| Wild at Heart | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | John Eldredge |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Thomas Nelson |
| Publication date | 2001 |
| Media type | |
| 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.