Updated November 10
I will add books as I finish them. I have been doing a ton of reading lately, but very little has actually been books. I have been reading much for pastoral study as well as a few dozen blogs of personal and pastoral interest.
Most recent updates are in bold format.
A Vision for Missions — Tom Wells
At Worship (hymnal)
Great Train Robbery, The — Michael Crichton
How to Survive the Economic Meltdown — Patrick Morley
Jesus on Trial — James Montgomery Boice & Philip Graham Ryken
Killer Angels — Michael Shaara
Preaching with Freshness — Bruce Mawhinney
Prisoner in the Third Cell, The — Gene Edwards
State of Fear — Michael Crichton
Wild at Heart — John Eldredge
January 23, 2009 at 4:25 pm |
The Michael Crichton books were a welcome diversion. I do not usually include my fictional reading in my reading lists, but I particularly enjoyed these two stories. I had heard of Crichton through the movies Jurassic Park (and its sequels) as well as The Andromeda Strain and Sphere. Unfortunately, State of Fear will never be made into a movie because of the prevailing media attitudes toward climate change (at the very least a movie by that title will be only vaguely related to the book).
February 3, 2009 at 12:55 pm |
What did you think of the book by Eldredge? I haven’t read it. The reason I ask is that John MacArthur has really criticized Eldredge. I think in his book “Fool’s Gold” he has a whole chapter on Wild at Heart. After reading that review, I didn’t know if the book was worth reading or not.
February 6, 2009 at 9:20 am |
I disagreed with the premise of the book. I will cite representative quotes and sections on the most essential disagreements. Also, I read a special paperback edition, so the page numbers are from the edition I read.
This book is for men. The book dripped with testosterone, and I appreciate Eldredge’s desire to write to men. Eldgredge sees that men have been emasculated in our current culture. He calls for men to be men. The author sprinkled personal stories and anecdotes throughout the book, some of which were humorous and entertaining.
Eldredge’s premise is clear: “The core of a man’s heart is undomesticated and that is good.” [original emphasis] (p. 4). Men are basically looking for adventure, and the greatest adventure of all is a relationship with a wild, untamed God. Thus, man’s undomesticated nature directly reflects God’s character. The author never connects man’s undomesticated nature (his thirst for adventure or something greater than himself) as his fallen condition, which is NOT good. Evidence of this is the lack of a clear presentation of Gospel, since there is no distinct need for redemption.
The author consistently demonstrated eisegesis (reading into the Scriptures). For example, the author refers to the meeting of Boaz and Ruth in a field one night. Scriptures tell us that Boaz put his blanket over Ruth to show his promise of protection. The author purports that Boaz was drunk (thus irresponsible, acting as men usually do), and that Ruth was manipulative, causing Boaz to think that he had illicit sex with her (pp. 227-230). Little research was done into the customs of the time, so the Bible is interpreted in light of 21st century ideas about society and culture.
Eldredge’s concept of God’s revelation leaves much to be desired. “God is intimately personal with us and he speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own quirky hearts — not just through the Bible, but through the whole of creation. To Stasi he speaks through movies. To Craig he speaks through rock and roll (he called me the other day after listening to “Running Through the Jungle” to say he was fired up to go study the Bible). God’s word to me comes in many ways — through sunsets and friends and films and music and wilderness and books.” (p. 239) (The individuals Eldredge mentions are his immediate family) Since revelation is held so vaguely, the author has no problem drawing spiritual inferences from culture, such as the theater, refering to several movies (most commonly Braveheart), all of which have no intention to present the Gospel.