Epic

Rating:
Summary: Real life stuff that is really worth reading.
Review: I bought this book yesterday and read it last night. John Eldredge has a way of saying things that gets under your skin and into your heart and mind. I have no doubt that God empowers his writing and makes it stick in the heart and mind as it does. John is encouraging us to live in a larger story, the story that is about God with us as major characters, if we will take on those roles. Most of us are afraid of our Glory and afraid of taking a larger role; Eldredge encourages us to do so.

Rating:
Summary: Theologically Sound, Culturally Relevant
Review: I've read a few of the other reviews here, a couple of which claim Eldredge is weak on the doctrine of the sinfulness of man. I've read this book now, as well as his other titles. I just don't see that problem with his writings. He does speak of the depravity of man, and how Christ is our only hope.

I admire how Eldredge takes the Christian message and makes it so culturally relevant. He doesn't change the content of the message, only the way in which it is conveyed. He uses life experiences with which most people can identify. He also is obviously a movie buff, using many scenes from Hollywood classics to illustrate his points.

Eldredge doesn't offer lofty theology, nor does he offer nuts and bolts advice on Christian living. He falls somewhere in the middle of the two, communicating timeless spiritual truths to the heart. I enjoy his work, and recommend it to any Christian who wants a bit of refreshment in his/her devotional life.

Rating:
Summary: More Of The Same
Review: John Eldredge's books have become wildly popular among Christians. em>The Sacred Romance and Wild at Heart have sold millions of copies and have firmly established Eldredge as one of the most-read Christian authors. Wild at Heart has been studied in men's groups across the world, giving Eldredge a wide reach and his teachings great acceptance. In Epic he changes his emphasis from a Christian audience to an unbelieving audience, as this book is clearly primarily targeted at those who are not Christians.

Conservative Christians have long been suspicious of Eldredge's writing, and with good cause, for he does not appear to understand human depravity. In previous books he has taught that the human heart, after it is regenerated by God, becomes intrinsically good. He says that the words of Jeremiah which teach us that "the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked" no longer apply to Christians. With such a vast misunderstanding of the human condition, it is no wonder that his teachings often stray. Many of his teachings are also nearly indistinguishable from those who teach Open Theism, though he denies that he holds to this theology. I give this information as background since it is relevant to our examination of his newest book, Epic: The Story God Is Telling And The Role That Is Yours To Play.

Epic tells us that life is a story which unfolds like a grand drama. It seems that humans have an obsession with stories. From the time we are tiny children we love to hear stories about heroes and villains, good guys and bad. The reason we love story so much, Eldredge writes, is that there is something in the human heart that tells us there is an epic going around us, where God is the central character, but where we also play an important role. We love stories about the conquering hero who arrives at the last possible moment to save his lover, because that is exactly what Jesus has done for us.

The book, then, revolves around stories. The author supports his claims with example after example from popular movies. A few of the movies he references are Apollo 13, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Saving Private Ryan, Pinocchio, Finding Nemo, Titanic, Braveheart, Gladiator (no surprise if you have read Wild at Heart and Star Wars. He relies heavily on quotes from other writers such as G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Phillip Yancey, Gerald May, Soren Kierkegaard, George MacDonald and William Shakespeare. The book also contains plenty of Bible verses, most taken from solid translations.

And herein lies the greatest problem with the book. Because Eldredge misunderstands the human condition, he believes that some sort of goodness inherent in the human heart causes us to seek after stories the way we should seek after God. The stories we all know and love are an expression of the human heart that tells us that we are all really part of a great, cosmic epic. While we may not consciously realize this, the heart somehow does. When Jack Dawson sacrifices his life for Rose in the movie Titanic, that is an expression of the human heart's desire to be saved by Jesus.

Despite that problem, I will reluctantly admit that this book was not as bad as I was expecting it to be. I realize I should begin reading each book with an open mind, but having disliked his previous books so much I just couldn't do it. While there is some poor theology in Epic, there is not nearly as much as in Eldredge's previous books (though perhaps that has to do with the fact that this book is a mere 104 pages long). There are, however, a few problems. For example, he uses the standard argument that God gave humans absolute free will since only with free will could we truly love Him. He provides no Scriptural support for this, relying instead on a lengthy quote from Phillip Yancey. Also, many of the unbiblical teachings of his previous books find their way into this one, as we continually come across the language he uses in The Sacred Romance and Wild at Heart.

Epic, then, seems to be an effort from John Eldredge to take his message to unbelievers. It is geared as a tool for evangelism. I see little reason to believe that it will succeed in that, for there is no clear presentation of the gospel. Furthermore, he cheapens the gospel story by equating it with the message of movies such as Titanic and The Matrix. At the same time, the book is well-written and can easily be read and digested in a mere couple of hours, so I have little doubt that many will read and enjoy it. I do not recommend this book or any other of Eldredge's writings.

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Summary: WOW!! I LOVE THIS BOOK! It has changed my life.
Review: Nothing has been more helpful to my personal and spiritual life than understanding that my life is a small part (but a crucial part) in an ancient story, a grand drama, an EPIC! And John Eldredge paints a portrait of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in words that makes my soul soar and causes the deep desires of my heart to come to the surface where I realize everything my heart truly loves is found in being caught up in something, more specifically, Someone much bigger than myself. I encourage everyone who has ever cried during a movie, or found themselves wanting to jump off the couch and go do something during their favorite film to read this book and let your heart be moved by the most adventurous, dangerous, emotionally gripping story ever told, the great story that all other good stories borrow from. At the heart of it all, you'll find the Hero all of us have ever wished we could know and wanted to be like.

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Summary: Brought Tears to my Eyes
Review: Ok, so a lot of books bring tears to my eyes, but it seemed the best way to describe Eldredge's latest book. It is so easy to get mired down in the hassles and headaches of daily living, and Eldredge lifts up our eyes to the much bigger story, the Epic that God has been writing since time began. No, it won't win any awards on brilliance of systematic theology, but it is beautiful, inspiring, highly recommended devotional reading.

Rating:
Summary: A light, easy read
Review: Reviews here convinced me to get this book. I hadn't read anything else by this author.
The book is enlightening as has been stated here indeed a good witnessing tool, but I do question a couple of things in it.

Eldridge is obviously a weel read reader of literature and a movie nut extroadinaire, but he uses so many parallels from Biblical stories to tales from literature and movies that one would have to had read and seen them all to really appreciate them.
In one passage he describes the opening scene of The Last of the Mohicans as portraying the Trinity. I'd never heard that before and am wondering if it is reaching just a little.
I'm also wondering if a lot of these parallels weren't lifted out of various sermons.

Rating:
Summary: Why Stories Matter
Review: Someone asked me once why we study literature. On giving it some thought, I decided that it was because the literature of a culture is how the culture propogates its values. We tell stories about those we wish to emulate, and the best and the most popular stories are the ones that appeal the most to the values of the most people: those are the stories that really move us. I think this book explains why. While I disagree with Eldredge's Trinitarianism (and I know that makes me a minority in Christendom), it's not a major point in the book, and I thought that in general it was excellent. I would recommend this both as a tool for Christians to understand their own faith as well as for outreach to non-Christians, especially those that have a love of heroic stories.

Rating:
Summary: A great book and a great tool
Review: The book Epic by John Eldridge portrays a wonderful message for both believers and non-believers. We are in the midst of a grand story. Our sufferings on earth are not idly received. Eldridge refutes his points very effectively through both Bible verses and quotes from popular stories, eg. The Chronicles of Narnia (of which I am a huge fan), Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, the list goes on. I believe that he quotes Lewis the most and how could you go wrong when quoting the works of C.S. Lewis who wrote as a devout Christian with great messages in his works. This is a book that helps you stop and realize some things about the life we live, and provides a lot to think about throughout the day. And anything that causes us to think about the things of God during the day is a good thing in my book. I love this book because it reminds us of the reason we're here, the battle we must fight, and the reason we fight it. Read this book and the rest of Eldridge's work.

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Summary: An absolute gem of a book
Review: Upon beginning to read Eldredge's latest book, I found myself with a knife in one hand, a razor in the other, ready to cut, shred, slice and dice my way through--what I had falsely believed-- was going to be another milquetoast, week-kneed "inspirational" piece of nonsense foisted upon the unsuspecting masses. How very wrong my initial perceptions were! Rather than cutting and ripping my way through this book, I found my self pleasantly delighted by each wonderful page. I can honestly say that this is the best little book I've read in the past year.

What is it about certain stories that capture the imagination and adoration of so many people? Just in the past fifty years or so, we have had the great pleasure of being blessed with many wonderful stories, both in book and film, like "The Lord of the Rings," "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Star Wars," "The Matrix," "Titanic" and a host of others. Something about these films and stories spoke to us on a deep, emotional level, bypassing our analytical minds and moving upon us in a genuinely spiritual fashion. Eldredge has discovered the common theme that unites all these wonderful stories, and shows us how they all are very similar to the Greatest Story Ever Told.

Could it be that all these famous, well known stories have become so popular because there is something in us that wants, or possibly even knows that they are true? Whether it be the heroics displayed upon the decks of the sinking Titanic, or the courageousness of two lonely little hobbits trekking across forlorn lands to destroy ultimate evil, there is something about those stories that we wish were true for ourselves. But what if these stories could, in fact, be speaking of a reality that is available for us? Is it possible that we too could live "happily ever after" upon completion of a heroic deed? The surprising but honest answer Eldredge gives us is a resounding "yes."

The ultimate story of all history is that of the God/man Jesus. Here is a man who lived a simple, but powerful life. He was a champion and a friend to many, and a bitter enemy and a thorn in the side of a few. But those few were the power-brokers of the day, and decided it would be convenient to do away with this miracle worker who so rudely upset their conscience. But the miracle worker, so quickly and violently put to death, had one last message he wanted to deliver before he left this planet: death is NOT the end, but the beginning of Real Life.

Eldredge correctly points out that films like "Titanic" and "Gladiator" succeed because they plainly show that there is life after death, there is a happy ending no matter the tragedy. Isn't that what we long for, hope for, pray for? Our lives are not just meaningless little accidents that are the results of random chemical reactions, but we are here for a purpose, not matter how wonderful or horrible the circumstances around us. But the purpose does not reach it's ultimate fulfillment until we've reconciled with the Son of God.

In this short, six chapter book, Eldredge presents us with God's plan of salvation. But though he quotes from the Bible where appropriate, the book never, ever becomes one of those dry, dull theological treatments that read more like a recipe for meatloaf than an introduction to the living God. Theological terminology has been banned from this book, and it is all the better for it. Rather than aiming at the brain, Eldredge correctly and expertly aims at the heart, and hits the bulls-eye page after page. This book is the finest gospel presentation I've ever come across in my many years of Christianity.

But there is a group who will hate this gem of a book, who will easily find tremendous fault with it. They would be the modern Pharisees of today, the holier-than-thou religious folk who can't stand a presentation of Jesus that can't be read without a theological dictionary in one hand and a King James Bible in the other. Poor folks, they will be greatly missed (not!)

If I could, I'd give "Epic" one hundred stars. Five just isn't enough.


Rating:
Summary: Finally leaving depravity behind..
Review: While the confidence Eldredge displays in humankind will be hard for Calvinists to take, there is as much evidence for intrinsic goodness in humanity as intrinsic depravity. In short, the image of God was not lost in the fall, but only marred. And "the true light enlightens every man coming into the world..."

From this starting point it's much easier to follow Eldredge on his tour de force of popular culture. There truly is a hunger for God and for Spirit. There truly is a searching for something more.. a searching that is birthed by the Spirit who continues to hover over His creation.

There is lots to like in this book, plenty of stimulation for the grey matter, and many touching points for both mind and heart. It's worth the read, even if you haven't yet escaped the distortions of Calvinist thinking.