Review of book: Wild at Heart

I had a hard time with this book. On struggling through the early chapters, I was ready to put the book down. It was of risk of addition to those books that I did not finish. In persisting, the book revealed some good elements.

The biggest issue I had with it was a lack of depth of development of the central notion central of the book – that the author had not satisfactorily identified men as ‘wild at heart’.

Then there was the author’s selection of Biblical text – a mix from worthy versions like NIV and NKJV and then from the paraphrased work of The Message. Why can’t a single Bible version be chosen? On choosing a Bible version could it be used consistently?

I felt that the author did some discredit to his argument that men were wild at heart. It is one thing to build the argument using positive measures (which included some good Biblical exposition) yet it is another to try to build the argument in the negative – by making some glib references to men’s dissatisfaction of being tied daily to a work desk. 

The book does have some very worthy parts. In Chapter Nine, set well within an structured argument, is this gem:

“Against the flesh, the traitor within, a warrior uses discipline. We have a two-dimensional version of this now, which we call a “quiet time”. But most men have a hard time sustaining any sort of devotional life because it has no vital connection to recovering and protecting their strength; it feels about as important as flossing. But if you saw your life as a great battle and you knew you needed time with God for your very survival, you would do it.”

That quote is a gem in that it aptly uses analogy and in its recognition of the Christian walk as a spiritual battle. The analogy matches “quiet time” to flossing – men need complete both and yet they both seem laborious. The general perception is that they both pay poorly on the effort/reward spectrum. The spiritual battle identifies with God’s daily provision to a Christian to allow endurance in the battle. And, note how the author identifies “quiet time” as two-dimensional as a means of alluding to the day when Christian comes into Christ’s glory to enjoy devotional time of three or four or more dimensions.

In developing the argument through to the quote listed above, I appreciate how the author recognised the distinction between justification and sanctification. On receiving Christ into your life justification is offered fully. Sanctification is not offered fully at first. Where justification is instant and complete, sanctification is gradual and never fulfilled in this life. The author identifies the gradualness of sanctification to the Old Testament – a parallel to the story of taking the promised land and sustaining control of it. So, Joshua’s conquest of Jericho is likened to sanctification in that God had required that the people fight for possession of their land. King David’s reign is likened to  sanctification in that David had to exercise, and maintain, disciplined systems (systems of justice and economics and security).

Overall, I was glad I persisted through the whole of the book.

Shalom,

Ozhamada

The book’s full title is: Wild at Heart; Discovering the secret of a man’s soul; Elderedge, John; 2001, Thomson Nelson, Inc. Paperback, 220 pages

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