The Amazing Depth of the Simplest Truth: The Gospel and Gospel Theology

Patrick sets out to define the gospel and unpack its implications for ministry. I think the main thing I got from this book and it's biggest strength is that it really encourages us to see the gospel as so much bigger and deeper than "Jesus died for your sins". And understanding the size and depth of what the gospel is means that we can be more effective in applying it to a wide array of real-life contexts. I think this is a really important thesis, and it's well-argued.

Patrick's definition of the gospel is based on a thoughtful exegesis of 1 Cor. 15, although I'm not fully persuaded. It's also unclear what some of the chapters are doing in terms of the broader argument of the book. And although keeping the book short was helpful, it feels as if every second sentence is something along the lines of "I don't have time to expand on/defend this here, but..." I would have probably preferred a longer book that was more thoroughly argued.

Nonetheless, I would definitely recommend this, especially if you want to enrich how you can present the gospel.