Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Radically Refreshing & Biblically Grounded
John Eldredge's WILD AT HEART is one of the most refreshing and radical books that I have read. Why are so many men unhappy, un-fulfilled, in jobs they hate, and in marriages that are dead? WILD AT HEART seeks to answer those questions and restore the passion and God-given masculinity that so many men in today's world, and church, are missing. Some wrongly criticize WILD AT HEART, believing Eldredge is offering up macho, dim-witted masculine bravado, or they believe that this work will be a free pass for men to leave marriages in the dust on a search for lost dreams. Eldredge will have none of that, and says himself in the book that such men are "deceived about what it is they really want, what they are made for." Don't be fooled by the various criticisms that ignore Eldredge's real meaning. A real man's desires are shaped by the Lord. Instead, WILD AT HEART is about restoring a Godly dream in the soul of a man. A desire to truly be a man, rather than a softened-neutered-nice-but-restrained-guy that the world has somehow dictated that Christian males should be. Nice men may be socially acceptable but in creating them we have snuffed out the very fire that God would have us fan in our pursuit of Him. This is an attempt to re-kindle that flame. To restore the three longings that are at the core of each man: a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. Eldredge's arguments are firmly planted in Biblical principles, as well as his past personal experience. His writing style is very easy going, and he uses a lot of illustrations from popular culture, which makes the reading fun. I believe this book is an awesome wake up call to the church. For too long men have weakened themselves by ignoring our God-created passions. WILD AT HEART shows us how to restore them, and challenges us to take the right risks and live the adventure. It may be a bit scary (after all, did God give Abraham a risk-free offer on his call to leave Ur?), but there's no other way to reach the real fulfillment that God would have us find. I'm not a big fan of "men's books," but this is one that I am so glad that I did not miss. You shouldn't either. FIVE STARS.
Rating:  - Identifies problem; misses true cause and solution
Eldredge has identified a problem (weakened manhood), but he's missed the CAUSE of the problem, and he never gives the true SOLUTION to the problem. Psychologists/psychiatrists do this all the time. Anyone with a Christian world view who reads this book should immediately recognize some fallacies that need to be addressed. First, it is not SOCIETY that has emasculated men...it is their own SIN. When we do not choose God's way, what do we expect? Second, the solution to becoming real and "dangerous" men and women of God is to immerse ourselves in His Word and His presence, to lay down our own wills. To REPENT. To OBEY. To DARE to trust Him. Remember, His is an upside-down kingdom.
What makes a person "dangerous" in the world's eyes? A lover of TRUTH! People have always been afraid of a man who does not compromise. They see such people as a threat. Jesus is that truth. He is the way. His word is the final authority. When we compromise and let relativism rule, we can expect to become emasculated; we have sentenced ourselves to mediocrity and frustration. Who wants to have a "FORM of godliness, denying the POWER thereof"? Not I.
Eldredge effectively stirs his readers to passion and purpose, but in the end, he leaves them without the true resources to accomplish that passionate lifestyle with their Savior.
Rating:  - Entertaining read
I'm know I'm going to get hammered by a lot of people for this review, being so popular and all. Almost all the guys I know really love this book and it's catching on like wildfire amongst the females also. There are lots of reasons, not all of which I agree with, why females read it. I can generally say I agree with most of his principles, but there are some GLARING statements that wanted to make me throw the book across the room. In one section, the author makes a point that God is mysterious and has a "wild" side to Him, and b/c of this fact, it is okay for us men to be "wild at heart." The one statement that bothered me most and almost made me discredit everything he said was when he said that perhaps theologians over the past centuries have missed the point, because God is "wild." What? Calvin, Edwards, Augustine, Barth... I guess all these men were all missing the point? This connection is most disturbing and I see that the author makes a lot of points for presentation purposes, without hardly any Biblical evidence supporting his views... mind you, I would agree with most of it, but to make the Biblical connections as he does is shady. This book is an perfect example of style over substance. The reason why I gave it 3 starts instead of 1 was because most of points are agreeable, but they can easily be abused. And oh... that picture of the guy on the cover jumping from cliff to cliff with a backpack? Uhhh... that's not me. I would much rather play tackle football or basketball until the wee hours of the morning.All in all, though, Wild at Heart was an entertaining read. I can say that this is a Christian version of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. However, if you want Biblical substance for becoming a man of excellenc, I suggest reading any book from Douglas Wilson or Dallas Willard.
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