http://www.inhabitatiodei.com/2009/09/11/why-men-shouldnt-be-ordained/

I like how author Sam Storms describes the man who is “manly”, yet does not ‘fit’ the Wild at Heart mold (and to be fair, while he calls Eldredge’s theology in question at times, he appreciate the value of what Eldredge has to say concerning the need for men as leaders and the many positives the book has concerning the roles God has called men to)…

“I happened to finish reading this book [Wild at Heart] about the same time I watched To Kill a Mockingbird yet again. If you haven’t seen this classic film, please rent it and watch it. Atticus Finch, wonderfully portrayed by Gregory Peck, is my idea of a real man. He tenderly loves his children after the death of his wife, takes on unpleasant tasks that no one else would dare to touch, puts his reputation at risk for the sake of honor, and refuses to fight back when the town drunk spits in his face. He confesses to his son that he’s “too old to play football with the Methodists” and, despite a lucky shot at a rabid dog, doesn’t know how to handle a gun very well. Here is a man whose strength and courage and masculinity are expressed in non-violence, non-aggression, and unshakeable integrity. I’m not saying that Eldredge wouldn’t applaud Atticus Finch or his moral valor. But neither do I believe that Finch or my father or others that I’ve known would fit the mold for what he considers to be a real man.”

What I think it all hinges upon is that as men, there is a different facet of life that has been neglected in modern Christianity… however, all of our efforts in living should be focused through the lens of, “for the sake of my Lord’s glory and honor”.

Just some thoughts to chew on…

I also noticed that his exegesis was lacking. In my opinion, he often tried to make Verse A plus Verse B equal Point Q, when, in fact, Point C was the accurate, historical, biblical answer.

I would have to agree that some of Eldredge’s writings fall short when placed under exegetical scrutiny. But it does raise an interesting question doesn’t it? What of, “turning the other cheek?” How much approbation should we give to actual, physical violence against those who persecute or bully others? Makes me think of Bonhoeffer and Hitler…

And where does our masculinity fit into all of this? It makes me wonder: is our primary characteristic agression? Or is it (should it be?) that agression, properly applied, is only an aspect of a kind of pro-active(ness), an intentionality that is multi-faceted.

In another post you implied that initiative is God’s primary masculine quality. Perhaps this should be our model as men. It would certainly challenge men to be less passive. Eldredge’s sequel takes passivity head on by arguing that the masculine journey is about initiation.

For my part, I greatly enjoyed many parts of the book (and even recommended it to many…even bought it for my brothers). Especially insightful was the “battle to fight, adventure to live, and beauty to win” perspective, and many men were greatly helped with the “father issues” sections. Many things in Wild at Heart resonated with me deeply…but his theology (let alone his exegesis) wasn’t one of them. I’m glad to hear that his newer work, perhaps, corrected some of these errors.

But I have to say I’m a little put out by the fact that John Eldredge took a lot of heat for telling his son to stand up to a bully at school (essentially telling him to knock him a good one) and this guy gets praise for saying the same thing.

Wild at Heart, of course, was a huge hit. But many people make the mistake of assuming it was all Eldredge had to say on the subject of masculinity. Eldrege wrote a sequel to Wild at Heart called, The Way of the Wild Heart, which I’m now in the middle of reading. In fact, Eldredge said that Way of the Wild Heart was the book he had been waiting to write on the masculine journey for a long time. There are many good points to the book but it’s primarily about offering your strength to your family (in many different forms). I would suggest that comparisons between this book be made against Eldredge’s much fuller volume.