Wild at Heart Part 1

The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.

Matthew 11:12

John Eldrege started the book saying that man was born in the outback, from the untamed part of creation. This here is not another self-help book for men or boys, it is a book on masculinity, or the lack thereof. He explains why the modern man is so stifled, so incomplete. 

Adventure, with all its requisite danger and wildness, is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man. The masculine heart needs a place where nothing is prefabricated, modular, non-fat, zip lock, franchised, on line, microwavable. Where there are no deadlines, cell phones, or committee meetings. Where there is room for the soul. Where, finally, the geography around us corresponds to the geography of our heart.

He pointed out that society at large can't make up its mind about men...redefining masculinity into something more sensitive, safe, manageable and, well, feminine, it now berates men for not being men. He goes on to say that that's what we hold up as role models of Christian maturity: Really Nice Guys. We don't smoke, drink or swear; that's what makes us men.

I know this all may seem silly; asking Real Christian Men to smoke and drink (he never said that, he was illustrating a point) but can you see where we men have gone so horribly wrong? We tiptoe around people, afraid of saying what needs to be said, trying to be 'the nice guy', but if you and I are honest about it, we are scared. We are not trying to 'keep the peace', we are downright scared.

We all agree that we are made in the image of Almighty God. Here, I want to remind you that the God we serve is Passionate, Fierce, Wild, Dangerous, Unfettered, Free. The Jesus that I know does not tiptoe around the enemy or avoids an issue because it will 'preserve the unity of the church'. He attacks! There are so many examples in the bible. I would never have used the word gentleman to describe Jesus, He does not let His enemy retreat 'honourably'. Does this make sense to you now? We are made in the image of God, and while God is many things, Really Nice Guy is one that I have never heard attached to Him.