Waking the Dead?

Perhaps it was the beginning of spring, perhaps it was something in the air, but the other day I was in our local library and noticed a copy of John Eldredge's book, "Waking the Dead," on the shelf with their new arrivals. I didn't know much about John Eldredge, but from what little I had heard, I figured he was really not someone whose books I would enjoy reading. I first heard about Eldredge when his book "Wild at Heart" was making the round of the Christian's mens groups, and some of the criticism of that book and the direction it was taking men seemed a little too "new-agey" for me. But, I had not read the book so I didn't pass judgement on him or his work, but I surely didn't rush out to get it, either. [I try not to jump on either side of a bandwagon when it rolls past without first examining the book/movie/cultural event/etc. for myself, hearing both sides, and forming my own opinion based on my understanding of scripture.]

So, whatever the reason, when I saw "Waking the Dead" on the shelf, I just felt like I should get it, give it a try, and see whether his theology and direction was really in a different area than where mine lays. The book laid on my coffee table for three weeks -- actually had to renew it at the library to avoid late fees -- before I ever picked it up. I threw it into my bag when I left for the airport for a week-long trip to D.C. Mid-way to D.C. I finally resolved myself and picked up the book and was totally and thoroughly engrossed from the beginning page. I devoured the book and completed it in just four days, all while still attending a conference and reading another book at the same time. In my humble opinion, it was outstanding!

There was nothing really new in the book. But Eldredge, much like Rick Warren, has the knack of taking accepted Biblical understandings and repackaging them and rewriting them in a way that reaches new generations of people. The basic premise of his book is that the church is the walking dead. That although we have been saved by the blood of Christ, we are not living the victorious life that Christ intended us to live here on earth. We are living out dreary days on earth, trudging through the muck and slime, and waiting for the day when we will finally enter into our Heavenly abode. But, as Eldredge points out, Christ did say that He came so that we might have abundant life, not just in the future after death, but here and now. I have preached on this concept several times, but thought Eldredge's treatment of it was great.

Eldredge's book described three essential and eternal truths that we need to understand in order to live the life Christ intended:

1. Things are not what they seem.
2. This is a world at war.
3. Each of us has a crucial role to play.

Without going into a lot of detail about this section, let me do say that this was the best part of the book in my opinion. Eldredge pointed out that we needed to learn to see with the eyes of our heart -- to see mythically -- as in a story -- in order to understand what is going on in our lives. He then related how our great stories of faith and the myths that we enjoy are all related back to these three truths. All of the major movies and books that inspire the human heart incorporate these three elements because they are a part of us. For example, the recent trilogy of the Lord of the Rings was a wonderful example of how these three truths were played out in the life of the characters. This direction calls us into the realization that we are in the middle of a story -- in the middle of a great tale -- and that we have a role to play and that others are watching (as the Bible points out).

In the book, Eldredge introduces Christians to the four "streams" of their lives -- discipleship, counseling, healing and spiritual warfare -- as a means of restoring ourselves to the life that Christ called us to live.

Overall, I would have to say that this is an excellent book and resource for those seeking to move past the mundane and into the life that God called us to live here on earth as we seek to do His will. While it does have some slight problems with verses out of context and some leaps in theology, overall it is a really sound book with sound principles that we can easily apply to our lives and our churches.