NEWS FROM WORLD: Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul

Title: Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
Author: John Eldredge
Rating: Good
Reason for Reading: This book was recommended by one of my favorite authors, Dave Ramsey, and has been on my book list for some time. When Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program made the Revised and Expanded edition available, I jumped at the chance to get the book.

Summary: Wild at Heart is an in-depth study and commentary on Christian masculinity, both in biblical and modern context. Eldredge describes much in the Bible that describes man as an image bearer of God in the world, but not just the parts of God that people are often most comfortable with. He challenges the skin deep, nice guy depiction of the Creator that can be found too easily. He describes God as a warrior, fighting to free his chosen people from bondage in Egypt, fighting demons and rebellious angels jealous of His power and authority, and fighting to return the hearts of his children to His ways.
Eldredge describes how the fall of man has robbed him of this glorious role to play in the universe, this drama between the forces of good and evil, right and wrong. Despite failure and rejection, the soul of man still bears the image of the warrior God, hungry for a battle to fight, and beauty to rescue, and an adventure to have. Eldredge rejects the call from society for men to be de-clawed or disarmed from the spiritual battle taking place in the world today. He describes how Christ was crucified for challenging earthly power and authority, fighting the injustice present in the world, and men are called to continue this struggle in order to follow him.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading Wild at Heart, and would not be surprised if I find this in a regular rotation on my book list, reading it annually. It is not often that one finds an author who can both describe the failure of men and the praise the spiritual masculinity God has created man to represent. For any man struggling with doubts about his masculinity or questions about how to be what he was built to be, I strongly recommend Wild at Heart. For the women who love these men, who wonder why Christian men are often torn between their nature and what society expects of them, or between their capacity to demonstrate the glory of God with their flawed, failing, and sinful nature, I would recommend this book as well.
Devon
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."