Posted on 01/28/2005 6:41:49 PM PST by Lorianne
LOS ANGELES - Movies like "Braveheart" and "Legends of the Fall" are on the viewing list for men in a growing Christian movement that calls for them to throw off their "nice guy" personas and emulate warriors.
The book which inspired the movement, John Eldredge's "Wild at Heart," has already sold 1.5 million copies in English and been translated into 16 languages, most recently Korean.
Eldredge believes many Christian men have become bored, "really nice guys" and invites them to rediscover passion by viewing their life's mission as having a battle to fight, an adventure to live and a beauty to rescue.
"The modern era has brought up immense conveniences but at what price. The human heart is desperate for something more than a quicker serving of popcorn," Eldredge said in a recent interview.
Eldredge calls on men to be prepared to take risks and rediscover their dreams but does not provide a specific route to find, for example, an adventure to live. Career, marriage and family become heroic quests rather than chains which bind.
He focuses on how men can become less passive and "engage" those around them, particularly their wives and children.
"The guy who sits in front of the television is unengaged. That man is a bad man. They (children) need engagement whether it is playing on the floor with your 1-year-old or tougher games when they are 15 (years old)," he said.
Eldredge said he has been astounded by the response to his book with momentum gathering steadily since the book was published in 2001 by Christian publisher Thomas Nelson.
Men have been flocking to retreats and forming small groups to study it. Some are organized by Eldredge and his team, but many are just informally arranged by readers of the book. These groups have sprung up as far away Kazakhstan and even among tribes along the Amazon River in South America.
"It has become something of a grass-roots wildfire," Eldredge said.
Jim Chase, an advertising copywriter from La Crescenta, California, has had a replica of the sword actor Mel Gibson used when he played legendary Scottish warrior William Wallace in "Braveheart" hanging above his desk since attending a Wild at Heart retreat with 350 other men last year.
"It is just a reminder that we are in a battle every day. It can be just facing boredom and routine, but it is a battle," Chase said.
"Life isn't just about going to work and sitting in front of a computer and bringing in as much money as you can. We all have a story. God has written a story and we are meant to find out what the story is and live it," Chase said.
He said, for example, that the book inspired him to teach his 15-year-old son to ride a motorcycle.
Eldredge, who is a trained counselor and worked for 13 years for Christian organization Focus on the Family, said we are currently living in a "fatherless age" with many men having abandoned their children if not physically then emotionally.
His own father was an alcoholic who after some good years when Eldredge was young became increasingly distant. Chase had lost his father, who he described as "very cold," just a few months before he attended the retreat.
"A lot of what it brings out is how much you are impacted by your own father. What role model he set for you and how God relates to us as the big father," Chase said.
Eldredge said he used characters such as Mel Gibson's warrior Wallace in "Braveheart" because the characters often embody men who are engaging their passions by fighting noble battles, rescuing women and finding adventure.
CHRISTIAN CRITICS
The movement has stirred controversy, attracting criticism from some Christian leaders who fear he may just be reinforcing stereotypes.
While some women have welcomed suddenly receiving flowers and more attention from their husbands, in the long-term there are concerns about the impact on marriages.
"The basic premise that men need a princess to rescue has set back male female relationship in the church by 30 years. He sanctifies a mythological view of 1950s malehood," said Chapman Clark, associate professor of youth, family, and culture at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California.
"It is destructive (to marriages) in the long-term," Clark said, adding that treating women as a figurine rather that the personal image of God will hurt relationships over time.
Clark said Eldredge had tapped into an angst among middle-aged white men who are dissatisfied with their lives and for whom depression had become a very serious problem.
Eldredge acknowledged the movement would be judged based on the impact it has on family life.
"The real test of this ("Wild at Heart") is does it make life better for women? Does it make life better for children? We have received letters from women who are immensely grateful. Marriages have been restored," Eldredge said.
- REUTERS
Alright thanks. I read their website and theres no endorsement of wife beating, but it's not as if they would openly endorse that.
The same advice holds true for conservatives who leave the street fighting to the rest of us.
compromisers in doctine?
Ridiculous. Why can't a person be a nice guy and still be a warrior? My definition of a nice guy is exactly that. A guy who believes in God, justice, America and the family.
A person who isn't a nice guy is the guy who acts tough by beating his wife and kids. He's the coward who expects the govenment to take over his problems.
The guy who isn't a nice guy is on "COPS" being tossed into the police car while his bloody wife is standing outside her trailer.
this is exactly what men need to hear....that their mission, their role, their vocation if you will here on earth is to be the leaders, and that means the leaders of character and courage as well.....
and let's face the fact that the coming confrontations with the Islamists will require a great deal of steadiness and courage under fire, both literally and figuratively...
Yes, but only with their KJV Bible. < / sarcasm >
Are you serious or just being sarcastic?
Interesting figment.. However it leads to the question, "What the hell is a christian ?"... Some christians are socialists <--meaning slavery by government.. March one of them "christians".. out here... and let's get at look at em'...
Which doctrine?
Which fundamentals of the faith are they compromised on?
What's Compromised ??
No, I'm serriouse.
I live in NY, need I explain futher?
We truly are a post Christian nation.
I'm sure King David needed a analysis at least twice a year to make sure he wasn't being a couch potato.
No, the real test is does it make better MEN ? The rest will follow.
A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.
A Promise Keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.
A Promise Keeper is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity.
A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection and biblical values.
A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honoring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources.
A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity.
A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (see Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19-20 ).
Good point. We sure got a lot of bleeding deacons on this thread. Not many Christians, though.
Moral Absolutes Ping.
I might be interested in reading the book if it came my way. Jesus Christ's message, from my reading, calls all of us - men and women alike - to be warriors for the truth.
Regarding male and female roles, much of what passes for behavior currently is miserable attempts to thwart nature's laws. And the effects are disastrous. Men are being emasculated and weakened, and women are trying to be men; everyone's exploiting each other, thus hardening their hearts.*
Let me know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
*Speaking in cultural generalizations, obviously.
Yes please explain.....
As For Promise Keepers,
FAQ, Their web site;
What does PK think the role of women should be?
The role of women is not a topic we address at our events; however, we do believe husbands are called to love their wives just as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).
Promise Keepers believes that men and women are completely equal at the foot of the cross. Paul writes in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." As we continue to pursue reconciliation in the body of Christ, we believe unity in Christ transcends ethnic, social, and gender distinctions.
Just How many "Wife Beating" Promise Keepers do you know ?
And Rosa Parks dared to sit in the wrong section of the bus......
Exactly, and she was a woman! What we need warriors to do today is battle with us, this depraved, anti-human culture that is being thrust on us and our kids in school!!
Unless we want to just sit by and allow it to continue. They get what they want by lobbying and making the most noise, we need to start making more!!
While this is needed, society bashes men who are men and not wimps, so without support this movement will not fly.
I think as soon as a few stand up, many more will with him. You will not want for support, if you are fighting the good fight!
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