No Diving: 10 Ways to Avoid the Shallow End of Your Faith and Go Deeper into the Bible

by David H. Campbell

Much like a "No Diving" sign found at a pool, David Campbell seeks to warn Christians about the dangers of diving into shallow interpretations of the Bible and points readers to the deep end. In this book, Campbell wades through mistakes believers make when reading the Bible, and gives them tools for how to fix them. No Diving will give Christians the lessons they need to go deeper in their relationship with God.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

David H. Campbell holds degrees in theology from the University of Toronto and the University of Durham, where he spent six years as a postgraduate student under Professor C.E.B Cranfield. He has pastored churches in Canada and the United Kingdom. He is a Bible teacher and conference speaker currently working with churches in a number of countries.

Reviews

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theologian and author, David Campbell, writes on 10 core doctrines of the faith in his book, “No Diving.” He begins with the topic of faith simply because the doctrine of faith has so often been misunderstood and twisted by different camps such as the Word of Faith movement and the Prosperity Gospel movement. I was thankful that Campbell began here to lay a firm foundation. He then moves to the topic of worship, healing, eschatology, money, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, prophecy, the Kingdom of God, Law and Grace, and finally the Church.

I think this book is pretty unique in the sense that it deals head on with topics such as healing, prophecy and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Apart from Grudem’s Systematic Theology, I’ve not seen a theology book that speaks on the baptism of the Holy Spirit in an academic manner. For this reason, I think you could label Campbell’s book as a sort of mini systematic theology for Charismatics. His chapter on eschatology was also extremely helpful. Campbell unravels the commonly held tenet of a secret rapture held by dispensationalists. He’s not a fan in case you’re wondering. He also does a fine job of dismantling dispensationalism on its own. I appreciated the brief history of how dispensationalism began and how it has influenced American eschatology.

Just because this book may seem small, by no means is it small in thought! The chapters are thorough and Campbell doesn’t simply regurgitate someone else’s ideas and research. He certainly avoids the shallow end of the faith as the subtitle indicates. I believe Campbell is a fresh voice and brings a unique perspective to these timeless truths found in Scripture. His book is readable yet academic. I’ll admit there were times where I thought he was actually a bit too heady. Again, don’t expect to swim in the shallow end of the pool in this one!

All in all, the book is a great resource especially to those who are of the Charismatic persuasion. The final chapter on the Church is fantastic as a pastor who holds a high ecclesiology! If you’re new to dispensational eschatology or need to explain why a secret rapture is silliness, this is for you. If you’re looking for a robust understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you’ll find this book especially helpful!

[Jacob Fairclough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Campbell is a hard-hitting, between the eyes (pun very much intended), no-BS author. All too often we can neglect teachings on the fundamentals of Christianity in church perhaps due to the assumption that they're common knowledge. Without lacking any sophistication, Campbell brings it back to the basics 'commandment style', with each chapter discussing a different topic such as Faith, Healing, Worship, Eschatology and many more, scraping the sugar coating off of popular belief. Time after time, he drops truth after truth in an urgent fashion because the young people today need to hear it. In such a divisive political and spiritual climate, people are desperate for identity and truth. People are leaving the church in waves due to misconceptions of scripture and the character of God. Campbell so elegantly displays his prowess as an author, debunking these claims with the backing of scripture and personal experience. I would recommend any person to read this, young or old, new christian or long-time believer. It's time to get back to the basics.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better books on theological topics that I've read in a while, that kind of want to get some stray running theology onto the right track. I feel Campbell is mostly right in most of the things covered here, but because he covers 10 topics rather shortly, I feel that he have really not enough depth into the topics to really show that his position is water tight, although close enough.

Great read.

[Daunavan Buyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good. David Campbell is a deep thinker and also filled with love for God, His Word, and His Church. I can’t say I agree with everything in this book but I can say it’s a great resource that gives scriptural and thoughtful invitations to go deep in our walk with Christ. It’s highly accessible as well, not too “heady.”

[Sarah Valasky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It explains in detail 10 major elements of the Christian faith, what they are, why they’re important, their functions, etc. An excellent read for new or seasoned Christians. I will be buying multiple copies to give to people.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

His chapter on prophecy is really good! Looks at OT & NT and brings clarity into NT prophetic especially for those who have seen it abused, misused, or abandoned.

[David Mepaiyeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read for new and young Christian believers. It focuses on biblical theology and goes in depth regarding different foundational topics in the Bible. Would definitely recommend it!

[Lexi Hobgood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave Campbell is just so brutally honest and highly educated. I wish I had more time to sink deeper into this one slowly bc ooof. So good

[Robbie Deacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief and accessible theology primer written from a fairly charismatic perspective. This is great for the Christian who is interested in learning more about their faith but doesn’t know where to start. The chapters on Eschatology, Prophesy, and worship are especially good.

My only complaint is that Campbell writes fairly authoritatively and doesn’t always justify the statements he makes. This makes sense given the compact nature of this book, but it would have been nice to have an appendix or something to provide more information on his sources or references