a brain tumor.  Driscoll speaks of Christ's example--a life of service and suffering (Christus Exemplar).

Breshears, Driscoll's co-author, follows each of the letters with a Q/A type explanation of the theological concepts being discussed.

Did I ever disagree with the authors?  Yes.  I'm not a Calvinist, so there was one chapter in particular where I disagree with their conclusions.  Having said that, I appreciate the humility with which they handled the issue  (limited vs. unlimited atonement).   They recognized other positions as within the realm of orthodox Christianity.

This book is definitely worth the read.  It is a unique example of applied theology in pastoral work.