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.
"What we believe about God our Creator is the most important thing about us. It shapes how we live in the world. It impacts how we serve our family, friends, and neighbors. It matters for both this life and eternity. That's why Sketchy Views is a great resource for Christians to think about what they believe."
FLAME, Grammy-nominated and Stellar award-winning artist
"Daniel DeWitt is a friendly and trusted guide to help us come to terms with what we can know about God and the world he has put us in. This book will be eye-opening for those wanting to think theologically for the first time, and wonderfully refreshing for those who've been doing so for years. It's a pleasure to commend it."
Sam Allberry, Pastor; author
"In a day when sketchy views of God abound, this is a timely resource to help you think clearly and biblically about not only what you believe but why. Daniel DeWitt puts his years of teaching university students and speaking at youth ministry conferences to full use in providing a beginner's guide for making sense of the God of the Bible."
Rick Melson, President, Southwest Baptist University
"Daniel DeWitt's gracious humility, friendly humor, gentle consideration, and easy-to-follow logic make complex concepts surprisingly easy to understand and controversial topics approachable. I look forward to giving Sketchy Views to my friends and family."
Jennifer Greenberg, Author of Not Forsaken: A Story of Life After Abuse
"This is an extremely useful resource for any serious student of the Bible. Whether someone is new to the faith or has been a Christian for several years, Sketchy Views is an introduction to theology that will support spiritual growth and knowledge of the Bible."
Melissa Tucker, Professor of Teacher Education, Boyce College
"Daniel DeWitt illustrates his message with words, stories, and even sketches to make this helpful book accessible and memorable. No matter where you're at in your spiritual journey, Sketchy Views will encourage, challenge, and assist you in thinking biblically about God."
Jeff Dalrymple, Executive Director, the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention
"There's no shortage of books today telling us what to think about God. So why pick up this book? Because in a forest filled with pathways, what we need most are wise and experienced guides. Daniel DeWitt is such a guide. In this book, Daniel shows us how to find and traverse the trail of thought that leads to a discovery of God. I'm delighted to recommend this book by a guide I trust."
J. Tims, Lead Pastor, Immanuel Church, Nashville, TN
"In typical Daniel DeWitt fashion, this book successfully takes thinkers on an epic journey into the most important topic they could consider: God. Mixing ample cultural allusions with a healthy dose of humor (sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes merely dad jokes, but always keeping the reader on task), DeWitt guides his readers through some of the most treacherous theological waters they will ever face."
Jonathan Arnold, Associate Professor of Theological Studies, Cedarville University
"Systematic theology books tend to use complicated definitions and terminologies as they attempt to explain divine truths in human language. However, Daniel DeWitt has demonstrated that theological truths can be easily explained and therefore understood without the complexity of using sophisticated language. His starting point is knowing God. Orthodoxy flows when we acknowledge God is God and when we humbly submit to his Word. I wholeheartedly recommend this book, in its simplicity and clarity. I wish to see it translated into Arabic for the benefit of the Arabic-speaking church."
Wageeh Mikhail, Engagement Director, ScholarLeaders
Dr. DeWitt is able to take big theological ideas, discussions, and figures and bring them to students at an accessible level. Highly recommend for high schoolers or anyone looking to be introduced to theology.
Excellent introduction to and overview of the primacy and authority of Scripture. Great read if you're new to the faith, exploring Christianity, or have been following Jesus for years.
I’ll admit, when I fist saw the title Sketchy Views: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Sense of God, I was intrigued and a little bit skeptical about what is was about. Sketchy Views: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Sense of God by Daniel DeWitt introduces the reader to the beginning basics of theology and sprinkles sketches throughout the book to explain certain points. Using his expertise in the classroom, Mr. DeWitt writes Sketchy Views in a way that readers can understand and grasp the concepts being presented. Using the Bible as a guide and a quote at the beginning of each chapter to correlate with what is being discussed, Sketchy Views helps to engage readers to think about God and the why and how they think that way. I was amazed at what was written and how it was written in Sketchy Views: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Sense of God. I used Sketchy Views during my devotion time, highlighting things and making a lot of notes. I love the way that Mr. DeWitt explained things and solely sticks within the perimeters of the Bible as the way to view what is in theology and tells the reader through out that the Bible should be their guide. I enjoyed the sketches in the book and I thought the quotes at the beginning of each chapter complemented the topics being discussed in that particular chapter well. I love that Sketchy Views: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Sense of God is understandable and, I feel, it is clearly written. Sketchy Views: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Sense of God made theories I had been confused about in the past, understandable. I also love some of the analogies that Mr. DeWitt used such as the pizza analogy, shamrock analogy, and the husband and wife analogy. If you are looking for a book that answers basic theological questions in a crystal clear manner or if you are unsure where you stand faith-wise then I highly recommend Sketchy Views: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Sense of God by Daniel DeWitt!
Author Daniel Dewitt offers a beginner’s guide to making sense of God in ‘Sketchy Views’. Dewitt quotes G. K. Chesterton as saying, “Theology is that part of religion that requires brains” and that’s the mindset a reader of Sketchy Views must have. This is not a light, quick read. The Sketchy Views apologetics lessons are both theological and philosophical, yet the topics covered remain within reason of the average reader. I say this as a non-philosophical person who was able to follow the points and logic. At one time or another, many Christians have questions about Christianity, such as, who is God, can we trust the Bible, how do I make sense of the Trinity, and other challenging aspects of the faith. Dewitt covers these and many more as he walks through tough questions about God. He uses theology and philosophy, along with plenty of analogies and great storytelling, to debunk common misconceptions and assumptions about God. Based on the title, book description, and cover image, I made the *very* incorrect assumption that the book would be heavily focused on “sketches” and light on written content. (WRONG!) The actual sketches didn’t offer much to increase my level of understanding. I realized after I started reading the book that the meaning of “sketchy views” describes our views of God that may be off-track. Dewitt ends each chapter with questions that challenge the readers comprehension of the material. These questions would be useful for a group study as well as for an individual. Who would like this book: Described as a “beginner’s guide”, Sketchy Views is written for teens/young adults, but I think it would be a good intellectual introduction of God for adults, too. Christians and curious agnostics would both benefit from the content.
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.