Wild at HeartDiscovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
by John Eldredge (Thomas Nelson, 2001)
So this is a men's book.
Fortunately, it's not a typecast "7-Steps-to-Becoming-a-Better-Whatever" men's book. Instead it's a discussion about the masculine heart, and therefore a great read for both men and women. In an engaging, often candid, disarming style, Eldridge explores what men really yearn for - with sometimes painful accuracy. I rediscovered truths about myself that I'd forgotten; that our current cultural fascination with metrosexualism has suppressed.
Like our three-fold desire for a Battle to Fight, an Adventure to Live, and a Beauty to Rescue. Let Eldredge explain in his introduction:
Most messages for men ultimately fail. The reason is simple: They ignore what is deep and true to a man's heart, his real passions, and simply try to shape him up through various forms of pressure. "This is the man you ought to be.". . .Men need something else. They need a deeper understanding of why they long for adventures and battles and a Beauty - and why God made them just like that. And they need a deeper understanding of why women long to be fought for, to be swept up in adventure, and to be the Beauty. For that is how God made them as well. (emphases his)Now that is a refreshing take on the masculine soul. But then there's that fear: What if I don't have what it takes? Plus the wound: Living as if we're orphans, without a Loving Father to guide us into manhood. How do we navigate this journey to become real men?
In Wild at Heart (and from what I can tell so far in his follow-up book The Way of the Wild Heart, which I'm reading now) Eldridge shows us the truth about ourselves and the Father who wants to initiate us into an abundant, truly masculine life. Through personal reflections, great illustrations taken from modern day scenarios, and biblical study, he gives us hope that we do indeed have what it takes to win the battle, live the adventure, and rescue the beauty, since that is in fact what our Hero, Jesus Christ has already done for us.
If you're looking for something beyond the stadium excitement of Promise Keepers, this book comes highly recommended. For more on John Eldredge and his books, visit Ransomed Heart.
3 comments:
Thanks for the tip. Another resource you might look at is the archive of "Husbandry" articles at Credenda Agenda, written (almost entirely) by Doug Wilson.
Appreciate the link David. That website looks like a great resource indeed. Thanks for stopping by. :-)
Someone posted an anonymous comment - which I usually delete but will copy just a bit of it here:
"Eldredge writes in a compelling way, and he has some good thoughts, but his unbiblical view of God undermines all his books. It's "man-centered".... Let's question the value of such books in light of the Holy Scriptures. Thanks for your site!"
Thanks for your comment. Although this is not a forum for theological argument, I will simply say that Eldredge points to a much needed, and biblical, dynamic to the God-Man relationship.
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