Dug Down Deep: Building Your Life on Truths That Last

Doctrine and theology can be fun. No, seriously. Joshua Harris has done both serious and light-hearted on this subject of uber-importance. As he writes early on, "all of us are constantly 'doing' theology." Since "all of us have some idea or opinion about what God is like" we might as well 'do' theology properly. See, we all know things about God. But we have to be pushed to make the applications for that knowledge. For instance, it's one thing to know that God is good. But what does that mean for us in a practical sense? Sigh if you must, but it's the working out of in depth questions, like how a good God can allow bad things to happen or even knowing if God can make a burrito so hot that even He can't eat it. Yeah, it's deep stuff. So Joshua tackles all the basics, from reading the Bible, redemption and sanctification to the 3 personalities of God. He even tells us why church is important. As a pastor, I have to give that chapter 2 thumbs up. He does it all with an understated humility, which is where he ends his book as well. The truth is not something for Christians to use as a weapon, against other Christians or non-Christians. The truth is something that exists outside of us. Since we cannot control it or own it, but only claim it, we need to be careful how we use it. Joshua emphasizes that our main task is to live by this truth. Much like the parable of the wise and foolish builders, our job is to dig down deep and continue discovering core truths and then shaping our lives by the Truth. I received this book from my good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing. They send me books for free and ask that I say something about said books. This latest edition comes with an in-depth study guide, which would be great for small groups. You can purchase this book here. I recommend that you do.

Joshua Harris, of *I Kissed Dating Goodbye* fame, has written a very helpful book on the essential doctrines of the Christian faith in *Dug Down Deep*. Though he in no way claims to be comprehensive or 'systematic' in the traditional sense, Harris provides a good outline of Bible doctrine for a younger audience (though an older audience would benefit as well). Harris, I believe, targets 12-32 year olds with discussion on topics like owning our faith, the study of theology, the nature of God, the doctrine of Scripture, the divinity/humanity of Christ, salvation in Christ alone, maturity in Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, the church, and our attitudes toward orthodoxy. A compelling part of Harris' work is that he introduces these topics with vignettes from his own life and in a way that connects these doctrines with the real Christian life. Harris also adds a good dose of wit and frank discussion. The new study guide at the end is very helpful for small groups or discipleship settings. I used this book with a 14 year old, and he thoroughly enjoyed the book, even wanting to present a book review to his local FCA. The only major topic that I would differ with Harris is his moderately charismatic views of the Holy Spirit. This book could serve as a wake-up call for some, or a basic theological primer for others. I highly recommend it.

I haven't completely finished the book, but I really enjoy reading it It's an easy read, and he's funny Even just reading the book itself makes me more hungry to seek God I think this book would be helpful for youth/ people who grew up in the church all their lives

I like Josh Harris. I've read three of his books: Kiss Dating Goodbye, Lust, and Stop dating the church. Reading Josh Harris is like watching Roger Federer play tennis, easy on the eyes, very natural, and fluid. I purchased this book (like many other books) based on the recommendations by my favorite pastors and church leaders. If the book is commended by Piper, Dever, Packer - well it's good enough for me. Unfortunately this book may not be for me. After reading half-way through the book I realized that the great attraction to this book is the personal biography of Harris that bleeds through every other page of the book. The humor laced throughout the book had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion! But I must admit that the personal biography took away from the purpose of the book which is to marvel at God, to sink our anchors deep into biblical truth. I noticed how often he references girls, his past attraction to girls, girls he knew, guys he knew, that said this or that, and the over the top referencing of sex. It may be that Harris knows that our attention span is that of a gnat. He knows this because in our post-modern world Facebook and social media has trained our minds to hold attention for more than a few minutes. So Josh may feel the need to reel us back in by these graphic (albeit not always sexual) scenarios. It reminds me of preachers who preach memorably because of the illustrations they use. Unfortunately some illustrations are so good that you focus on the illustration more than the biblical truth. I felt this way when I read this book. It was sprinkled a bit too much with pop-culture. Instead of illustrations he brings back the reader's attention by sprinkling references to his past sinful life (e.g. see opening of chapter 6 "I'd watched a pornographic video once before when I was thirteen years old. I had found the VHS tape while baby-sitting at the home of a Christian family. The parents were gone. The kids napping ...") I am not saying Josh is purposefully using these scenarios to stumble young Christians but he is trying to be transparent. But my concern is that too much can sometimes be counter-effective. There are very good parts to this book. In chapter 5 "God with a bellybutton", Harris does a good job summarizing historical Christology has developed. He establishes a much needed warning about feeling and thinking. He says, "if you want to feel deeply, you must think deeply." In chapter 9 his advice on understanding spiritual gifts is helpful and biblical (see 1Tim 3 on how the church confirms a man's calling). Don't look for a gift that is mentioned in the list, but serve the church and don't over-spiritualize your gift. You may already be doing it in your daily work. Just serve and let others confirm what you may or may not already know. When Harris' teaches he does it very well. Maybe this book will be like Calvin's institutes in that it underwent several revisions. For the next revision possibly limit the stories and illustrations and cut to the teaching of biblical truth. Let your teaching of God's Word captivate us and not the past-sin references. I like Josh Harris' gift to communicate truth. God is using Josh Harris in a great way to serve the body of Christ. I would heartily recommend others (Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith; Ryrie, Basic Theology; or Stott, Basic Christianity).

It's good to perform self-evaluation every so often as we oftentimes take things for granted when things are going smooth and pleasant.

A powerful book that opens your eyes and makes you think. I don't want to believe because my parents said so, or my pastor told me. I want my beliefs to be founded in God. In His word. Powerful stuff, and this book is awesome.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it encouraging, motivating and delivers exactly what is promises the reader. I highly recommend it.

The book starts out well but soon the author goes into too much detail. He spends 28 pages on his father accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior (chapter 7). Far too many pages for me. After that the book becomes boring. I couldn't finish reading it. I don't recommend this book.

Josh Harris is always a great read and this I think is his best book of all. A book to read and re-read. Only Kevin DeYoung and Tim Keller write as well as this.

Really helpful for new and old Christians alike full of wisdom full of Scripture. Good study guide and also DVD available for teen groups