Sketchy Views by Daniel DeWitt Book Review

About the Book:

Is your understanding of who God is and how he works in our lives today a little sketchy? Daniel DeWitt’s Sketchy Views is a beginner’s guide to making sense of God. 

Everybody has beliefs about God. There are a million ways to get God wrong, but there’s only a narrow path to getting him right. In order to understand God, we have to go back to the Bible, but that can be overwhelming if you are new to theology.  

Sketchy Views uses words and sketches to help readers visually connect with and understand what basic Christian theology is and is not. DeWitt helps readers understand why what we think about God is the most important thing about us. Because God is the most important topic a person can think about, the way we think about God (our theology) is our most valuable and important collection of our thoughts and words.    

• Illustrations clarify the basics of theology, Christian thinking, and making sense of worldview issues. 
• Skeptics, atheists, and theological novices will learn basic truths about God and how Christians through the ages have come to these conclusions.  
• Readers will be challenged to examine their basic beliefs about God and themselves and see how they affect every part of life.  

You can watch the book trailer here.

My Review:

This is a good book for young people to help them understand how their thoughts about God are formed and how to make sense of them. I like how DeWitt explains that the starting point of our thinking is so important. He explores necessary terms, like orthodoxy and heresy, making them understandable. He clarifies the need for initial assumptions and how all people make them. He shows how some beliefs are more essential than others, such as salvation over last days details. He covers three major areas of Christian belief, the Bible, God and the world.

DeWitt's writing style is good, especially for people unfamiliar with theological terms like inerrancy and omnipotence. He is clear and explains issues well. He has some cool line drawing illustrations too. There are questions for reflection at the end of each chapter. They could be used for discussion in a classroom setting or for individual use. This book is a good introduction to orthodox belief for new or questioning Christians.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Daniel DeWitt, PhD, is a senior fellow at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO, where he leads the Center for Worldview and Culture and teaches courses on theology, apologetics, and C.S. Lewis. He is the author of multiple books, including Jesus or Nothing, The Friend Who Forgives, and Sketchy Views, and posts regularly at Theolatte.com. He and his wife, April, have four children. 

New Growth Press, 224 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)