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Summary: Men and Women defined? Not quite.
Review: The premise that men should honor the masculine side of their souls rings true to this reviewer. The author has much experience working with men and counseling men. Besides, he is a man. By all accounts, he should have something useful to say to men when it comes to discussing men. Agreed? Agreed. Good. Now that that's settled, lets turn to the other sex: the Woman. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Woman's perspective, the book gets a little muddled. Here's the low-down on two of the ideas presented in the book: 1.Women have a need to be rescued by a man (as seen in fairy tales)& 2.Women are supposed to be vulnerable and inviting instead of independently self-reliant, self-controlled and self-confident. However, unlike the author's viewpoint, the role of women in rescue fairy tales has been interpreted vastly differently by other therapists who spend time counseling women. In her bestseller "Reviving Ophelia," Mary Pipher, Ph.D., describes rescue sequences in fairy tales as the loss of a woman's true self identity when undergoing adolescence. Pipher explains that "...fairy tales capture the essence of this phenomenon. Young women eat poisoned apples or prick their fingers with poisoned needles and fall asleep for a hundred years. They wander away from home, encounter great dangers, are rescued by princes and are transformed into passive and docile creatures." Closer to the truth is Pipher's use of Hamlet's Ophelia. Ophelia, a happy, centered girl in childhood is transformed into a weak, passive, easily manipulated young woman. When Hamlet spurns her, she becomes emotionally unstable, drowning herself in a stream, weighted down by fashionable, heavy clothing. Shakespeare had it
right; women die when they lose their internal, independent center. Or, as Pipher puts it,their "true North Star." Likewise, the author's use of "vulnerable" denotes this same lack of normal self-preservation and safe boundaries. Vulnerable is defined as "1.capable of being physically wounded. 2.open to attack or damage." The synonym "assailable" defines this kind of openness as "to be attacked violently with blows or words." So,instead of a discerning and wise woman, the woman is now to be "vulnerable" and"inviting" potentially violent attacks? The bottomline to this review: if you are interested in a male perspective on men, the book has interesting things to say and I recommend it. But if you want to understand women, read Mary Pipher's book.
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Summary: My nephew Bill enthuses passionately about this !
Review: My nephew Bill enthuses passionately about this book and is giving it to the men in his family! As an Evangelical author myself, it is exciting to see an book from an Evangelical perspective doing so well on the Amazon.com lists - as opposed to all the rubbish that some people alas prefer to buy. I am not sure about 100% of what this author says, and his history can be a little shaky, but this is a perspective we ought all to consider in these turbulent times. Christopher Catherwood, evangelical and author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003) and, far more important, Bill Moore's uncle!
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Summary: God Is Not A Male
Review: God Is Not A Male and Has NO religion. The cause of All the wars is the males Macho Be-lie-f in man made Gods that are just illusions of mis-conditioned minds.
In Love & Joy.
Michael http://www.pointoflife.com
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Summary: Wild about how it changed me.
Review: Wow what a wonderful revealing book. John has a real winner here. This book saved my life and saved my soul. In a fantastic way he reached inside of me and let me know it is okay to be a man and that I do not have to feel bad about it. It does not demean women in any way but show a refreshing look at how to "play the man". This was the first book I have read that addressed the issue of spiritual warfare and our place in the great plan of God. I have become a better friend, lover and protector of the woman I love because of the message in this book. Women buy it for your man and men buy to be a better man.
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Summary: Discernment required - can't recommend
Review: When I first read this book, I thought Eldredge had some nice things to say about masculinity. His appeal to men is hard not to respond to at first. But upon closer examination the subtlety of Eldredge's error becomes clear as a big stumbling block to men - and at worst it degrades God into a needy, vulnerable God who took a big "risk" in making man, not knowing what the outcome would be. This risky out-of-control sense of creation (ignoring that sin entered the world) is what Eldredge calls "wildness" and urges men to live from their "heart" while totally ignoring scripture that warns that "the heart of man is desperately wicked." I thought I was supposed to live by the Spirit of God not my own deceptive heart. Yes, Mr. Eldredge, I'm a new creature in Christ, but that does not mean I can wildly go chasing my own whims thinking that I'm free to be independant from God now that I can be trusted since I have a new "genuine heart." Scripture tells us to live by the Spirit of God, not from our OWN heart. The Christian life is a life of freedom discovered through dependance on God, not a newly granted "wild" independance from Him. I think Eldredge's intentions are good and perhaps a discerning, mature reader can extract the good from the bad. But once you percieve the breadth and depth of the error here, how can a Christian in good conscience recommend such a book to a fellow believer? -especially one who is younger in their faith and less discerning? Remember Jesus' question "Can a thorn bush produce figs?" And a book that paints God as less than all-knowing, all-powerful and also blatently ignores the truth of sin and our dependance on God should be avoided. I truly wish this book did not have errors, it tries to address an important subject regarding men in church. But I must recommend that readers look elswhere.
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Summary: Worldly Wisdom, Not Biblical Truth
Review: First of all, be warned that this book will hook you. John Eldredge writes in a very persuasive manner. As a Christian reading this book, however, you must be very careful not to allow yourself to be led astray by what the Apostle Paul called "persuasive words of human wisdom" (1 Corinthians 2:4), especially when the words conflict with the truth of God's Word. Wild at Heart is wildly popular among Christian readers. John Eldredge's writing style, his appeal to men who down deep truly want to be men, and his use of emotionally powerful illustrations all combine to make the book engaging and quite gripping. If you are able to see through these facets of the book, which undoubtedly attract human interest, and if you are willing to honestly examine the book in light of biblical truth, you will find three MAJOR problems: 1) Eldredge consistently butchers Scripture, quoting it out of context and even editing one passage to suit the message of the book. 2) The central theme of the book, that men should "know and live from" their hearts, is not consistent with biblical teaching about the deceptive and unreliable nature of the human heart. 3) Eldredge portrays a very low, humanistic, and even heretical view of God. These problems are sufficient to render this book no safer than a glass of pure spring water with a few drops of arsenic in it. If you knew the arsenic was in the water, would you still drink it for the water? Would you give it to a thirsty friend? Despite its surface appeal, I cannot recommend this book. I've written a more complete review which you can find in Google under my name and the word "review."
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Summary: powerful
Review: The idea of reading this book, as a newly divorced single mom, almost repulsed me. Throw in the fact that my ex is who the recommendation came from, and let's just say I was not going to read it all. Then, my ex began to do interesting things that I could not understand, and, my curiosity grew. I bought the book, and literally could not put down. Each sentence compelled me to read on and a couple of hours later I was finished, wishing for more. I have begun other titles, since. But more amazingly this book, as I read each word, I began to understand what "connects" my ex and I so powerfully. From our magical beginning to our ultmate unraveling. It's all explained through the design of men and women at our truest forms of self. I also had bright, shining insights into other relationships...not only men and women romantically, but friends, children, parents. Of course, this is geared for men, but I believe any thinking women can absorb and also be thrilled by the outcome...that we are designed to live the deepest desires of our hearts...the dreams, fairy tales, and all of it. When we settle for less, we become tired, bored, unenthusiastic and can lean toward very negative pattern development. This book is definately for the person wondering why even though they appear to have it all, wonders why they do not actually feel happy and full with life. If you are looking for a new perspective to energize your mind, heart and soul, this is a must read!
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Summary: How did he know my heart so well?
Review: I read the first chapter and could not stop. Eldridge knows my heart and sees that the strength is being sapped out of it by the expectations of others. Find a battle worth fighting. Seek an adventure worth living. Win the beauty worth having (probably the beauty you already have). Three days after I read a borrowed copy, I bought one for me to re-read and four to give to friends. Just read the first chapter and see if he speaks to your heart.
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Summary: a new heart
Review: All I can say is this book helped save my marriage and my life.
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Summary: Everything is your father's fault
Review: This book was recommended to me by several people, but I found it very hard to believe/accept. I read the book as part of a men's study group - most of the men in the group were in their 40s or 50s, and seemed to be able to identify with the book much better (I'm in my 20s). Maybe you have to go through a mid-life crisis before you can understand everything he's talking about... Eldredge, like many psychologist, blame any problems in your relationships, career, faith, family, etc. onto the "wound" that your father gave you as a child. He insists that all of us have a wound: a time when our father insulted us, let us down, or crushed us. I thought about this for weeks on end, and just couldn't put my finger on any wound that my father gave me. Eldredge peddles his psychological view of father-son relationships under the cover of Christian nonfiction, but rarely references the Bible or Biblical teachings (and when he does, it's often out of context). This one's going back on Amazon marketplace.
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