May 21, 2010
Book Review: Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge has been on my list of books to read for some time now. I was first brought into contact with it when a couple men whom I respect greatly highly recommended the book to me. The very next opinion I got about it was from Daniel Gillespie, who wrote a decidedly unflattering review of Wild at Heart in the book Fool's Gold, edited by John MacArthur.
Here was a dilemma. Two men whom I respected, vs. John MacArthur's ministry--for which I also have a very high regard. Finally I was able to acquire a copy of Wild at Heart (in the inner recesses of a used book store in Fortaleza, Brazil) and read it for myself. What follows are my thoughts.
Concerns
Might as well get these out of the way first. Like Gillespie, I was troubled by Eldredge's downplaying of God's sovereignty. I think I understand what he is trying to say--but the adventuresome nature of Christ's rescue of his Bride is in no way diminished by His absolute sovereignty over all things. Perhaps a better way of expressing it would be to say that God is the Author of the greatest adventure in the Universe...an adventure in which He takes an active role.
I was also somewhat frustrated by the freewheeling way in which Eldredge uses the term "God's word". I am sure that he would make distinction between the revealed Word of God and the movie Gladiator, but that distinction is unclear in the book.
Having said that, I have no problem with his use of literature and movies to illustrate his points. Gillespie apparently does, although if pressed, I'm sure Gillespie would concede the existence of "common grace". My own life was profoundly changed by Jim Carey's The Mask...but that is a story for another time.
As for the rest of Gillespie's review, it seems to be a lengthy exercise in missing the point. There is enough "good stuff" in Wild at Heart to make it well worth the read.
The Good Stuff
Eldredge has put his finger on one of the greatest problems facing modern Christianity--the lack of real men. As he says:
Walk into most churches, have a look around, and ask yourself: What is a Christian man? Without listening to what is said, look at what you find there. Most Christian men are...bored.
Christianity has been emasculated. It is seen as something for women and children. If we are going to get men excited about living the Christian life, we are going to have to put it in the terms of adventure. God created men for adventure, and He created the Christian life as the ultimate adventure for men. This is why, two years ago, I started working on the Missionary Max project (did you like how I subtly slipped that in there?), and this is the genius of Eldredge's work. He identifies the lie (that spirituality is feminine) and brings the truth (that true spirituality is very masculine) to bear.
Not only does Eldredge get the problem right, he also makes a lot of sense when it comes to the solution. Here are some aspects of Wild at Heart that spoke to me:
The forgotten art of initiation. Ever wonder why we have 30 year-olds living with their parents and staying up past midnight surfing the web or playing video games? It is because they have never been effectively told that they are men. Eldredge does a masterful job of illustrating this point with various cultural traditions, and then bringing the concept full circle to being initiated by God.
The role of women. It may seem strange that in a book about men there is a significant portion dedicated to women. But it shouldn't. For men to be men, women must be women. I especially enjoyed (and Gillespie completely missed the point in his critique) the section where Eldredge deals with the book of Ruth. Some might object to Eldredge's use of the word "seduce", but I will go out on a limb here and say that if Christian men are consistently being seduced by their wives, they will be in far less danger of seduction by other women.
Spiritual warfare In Western Christianity there exists the concept that the status-quo is a good thing, and that the only real spiritual warfare happens in third-world countries that still practice voo-doo. Eldredge blows this mindset apart, illustrating the condition of the Western Church with a story about paratroopers dropped over Normandy before D-Day who discovered a stash of alcohol. Their drunkenness in the midst of battle is an apt illustration for our frivolous lifestyles in the midst of great spiritual peril.
Wild at Heart has many other great aspects which make it a worthwhile read. Certainly there are many points which can be debated. I in no way want to diminish their importance. But you will cheat yourself if you let these points get in the way of understanding the main point. And if the Church doesn't get the main point, we are in for rough waters ahead.
Talk back to the missionary: Have you read Wild at Heart? What did you think? Prove your manhood by leaving a comment in the comments section.
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Posted by Andrew on May 21, 2010 4:26 PM.
Comments
Posted by: hhcomings at May 22, 2010 2:44 PM
Well, Wild at Heart has made me think a little harder about some of the extended plot-line of the book. My "main message" however is "missions=adventure". Hence, the more explosions and hostile natives, the better.
Posted by: Andrew 
at May 22, 2010 7:03 PM
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Leonard Sax, in his "Boys Adrift" makes a strong point of initiation ("Rite of Passage") as one of five fundamental needs being systematically banished by our culture.
In my own book (http://houseboatstormyweather.blogspot.com) (I, too, can link :-) I'm coming at some of those issues from another perspective. What I'm seeing of "Missionary Max" so far seems to me you're going to hit the target dead center. Good for you.
I liked "Wild at Heart" and I think you have it pegged correctly with regard to the better approach of grappling with Sovereignty in terms of a story in which the Author Himself is part of the adventure.