Posted on 07/27/2004 2:27:02 PM PDT by Between the Lines
Wild At Heart, by writer and counselor John Eldredge, is a book dedicated to helping men recover a biblically based self identity. Though it contains some helpful insight and commentary, especially on the damage done to gender roles by cultural forces of political correctness, the key principles of this book are sorely lacking in biblical integrity. Eldredge’s desire to help hurting people is obvious and commendable, but his mishandling of Scripture and the consequent misguided advice he gives are too serious to ignore.
Eldredge’s basic thesis is that males are wild at heart because God is wild at heart, and that both men and women need to understand this in order for men to live the kind of daring, adventurous lives for which God has created them. Eldredge’s explication of this thesis reveals his alarmingly unbiblical view of four fundamental aspects of Christianity: 1.) God’s sovereignty and authority 2.) the person and work of Jesus Christ 3.) the purpose and substance of the gospel 4.) the nature and content of God’s direct revelation to man. As will be demonstrated in this critique, many of the views expressed in Wild At Heart are, beyond issues of denominational preference, irreconcilable with biblical Christianity. Those seeking help from Eldredge’s words, if they accept his theology, will be damaged in their understanding of God and thus actually be led away from the only One who can truly help them.
Eldredge knows that any real understanding of masculinity must begin with the creator of masculinity and all things, the Lord God as He is revealed in His Word, and Eldredge attempts to do just that. However, when Eldredge expounds on this point, his guiding philosophies become apparent and he begins to falter. We’ll examine first Eldredge’s view of God, and move more specifically to his view of God’s sovereignty and authority.
In the opening pages of his book, Eldredge portrays God as one who loves wildness. Eldredge argues that the fierceness of certain animals (killer whales, bull mousses, white sharks) and the untamed nature of certain parts of creation (the woods at night, the Great Barrier Reef) reflect the fierceness and untamed nature of God (p.29). Eldredge contends that the wildness of creation is God’s way of: “…letting us know he rather prefers adventure, danger, risk, the element of surprise” (p.30).
Eldredge sees God’s innate wildness especially exemplified in men. The inside jacket of Wild At Heart reads: “Deep in his heart, every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. That is how he bears the image of God.” Considering the complexity of Scripture’s teaching on the imago Dei1, Eldredge gives us an overly simplistic understanding which is geared toward and probably results from his own love for rugged, romantic individualism.2 One wonders how his understanding would be received by Christians in foreign cultures which do not prize the same ideals, and further if men who are shy, quiet and non-violent in temperament would be considered in Eldredge’s model adequate image bearers of God.
Eldredge writes that Adam was created outside the Garden of Eden (“the outback”, as it were) and infers from this that man was meant to be undomesticated, wild and free (p.4) like “the wild one whose image we bear” (title for chapter 2). This thinking, however, ignores several key details about the creation of man and what it reveals about God’s character.
Adam was in a sense created outside the garden. He had to be, because according to Genesis 2, Adam was created before the garden was planted. (Genesis 2:7,8)3. So really, the phrase “outside the garden” does not apply to Adam’s origin. It is more faithful to the text to see that the garden was made for man, as his ideal place of dwelling. Even given the idea that the Garden existed before Adam, Eldredge implies that the placement of man in the garden is less than ideal, and somehow contrary to man’s true nature. “Only afterward is he brought to Eden. And ever since then boys have never been at home indoors, and men have had an insatiable longing to explore.” (p.4) Apparently, even God does not really understand the wildness of man’s heart; He forces man into the garden and quells his God-given desire to explore.
But what of the fierceness of other parts of creation, the tigers and killer whales? Do these not reveal God’s love of wildness? It would seem that much of the ferocity of these creatures is due to their desire to kill and eat flesh, arguably a result of the fall. Even given the idea that the pre-fall world contained the killing of animals for food4, Scripture still gives the distinct impression that the new heaven and earth will be an even more tranquil version of Eden, for the wolf will graze with the lamb (Isaiah 65:25).
It seems that the lack of ferocity and battle in the eternal state would crush the very heart and soul of Eldredge’s ideal man, that something intrinsic to the image of God and therefore true masculinity would be missing in heaven. Though worshipping our God and basking in His presence could perhaps be described as an adventure, there will certainly be no battle to fight or beauty to rescue. The violence and pain of post fall creation will be forever gone. This is clearly God’s understanding of a perfect relationship between Himself and His creation, and it stands in stark contrast to Eldredge’s definition of God’s image and the masculinity that reflects it.
So how “wild” is God’s heart in reality? We must remember that God was wholly satisfied in Himself before He created the universe (John 17:5). There was nothing inherently wild about God because He was all there was! Certainly God does not develop new attributes (Malachi 3:6), so the creation of the world or any part of it cannot be understood as a reflection of a characteristic God does not possess. God created the universe and interacts with it to display His attributes (Psalm 8), to rule over and conform it to His glorious, eternal purposes (Ephesians 1:11). Through creation we see God’s grandeur and glorious imagination, not His need for adventure.
Thanks for the ping, interesting article, interesting observations.
Beth
I read Wild at Heart and was profoundly impressed by it. Then I immediately read Sacred Romance, which is also excellent, and now I am immersed in Journey of Desire. Right now I am inclined to think Journey of Desire is the best of the three. Next, I will attack Waking the Dead. I also have the Wild at Heart Field Manual which I am slowly poking through (there are some very tough sections in there for me due to personal situations, etc.)
Needless to say, I am a John Eldridge fanatic right now. I think he is really on to something powerful with his conceptions of how God is pursuing us at a heart level, in order to truly free our hearts to serve Him and become what we were always meant to be....
I'm so glad I found an Eldridge thread! I will be checking back....
Good to see you FRiend. I'm about 1/4 of the way thru and finding it an enjoyable and helpful read.
Stop by "you know where" sometime...
If you go to the writer's full essay that phrase "bull mouses" isn't found. I only read it on your site. Are you sure you quoted him correctly?
Are you sure you're talking to me?
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