Rating: 
Summary: Radically Refreshing & Biblically Grounded
Review: John Eldredge's WILD AT HEART is one of the most refreshing and radical books that I have read. Why are so many men unhappy, un-fulfilled, in jobs they hate, and in marriages that are dead? WILD AT HEART seeks to answer those questions and restore the passion and God-given masculinity that so many men in today's world, and church, are missing. Some wrongly criticize WILD AT HEART, believing Eldredge is offering up macho, dim-witted masculine bravado, or they believe that this work will be a free pass for men to leave marriages in the dust on a search for lost dreams. Eldredge will have none of that, and says himself in the book that such men are "deceived about what it is they really want, what they are made for." Don't be fooled by the various criticisms that ignore Eldredge's real meaning. A real man's desires are shaped by the Lord. Instead, WILD AT HEART is about restoring a Godly dream in the soul of a man. A desire to truly be a man, rather than a softened-neutered-nice-but-restrained-guy that the world has somehow dictated that Christian males should be. Nice men may be socially acceptable but in creating them we have snuffed out the very fire that God would have us fan in our pursuit of Him. This is an attempt to re-kindle that flame. To restore the three longings that are at the core of each man: a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. Eldredge's arguments are firmly planted in Biblical principles, as well as his past personal experience. His writing style is very easy going, and he uses a lot of illustrations from popular culture, which makes the reading fun. I believe this book is an awesome wake up call to the church. For too long men have weakened themselves by ignoring our God-created passions. WILD AT HEART shows us how to restore them, and challenges us to take the right risks and live the adventure. It may be a bit scary (after all, did God give Abraham a risk-free offer on his call to leave Ur?), but there's no other way to reach the real fulfillment that God would have us find. I'm not a big fan of "men's books," but this is one that I am so glad that I did not miss. You shouldn't either. FIVE STARS.
Rating: 
Summary: The gospel according to John Eldredge
Review: JE advances the overarching idea that men and women, presumably Christians, have lost touch with their true natures and, in the words of JE, they have lost their hearts, because they have been denied their deepest desires. Further, according to JE, men in particular have been denied their deep desire to be powerful, dangerous, fierce and above all wild, desires that are presumably written into their hearts by God. JE supports this assertion by arguing that men, by their God-given nature, are powerful because they were created in the image of an all-powerful God (p. 18). According to JE, this powerful nature has been denied to men over the years. This denial has come by the hands of the church and society, which institutions are most commonly introduced into a man's life through a man's father. JE terms this denial at the hands of our fathers or other authorities in our lives the "wound." In a sweeping exoneration of today's men, JE blames this wound for much of the sin in the lives of men today from rage (p. 126) to sexual immorality (p. 91) to laziness. (See pp. 44, 126, 170). JE posits that all feelings of guilt in the midst of such sin are lies from Satan (p. 163). As for women, holding Ruth of the Bible out as an example, JE endorses the view that they should be valiant, vulnerable and scandalous (p. 190). Jesus Christ, according to JE, came to release men and women from the bondage of thinking that the wound, and the sin that follows, is their fault. (pp. 125-127). Indeed, one of JE's life-changing epiphanies was when he came to think that his outbursts of rage and other sin were not his fault. JE's prescription, JE's gospel, is to invite men and women to live from their deep hearts by asking themselves, as JE did, what makes them come alive and then by going and doing just that (p. 200). Most importantly, men must "enter their wound" and admit that all of the garbage in their lives is not their fault. JE teaches that Jesus Christ came to help men do this. Sadly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ contradicts every one of the above points of JE's gospel. The Bible has much to say about the attributes of ferocity, wildness and power. A simple, humble and honest search of a concordance should be clear here, with respect to whether Christians are to be "wild" or "fierce." Regarding the attribute of power, the Bible is also clear, that men are only powerful by dint of a powerful God. The distinction between knowing that a certain display of power by a man is from God or from a man's very nature is one that is made on countless pages of the Word and is critical to our walk with God. The Bible is resounding in teaching that no man is powerful in his nature. Men are only powerful when an all-powerful God works through them. In fact, the Apostles knew that every inclination of sinful men was to ascribe powerful deeds at the hands of men to man's power rather than God's power. This is why they exhorted the onlookers at the gate called Beautiful that it was not by their own power or godliness that they healed the crippled man (Acts 3:12) and refused to be worshiped in Lystra (Acts 14:14,15), and why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7 that "we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." Further, even if men are denied the very breath that they breathe, let alone adventure and power, they have no excuse for the sin that they commit, for according to Romans 1:20 "men are without excuse." After all, weren't Paul and Silas in Philippi denied a desire that all Christians know is written into their regenerated hearts by God, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus in the streets, yet, did they sin in the jail? Did they have outbursts of anger? Did they neglect the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? No, according to Acts 16:25, they sang hymns to their Lord in jail and ended up sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the jailer and others, so that they were saved by God. To be sure, Hebrews 12:4 makes clear that we are to go to the point of shedding our blood in resisting sin in our lives. While JE believes that Christ came to help us admit that we are not at fault, Jesus preached, "repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." JE even goes so far as to liken his life-changing epiphany that his rage was not his fault to Augustine's epiphany in the garden in Italy. However, JE's epiphany and Augustine's epiphany could not be more diametrically opposed. Augustine repented after reading Romans 13:11-14, and then he cried. JE admitted it was not his fault, and then he cried. For a helpful explanation of these two different types of sorrow, one that leads to death and the other to life, read 2 Corinthians 7:8-10. The real problems in men's and women's lives today that JE addresses are rooted in the fact that they have forsaken God. Rather than write a book with the purpose of teaching about the streams of living water that are found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, JE has dug his own cistern for his readers. Sadly, a picture of such situation is contained in Jeremiah 2:13, which states "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Thanks to JE, we have yet another cistern to turn folks away from the One and Only, Jesus Christ our Lord.
LORD help us, for Jesus' sake, Amen.
Rating:
Summary: Cop out...
Review: In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge gives us a 'psychology lite' answer to a problem that may not even exist. He hangs a lot of his effort on the symptom that men are 'nice guys'. This is not a problem. In 2-3 years this title - along with many other books that fill the Christian section at Barnes & Noble - will be forgotten. Read John Piper's Biblical Manhood, instead. It's much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Stunning insight from a convert to Christianity
Review: This is a brilliantly insightful treatise about finding the masculine heart. In the book, Eldredge argues that since the fall (Genesis), man has been shy to take risks. He has lost sight of what God intended for him. There are three things a man yearns for, he contends: 1) A battle to fight 2) an adventure to live, and 3) a beauty to rescue.
However, there is a lot more to it. A reviewer slammed this book for the way it "demeans" women by assigning them the passive role of being rescued. Sorry, but the reviewer missed the point. Eldredge explains at length that women do not want to be merely rescued, they want to be a PART of the Adventure!
The book analyzes many bible stories in terms of understanding masculinity. IT IS NOT A MACHO PEP RALLY, and Eldredge states as much. After all, macho men don't talk about heart, no matter how masculine, ok? This is a book about feelings, and pride, and purpose. The book's strong suit is the take it has on Jesus. Eldredge says "if you were a leper, or lived on the edges of society, then yes, Jesus was tender mercy. But if you were a pharisee, watch out!"
One of Eldredge's conclusions that meant a lot to me was that man yearns for a battle to be fought. And who do we fight? Well, Jesus confronted the pharisees and the bureaucrats, and shamed them for their hypocrisy. In this we can only hope to be like Jesus.
This is a deep book that does the best job so far that I have seen of exploring the masculine heart's many facets and laying out some insights and advice. Eldredge is not repeating what he heard elsewhere, but discovering new ideas. I mention that Eldredge is a convert to Christianity. I myself am not a theist in the traditional sense, but I find his Biblical analysis highly informative because of his born-again, intuitive knowledge of God. My christian friends love this book too, and women say that it helps them understand men better. The masculine heart is a topic that requires more thought and discussion, but in this book Eldredge has laid out a decent foundation. However, if you think you can do better, you must first start here. This book will teach you much.
I would have given the audio book five stars but I was annoyed by John's slow, clear enunciation and his thin voice. Also, I felt the audio book abridged too much. Given the chance, I would have gotten the full text instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Where are John's Pontification Credentials?
Review: I'm 2/3's of the way through it in a weekly men's group. All
along the way I keep looking at the jacket cover and now on the
internet for the author's background that would qualify him to
make the assertions he makes. I haven't found any qualifications
at all. John has something to say, but to me it seems limited
(which got me wondering about his background)and, as some earlier
comments state, he makes highly interpretive statements about bible verses and life in general with no citations of fact. It's the kind of book I would write about a subject that I liked
but had no depth of science or fact to use as a foundation for my assertions. So, what's good about this book? In my opinion, we (men and women) just might be too compliant to societal pressures; we find
it so much easier to go with the flow. For me, this has been a
useful reminder to not cede my ground quite so readily. I also feel that there is value in making sure my own son sees the value in holding his own ground where it matters. Hence, 2 stars
because I got some value out of the book, but found the holes and lack of substantiation a significant part of the writings.
Rating:
Summary: Psycho-Babble for the "Believer"
Review: For those who find Scripture to be their bread and butter for their spiritual sustenance, you will find this disappointing book to be nothing more than modern-day psychological drivel. The most disappointing feature of this book is to find out that Charles Swindoll, who I've listened and respected for many years, actually recommends this book in the book's foreward. I can only surmise that Dr. Swindoll has lost his love of God's Word that he once had. As others who've written reviews, you will find that the book's use of Scripture is infrequent and mostly taken out of context. For those of us who are Christ's chosen and who understand the riches we have in Christ (see Ephesians 1), the idea of rescuing our "masculinity" is so trivial. So very trivial. Further, the idea of "rescuing the beauty" for those of us who are over 30 and married has undertones of an invitation to an leave our current wives/family and embark on a new "adventure" with someone else. Authors like Mr. Eldridge (and Gary Smalley) would be better off making their points without having to resort to Scripture (since most of the ideas in this book are unscriptural - would Jesus really agree with the idea that men shouldn't be 'Mr. Nice Guys' ?? How does that square with I Peter 3:8-9, Colossians 3:12-13, and I Thessalonians 5:15 ?) For Christian men who seem "bored" with their lives (as the author puts it): instead of reading this book, which will only give you a temporary "fix" at best, find the solution to your boredom by going directly to God's Word, meditating and memorizing on its truths, and finally becoming obedient to its commands. I can guarantee you that will be a cure for any "boredom" you're experiencing.
Rating:
Summary: Sexist
Review: Everyone is talking about this book but I don't know why. Eldredge presents this idea of men being constrained by society and thus being wimps. He gives us crap about finding our wildness in our hearts all the while saying that women just want to be rescued etc. Thinking like this can only be termed as sexist. A strong word yes, but unfortunately authors and speakers such as Eldredge have only helped to promote sexism and gender stereotyping. What if a man does not want to be wild, what if he likes being nice? What if a woman does not want to be rescued? Well, according to Eldredge we are outside of God's plan and need to take care of our "wounds." Please, please, please don't waste your time with this book and read a good motivational book like "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller.
Rating:
Summary: Misses the mark. Really disappointing.
Review: The main thing I got from this book is that men are emasculated, and that it's time to take back the manhood that God intended. I got this point because the author makes it over and over and over.....and over. We finally find out there is something we can do about it around halfway through. Then it goes back to emasculation. I had high hopes for this book. I agree that men are taught to be "nice", and had hoped that this book would look at that from a Christian perspective, but I felt like it was more of a self-help book for men with low self-esteem and regrets over their career choices in life. The author spends a lot of time talking about the role women have taken (as if they're a major part of the problem) to emasculate men and that there's no dangerous people working in offices. His point I think is that we as men should be spending more time engaged in manly pursuits in order to be more like Christ....to be more dangerous....I think....I didn't get it either. There's a video series too--we did it for a men's group at my church---one of the highlights is the men on a manly weekend (campfires, skeet shooting etc.) shooting their cell-phones as a statement of freedom and independence.
About 2/3 of the way through, the book switched gears and started talking about spirtual warfare. I think the point was to be that men must be strong in order to engage in the spiritual warfare that we as Christians engage in almost constantly, but the connection wasn't made. Of course women are capable of engaging in spiritual warfare too, so I didn't see the point the author was trying to make.
This book missed the mark for me both as a Christian man, as well as preparing me for spiritual warfare. There's better books out there on both of these subjects.
Rating:
Summary: Buy, Beg or Borrow this Treasure!
Review: This approach to Christianity is wonderful. It's in terms that guys can relate to. One almost feels as though this author is inside of your head. The detail is incredibly sensible. You can stop thinking of guilt, contradictory and demanding church expectations and get down to the real point that God and Jesus really love you and will and want to help you. The explanations of how evil manifests itself are both straight forward and realistic. This book changed my life as far as my attitude toward Christianity. I would strongly suggest that the CD is even better for immediate playback to capture what Mr. Eldredge is unveiling.
Rating:
Summary: A Waste of Time and Paper
Review: There are an infinite number of creatively acerbic ways in which one might say it, but the simple fact remains: this book is awful. This book reads disturbingly like one of those comically misguided "hygiene manuals" from the early twentieth century, as the author rails against the evils of masturbation and battlefield cowardice. The overarching theme of the book seems to echo Leo Durocher's infamous adage that "nice guys finish last." Eldredge constantly implores men to throw off the cultural expectation of "niceness" that modern society has thrust upon them, and begin fighting some unnamed foe in their necessary struggle to regain their inherent "wildness." He even goes so far as to suggest that it was this inner pull towards wildness that caused him to take up residence in the "wild" west town of Colorado Springs. And I just thought it was the weather. This book rehashes all of the old stereotypes of men as daring knights and women as damsels in desire of rescue. The author expresses his latent urge to be William Wallace (maybe it's the kilt), and even waxes poetic about a Civil War soldier who envisions his own senseless death but cannot resist "the call of the battlefield." This is a childish and woefully misinformed tome that would seem to appeal only to those with delusions of grandeur and/or little man's syndrome. In short, don't waste your time.
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