Rating: 
Summary: Seductive, mistaken
Review: Eldredge takes Robert Bly's "Iron John" and attempts to Christianize it. He does this without discernment, keeping the disparagement for order and commitment, and celebrating "wildness" and "adventure." One can almost hear Bly's sneering dismissal of office workers. Eldredge is an actor, and a seminar-speaker, and this book is an infomercial. Unhappily, to many Christian men, a few bible verses, and a "Christian" publisher are an imprimatur - and they are starting study groups at their church. This book is to be avoided. Eldredge is not a "wildman" - he is aping the worst of popular culture.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid, thought provoking and very needed today
Review: This is a solid, thought provoking book that has come in a timely way today for men in search of meaning. More importantly, it helps the reader understand why God has created man the way he is. Some have critisized it for lacking tons of scriptual support yet have failed to understand the "spirit" of the book. To them, I say, chill out, enjoy life and breath deep the breath of God again. If you are having a crises of identity, bored with church as too programatic or simply lost the reason to enjoy life... Then this book is a must read regaurdless of your beliefs.
Rating:
Summary: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
Review: Ok, the author gives his readers "BraveHeart" as a model for christian men to follow? Hello? William Wallace has more in common with Osama Bin Laden than he does with Jesus Christ! Did Jesus go around fighting and killing his oppressors, seducing the hearts of women because he looked liked Mel Gibson? Be careful what you wish for: Men who go from being "nice and timid" to becoming wild and passionate, may no longer feel the need to stay married, or continue going to church when it bores them to death. This book could produce a bunch of macho idiots, who run away from their responsibilities at home to pursue some sophomoric "mission from GOD". Grow up and stop thinking that you're one of the Blues Brothers. Where does Eldredge come off blaming today's church for making men weak and submissive? Hey Genius! Go read Philippians chapter 2...Remember that stuff about being a servant, being nice & submissive? It's in the Bible, the word of God. Oh, I know you have a higher source of truth in your life, such as Brad Pitt's character in Legends Of The Fall....
Rating: 
Summary: A man apart
Review: If you want to get a good insight to how a man's mind works, pick up this read; especially if you have young sons. A great read for ladies too.
Rating:
Summary: ...for the soul of men...
Review: This book identifies a big problem, ie., the state of the present day christian man, and then totally gives the wrong solution. John Eldridge uses little Scripture to back up his arguements, and relies more on examples from movies. It's like he sees how men are portrayed as heroes, and then decides that the present day man is blowing it because we aren't like that. Unfortunately, he using his observations of FALLEN manhood to create a model for christian men to look to (instead of looking to the Bible, where men are supposed to serve, love, and die for their wives, as Christ did for the Church). This book appeals to the flesh aspect of men, by allowing men to act like how they feel like acting. Another issue I have: 'God is a risk-taker'? How can a sovereign God take risks? Eldridge seems to be a proponant of the open theism heresy, despite his claims that he's not. He sure sounds like one, using more rhetoric than facts, attacking straw men (a logical fallacy) of those who oppose him, etc., plus he limits the sovereignty of God. Seems like it would kinda make the need for all those OT prophecies kinda pointless unless God could come through with the goods and fulfill them. Anyway, don't read this book. Get "Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womenhood" by John Piper instead.
Rating:
Summary: Shallow?
Review: I've been a follower of Christ all my life, a true DISCIPLE the past 5 years. Perhaps never in that time have I been more deeply impacted by an author's writing than John's. Journey to Desire turned my life upside down and made me ask the hard questions of "Why do I believe what I believe?" and "What's the point? Is this all there really is?" in new ways. Wild at Heart built on that journey and helped me to refine and move forward in it. People comment on Eldredge's inability to interpret scripture, saying it's based on premise not fact. What of God is fact? We know Jesus was a man -- fact. We claim the existance of God as fact. Yet, beyond those things... all is mystery. And this is the journey God has set us on. Eldredge does nothing more in this book than state that the journey IS. And he invites men AND women to take a step into that journey with PASSION... not fear or regret. No, he isn't Henri Nouwen -- but he is John Eldredge. Give the man credit for sharing the words that have become his life and brought restoration to the lives of literally thousands of believers everywhere. May all of us strive to LIVE out our convictions as Eldredge does. At least he makes good on the walk God has given him. The words in this book are WREAKING of FREEDOM. I'll give an AMEN to Prof. Sell in agreement that this book DOESN'T stick you with heavy exegesis or heavy theology. But then again -- who has ever truly been given life from those things? Perhaps from the revelation they sometimes bring, but more often than not academia and argument kill a soul. Life comes from knowing your name, knowing your place and knowing what you fight for. Jesus holds those answers, and Jesus is who this modern-day prophet is calling us to follow. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." -- Eph. 4 Read this book, ask the hard questions, and go to Jesus for the healing, power, and restoration your soul desires.
Rating:
Summary: A "Great Awakening", not only for the Christian
Review: After just graduating from Bible College, it was nice to read a book of my choosing and not a "have to" read. This book hit on some of the things that so many of us want to ask or say but too often are afraid to. It is truly a must read for any man or woman, adult or teen. The topics that John Eldridge brings out truly draws out the fact of what causes the relationship boundries that so many men have set and goes a step further by showing why they are there, why they are set and how to take them away. These boundaries are not just set to keep others out but to keep ourselves in. It has changed my perspective of what a man really should be and how to get to that point. Whether an individual is involved in Christian ministry, a church lay-person, a corporate executive, or a stocker at a grocery store, this book will give forth a new light of one's self and their image of themself. If you want to see changes in your life for the better, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Psychological Seduction--Refried Bly
Review: I am sure John Eldredge wants to help men, and in this very cleverly written book he brings his best prescription for the restoration of the wounded masculine soul. The book is a buzz everywhere by excited men, and has been promoted by will known leaders like Charles Swindoll and James Robison. But it is destined to fall short and leave men disappointed because it has a terribly misguided orientation. A not so careful probe reveals the book to be a refried psychological model of masculinity from a therapeutic worldview. Of course this is not a strange discovery considering that Eldredge was trained in a christianized psychology. But what does it say about our prominent leaders? It says that they have either not read the book or they have themselves been swallowed up by the psychologized gospel.
The psychological seduction of Christianity is the most subtle and widespread leaven in the church today. This leaven, which is changing the very constitution of orthodox Christian doctrine, consists of secular theories and techniques [over 1,500] nested in biblical concepts. However the basic assumptions of psychology, whether nested in Christian thought or not, are for the most part humanistic and non-biblical. The result is a skewed view of the nature of man, sin, and God. Paul warned against such things in Colossians 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." The book Wild at Heart is a case in point. This book is a wedding of psychology and Christian ideas. The message within its pages is not a portrayal of a Christian worldview, is not biblically sound, and is dangerous. It is not that there are some interesting points and observations about masculinity, there are. But this should not overshadow the serious contribution this book is making toward promoting a deceptive therapeutic gospel. Readers seem to think Eldredge got his revelations from the Bible because he is a Christian and quotes Bible verses. Yet he tells us plainly that he has gotten them from talking with many, many men, reading literature, and gazing into boyhood dreams (p. 9). Yet this is not the whole truth. The principles of the book are far from original with Eldredge, other than how he has tried to Christianize them. Wild at Heart is not a new biblical teaching coming to the aid of crippled male virility and neither is it the observations of human nature. A not so careful probe reveals Wild at Heart to be a recovered psychological model of masculinity taken primarily from the mythopoetic men's movement of the early 90's-a christianized version. And one of Eldredge's key links to this movement, as demonstrated by his use of content and quotes, is the grandfather of the mythopoetic movement, the pagan poet Robert Bly. It was his book Iron John that rang the masculine bell by topping the best-seller list for much of 1991. Eldredge capitalizes on the elements of Bly's proven winner to do the same. So to understand the guiding thought of Wild at Heart is to first understand the mythopoetic men's movement and Bly. This movement from the 80's and early 90's was called mythopoetic because of its reliance on mythical [legendary] archetypes [universal traits] for self-understanding. As men are connected through mythical stories to the universal qualities that characterize masculinity-the Hero, the Warrior, the King, the Wild Man to name just a few-they touch elements of their masculine nature and find healing. This is exactly where Eldredge is coming from. Using secular movies, lyrics, poetry, and cultural quotes as the content of myth and story telling, he seeks to drawn men into these 'universal masculine traits'. The dominating archetypes of his emphasis, which makes the thesis of his book, are what he calls the desire for adventure, battle, and a beauty to win. "There are three desires I find written so deeply into my heart I know now I can no longer disregard them without losing my soul. They are core to who and what I am and yearn to me. I gaze into boyhood, I search the pages of literature, I listen carefully to many, many men, and I am convinced these desires are universal, a clue into masculinity itself. . . . in the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and beauty to rescue. I want you to think of the films men love, the things they do with their free time, and especially the aspirations of little boys and see if I am not right on this." (p. 9) In essence, all of the themes of the mythopoetic men's movement and Bly (read the review of Bly's Iron John in end note five) run through the weave of Eldredge's Wild at Heart; the soft male/nice guy (p. xi), lack of male identity (chapter 2), the father wound (p.60), masculine energy (p. 55, 149), rituals of manhood (p.66), personal growth through spiritual discovery of the archetypes, and descending into ones spirit (p.125, 126). Though there is some truth to these naturally occurring traits among men, they are not biblical paths to the integration and wholeness that is being sought, at least not from a Christian perspective. Eldredge cannot sanitize the mythopoetic and Bly with sprinklings of Bible verses, and neither can he convert them into a biblical model of masculinity. It is what it is-the observations of a world looking for what it knows not.
Rating:
Summary: Life Changing
Review: All I can say is WOW! my life is so much better now. I have the strongest 8 year old kid anywhere! And he proves it by punching anybody who makes the mistake of crossing him. Also, After I come home tattered and tired from a long day of hunter-gathering, my wife IMMEDIATELY takes off my lambskin, err, I mean snakeskin boots and rubs my feet and they feel good. then she feeds me and then she looks at me longinly hanging on to every word, yearining for me to acknowledge her as an important contribution to the family. I am truly a hero in my family! Thanks guy for writing nice book.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Women Too!
Review: I am a woman - daughter, sister, mother, wife... and I found this book eye-opening. I think all women should read this. I started reading this book as soon as it came in the mail and couldn't put it down until I was finished. We need to look to God to find our true roles. We haven't and that's why we've been so miserable. John Eldredge speaks very painly and frankly about men and their true spirits. His honesty and candor are much needed these days with all those other psyco-babble-filled, sugary and complacent "basic steps" books that don't look to God as our Creator. This is a must read for women too!
|
