Revisiting Wild @ Heart
Got a copy of the revised and updated edition of Wild at Heart by John Eldredge in the mail about a month ago but didn't get around to reading it through until last week. I didn't read the first edition, which came out ten years ago (about the time that I had entered college), but I wish I had.
But then again, maybe in that season of life it would not have mattered or connected with me as much as it does now.
The heart (no pun intended) of the book is to rediscover the masculine soul. If God ordered his creation in a way where everything he made had its purpose, what was his purpose for creating man? Is there a distinction between man and woman? Why is it even important to discover the "masculine soul." Even saying it like that seems new-age and out there. But, I don't know if it's just the signs of the times, but lately I've been noticing a push to recover what it means to be a man in today's society.
A couple of week's ago I was at Catalyst West and got a chance to speak with Donald Miller about the loss of masculinity and the need for fatherhood in today's world. Wild at Heart (and it's sequel Fathered by God) echoes that concern.
Although it may sound too simplistic, the book expounds upon two premises: That every man at his very core wants to be a knight and also as a knight he wants to rescue the princess.
As a knight there are issues of identity, purpose, and meaning. As a knight in shining armor there are issues of fear, inadequacy, and pride. At least, that's how I can summarize the content of the book. All of it seems to be a precursor to the sequal, Fathered by God, because much of what it says points us back to this relationship we need with a Father God, though tender, is a warrior at heart for the souls of all mankind.
My rating: 4/5
