I recently came across an essay concerning John Eldredge, and not surprisingly the authors were quite critical of his teachings. The interesting thing is they began their essay with the acknowledgement that Eldredge has touched many men through his writings and boot camps. Then they quickly followed up with their caveat that he is guilty of many errors in his beliefs. His errors they state are not supported by the Bible and therefore should raise caution among those considering listening to him.
I found the essay to be interesting because if they believe Eldredge to be a false teacher, why do they also admit that his message is resonating deeply within men today. It strikes me how these critics sound similar to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. As in the case of the old Pharisees the Pharisees of today concentrate on works rather than grace.
Now I must be transparent and identify that I am one of the men touched and transformed by God through the message of his servant John Eldredge. I want to respond to their criticism, and I do not want to respond from a spirit of haughtiness, arrogance, or pride. I do not seek a fight as I been in a number of them through the years mainly when I was living as the Pharisees. Ultimately nothing good came from any of those battles. So to address the dilemma of why Eldredge is connecting with men today; my thoughts are the spirit is using him to draw drifting men to the God they are searching for yet haven't been able to see in the congregations they are currently part of. I can attest to this, in August 15 - 18, 2013, I was in the company of 470 men in the mountains outside of Denver who gathered together to listen to God speak to us through his servants of the Ransomed Heart team. I walked away filled with the presence of our great God and learned things about myself that changed me in a deep way.
A fair question is how do I know it was God and not the enemy masquerading around as God? My answer is the enemy would never send me to a place where transformation can result, because the risks are too high that the blind will see, or a captive held in prison might be freed or one sitting in darkness in a dungeon might be released. There is no way the enemy will be willing to take a chance and lose me at a boot camp.
Another reason is the coincidences are too great to ignore. I found out about the boot camp session following a meeting with my counselor on May 27, 2013. During the May 27 session, she asked if I had ever considered attending a retreat for men where I could share my issues and listen to their perspective on some of the things I am struggling with. In that meeting, I mentioned one of my favorite authors has what he calls boot camps that I had thought about attending in the past but never seriously entertained the idea. I shared that for my assignment that week I would look into one of his sessions. Now, one doesn't just go online and sign up for a boot camp session because they are too popular and require submitting your name into a lottery. I learned that evening that the current lottery for the boot camp in August 2013 was to close on May 28! Yeah, I agree everyone will shrug their shoulders and say coincidence, but this was the first time I had ever entered my name and 3 days later I was notified of my selection. Coincidence or more realistically did God want me to be there? I was to learn later from some other men at the session they had finally been selected for a boot camp for the first time after having entered the lottery 3 times or more over the years. So, the timing was right for me. God wanted me there at that specific one.
In between the sessions, I was able to get away from the other 469 men in the nearby hills and woods and be alone in the spirit to listen to God speak to me and heal me of many wounds I had not dealt with through the years. During my time as a student at LSU I attended a congregation where I was wounded by some pharisees. The main players were a pulpit minister, a campus minister, and an old “friend” among others. Their message to me was of my spiritual failures, and how my heart is hard and I am a disappointment to them personally. To these specific individuals righteousness was evident by actions and if you did not do the actions that was proof of a hard heart and merited advising others to not fellowship with me. Those were very hurtful wounds and I carried my bitterness against these specific men for many years. Grace was a word they talked about that God provided to me in spite of my sins, but I suppose grace was a God thing and not something they had to dispense themselves.
On the other hand the Ransomed heart team shares grace and they tell men we are beloved sons of the King. I came to understand my Father is jealous for me and wants me to come to him for healing and to learn what he created me to do in this world at this time. I also learned that my anger, rage and depression do not define me as unspiritual and unlovable, but as evidence that I have many wounds that have been unhealed through the years. I heard my Father tell me he made me to reflect his compassion in my image of him in the world. This is not what I heard from the pharisees I worshipped with while in college. Instead, I heard I’m pretty much a disappointment all around.
I submit that Eldredge and his team would say to any broken and defeated man who comes into their company, “Brother you have taken many wounds in your heart and the enemy has been able to exploit them and addict you to (insert addiction), but the truth of the matter is you are loved and God does not want you to remain where you are. Let's help you approach God so you can learn to open up all of your heart so these wounds can start to be healed.” The pharisees of today would say straighten up and then come talk to us.
I was sitting in darkness in a dungeon and it wasn't the pulpit minister, the campus minister, or the old "friend" who fought to release me from the dungeon those many years ago. It turns out the ones who actually shared grace with me were the ones who experienced it the most themselves. They include among others the Ransomed Heart team, my brothers in Celebrate Recovery, the Pastors in my current congregation, my counselor, and my family.
So I do take exception when people attack John Eldredge and the Ransomed heart team because they were among the ones who freed me from the dungeon. I am not a disappointment, God loves me and thinks I’m worth rescuing. My message today is I’ve been released, reclaimed, rebooted, restored, and redeemed. Thank you John Eldredge and the Ransomed heart team for fighting for me along with my counselor, my Pastors, my Celebrate Recovery family, and most of all my beautiful wife.
