- Wild at Heart (book)
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For the novel by Barry Gifford, see Wild at Heart (novel).
Wild at Heart 
Author(s) John Eldredge Country United States Language English Publisher Thomas Nelson Publication date 2001 Media type Print Pages 222 pp ISBN 0-7852-6694-1 OCLC Number 50198630 Wild at Heart is a book by John Eldredge published in 2001, on the subject of the role of masculinity in contemporary evangelical Christian culture and doctrine. Its subtitle is: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul. From the back cover: "In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge invites men to recover their masculine heart, defined in the image of a passionate God."
The book had a very favorable reception by many, including Chuck Swindoll, who called it "the best, most insightful book I have read in at least the last five years." It also received harsh criticism, with some claiming that the book misuses scriptural references, and that Eldredge has projected his own personality traits onto God in order to support his viewpoint. Despite this criticism, it remains a favorite in many evangelical circles, and a top seller.
The "pseudo-evangelical" cult and criminal organization La Familia cartel in Mexico, refer to their assassinations and beheadings as '"divine justice"; its leader has made Eldredge’s book Wild at Heart required reading for La Familia gang members and has paid rural teachers and National Development Education members to circulate Eldredge's writings throughout the Michoacán countryside.[1][2][3]
"Eldredge quotes from Isaiah 63, which describes God wearing blood-stained clothes, spattered as though he had been treading a wine press. Then he writes: 'Talk about Braveheart. This is one fierce, wild, and passionate guy. I have never heard Mister Rogers talk like that. Come to think of it, I never heard anyone in church talk like that, either. But this is the God of heaven and Earth.' "[4]
In 2005 Eldredge with his wife Stasi wrote Captivating, a companion to Wild at Heart, which explores femininity.
References
- ^ "Focus on the Family’ outreach: Mexican drug decapitation cartel La Familia demand and preach James Eldredge’s ‘Muscular Christianity’". June 2009. http://thumpandwhip.com/2009/06/07/focus-on-the-family-outreach-decapitating-mexican-drug-cartel-la-familia-demand-and-preach-james-eldredges-muscular-christianity/. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- ^ Grayson, George W. (August 2009). "La Familia Michoacána: A Deadly Mexican Cartel Revisited". Foreign Policy Research Institute. http://www.fpri.org/enotes/200908.grayson.lafamiliamihoacana.html. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
- ^ Isikoff, Michael (October 22, 2009). "Feds Crack Down on 'Robin Hood' Drug Cartel". Newsweek 'Declassified'. http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2009/10/22/feds-crack-down-on-robin-hood-drug-cartel.aspx. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
- ^ Leblanc, Douglas (August 2004). Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/august/14.30.html.
External links
- Wild at Heart at publisher Thomas Nelson's website
- Byron Borger's critique at Hearts & Minds Books
- Rut Etheridge's Critique of Wild at Heart
- Is God Wild at Heart? Critical Review of Wild at Heart from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
- An article at Christianity Today documenting some criticism of the book
- Wild at Heart an article from Christians for Biblical Equality documenting other criticisms of the book
Categories:- 2001 books
- Christian studies books
- Men's movement in the United States
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