not wild about Wild At Heart nor enchanted with Captivating

Now, I'm about to engage in a fairly dangerous activity. I'm about to comment on books that I've only read portions of. So maybe, with that caveat made, you'll want to just skip this post. But if you're willing, read on ...

Maybe you're familiar with the mega-hit books "Wild At Heart" and "Captivating." I think John & Stasi Eldredge are really on to something. I agree with a great deal of what they have to say. I think their fundamental message emphasizing emotional honesty, appreciation for and connection with the outdoors, inner healing, deliverance, authentic relationships, engagement with the Church Fathers, and geographical community are all very good. To the average overworked man or woman overcome with ennui living in large, flattened, atopic suburban landscapes plagued with plazas filled with cookie-cutter combinations of the same national chains and underused sidewalks, this is good news. What Eldredge is talking about closely resembles what, as a Vineyard pastor, I'd call the "Kingdom ministry of Jesus."

I like all these things. A great deal. In fact, I share these concerns. But I'm still suspicious of the books and their ministry. Here's why: they seem to have abandoned the Church. Maybe that's too strong. Perhaps the better way of saying it is that there is a strong (under?)tone of criticism of the Church in their books, and it seems that they feel they're just sort of "past" the Church, as if they've found something better. Now I can appreciate that so much of what they're talking about is awesome, even necessary, but criticizing the Church is just about the easiest thing in the world to do. Far easier even than making fun of Dan Quayle or Dubya.

My perspective is that the privilege of authoring carries with it the responsibility to speak well of others, including the Church (the Church Jesus loves, even with its flaws!), even while disagreeing with them or holding them to task. That's what I think. Just talking in critical tones about the Body of Christ (the very Body that made their faith possible), without clarifying or resolving things, is simply irresponsible. But hey, maybe I'm biased; I am a pastor.