Wild at Heart : : Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul

Locations
Call Number: 248.842 El
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	248.842 El	4-week checkout	On Shelf

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A seductive but poorly judged commentary submitted by basurg on May 7, 2014, 5:24pm "Wild at Heart" has been a runaway success in stores - but after a close reading of it, I really struggle to understand why.

John Eldredge says that every man needs a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to fight for. The second one I can somewhat relate to: most people of my generation (not just men) long to live interesting, fulfilling lives. However, the other two ideals come from seemingly nowhere - and certainly not from the Bible. Which leads me to my biggest complaint about this book: "Wild at Heart" is desperately short on scriptural references and teaching. What few scriptural references there are have been very poorly used, and very often grossly taken out of context. Eldredge depends heavily on references to pop culture to support his case for an "authentic masculinity" - a fair enough tactic for the targeted audience - but references to such "role models" as William Wallace and James Bond go too far off course. William Wallace running into battle does not sound at all like Jesus, who tells us to turn the other cheek and love our enemies. When Jesus is arrested, he heals the high priest whose ear was cut off. The masculine ideals espoused by Eldredge look very different from any kind of characteristics of the God of the Bible. I find that Eldredge is more often prescriptive than anything else: authentic masculinity has to look a certain way and show itself in particular behaviors and preferences, rather than manifest itself in the form of the product of living by the Holy Spirit, or devotion to God.

There is clearly something that Christian men are looking for here: what is it about a book that claims to help men "discover the secret" of their souls? Why have so many latched on to this question? Ultimately, "Wild at Heart" is a missed opportunity, and a misleading read. I will give Eldredge credit for asking a few good questions - for whatever reason, Christian men at the turn of the century were largely disenchanted with church life - but his answers, I think, only serve to lead us further away from the truth and deepen an artificial divide between the character ideals of "masculinity" and "femininity" in the church. I recommend staying away from this one and spending your time reflecting on what your soul desires away from the influence of this book.