It was January of 2001 and my mom had just died. Unresolved family of origin issues were rolling inside of me like an afternoon storm in the Rockies. So perhaps it wasn’t the very best time to be reading a book on understanding the secret of the masculine soul. Or maybe it was the perfect time.
Either way, when I finished the last pages of Wild at Heart I didn’t bother to close the book. With contempt I just threw it on the floor.
“I’m not a real man,” I reasoned. “I don’t hunt, I don’t rock climb, and I don’t flyfish. I don’t camp, canoe, or go with guys who do. I guess I’m just screwed.”
Okay, so maybe I have some issues.
But when shame starts gurgling from somewhere deep in your soul it’s easier to hate the messenger than to deal with the message. Fortunately, after nearly a decade I’ve found freedom from shame, and come to deeply appreciate both the message and the messenger who is John Eldredge.
It would not be a an overstatement, though, to say that Eldredge is a polarizing figure among American evangelicals. For some his writings strike a deep chord, while for others they touch a raw nerve. For the latter group I’ve often wondered whether it’s the man, the message, or a caricature of both that causes sparks to fly.
After all, what is one supposed to think when he makes the cover of Christianity Today (July 2004) with the words, “John Eldredge thinks too many Christians are weak, and churches are often insipid–and he’s not going to take it anymore.” ? What comes to mind is a Terminator-Iron Man-Jesus. A Christian man lacking humility, depth, and intellect.
So, I sat down and had a conversation with the man himself. Mostly because I wanted to hear his heart. What I experienced was a man with humility, depth, and intellect. A man whose intense spiritual focus is balanced with an almost childlike exuberance. And nowhere during our time did I encounter the hyper-testosteroned man who is ‘not going to take it anymore.’
As a huge bonus, we were joined by Craig McConnell, one of John’s colleague’s at Ransomed Heart Ministries, who served over twenty years in two separate mega-churches and who offers much wisdom in relation to walking God. As you will hear, our conversation was lively–full of scripture, and full of the idea that there is more to following Jesus than what most of us believe or expect for our own lives.
That indeed, this is not as good as it gets.To download this file to your hard drive, simply right click here. (For Mac, control-click)
One of the best interviews in my tool bag to share with others.
Wish the link to this could be restored.