Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive

by John Eldredge

Book Overview

There is a glory to life that most people-including believers-never see. In this insightful new book, John Eldredge presents the heart as central to life. Not only is the heart essential; the heart God has ransomed is also good. Building on these foundational truths, Eldredge shows readers why real Christianity is a process of restoration, where the broken parts of our hearts are mended and the captive parts are set free. Waking the Dead leads listeners...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0785265538
• ISBN13: 9780785265535
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

It deserves Six Stars.

"There's talk of freedom and abundant life, of peace like a river and joy unspeakable, but we see precious little of it, to be honest" (5). Such books are hard to find. Waking the Dead takes Christianity back to its roots before the Organized Catholic Religious System turned the Way into a refuge for hypocrisy and shallow hearts. Eldredge brings things back into perspective as they should be. This book is exactly what people like me have been searching for for years. I would go from church retreat to church retreat year after year. I would experience short bursts of Spiritual "Highs" where I felt close to God and then I would fall back and wait for the next retreat. Many of my friends (and thousands of Christians worldwide) also suffer from this problem. But this book brings into light truths disguised over centuries by Satan's lies about our faith that can truly wake the dead Christian. It is almost as redemptive as the Gospel message. And it, in fact, reveals parts of the Gospel message that have been forgotten in the midst of Religion. It undoubtedly deserves Six Stars. I myself am a testimony to its powerful and redemptive truths. It is a strong book that speaks with authority to many problems we face in the Church. If people would truly listen to its message "we could do anything. We would follow him anywhere!" (69). "When you stand them [Christianity of the Early Church and Christianity of today] side by side, the description of the Christian life practically shouted in the New Testament compared with the actual life of most Christians, it's... embarrassing. Paul sounds like a madman, and we look a little foolish, like children who've been held back a grade" (6). If you can deny that simple truth... WAKE UP (no pun intended). Christianity is failing. The late pope himself (as subject to the Religious System as he was) said that he feared what might come after his death because of the growing merge of secularism and apathetic Christianity. He was afraid his successor might use the power of the pope to advance secularism instead of faith. It is undeniable. Waking the Dead answers these problems simply and directly. There is a fault in the system. And we must go to the core of the issue to fix it -- our hearts. And a side note to some of the people who rated the book poorly. I found that most of you who did not enjoy the book found it distasteful because of its take (or lack of) on the sins of the flesh. I will agree the book does not comment on it much, and its talk of follow the passions of the heart can sound VERY anti-Christian. This is my response to the problem. John Eldredge CLEARLY addresses this issue in almost and entire chapter in his book Wild at Heart. And in no way does it want us to give way to the flesh or deny its presence or anything of the such. He points out that in Christ death and through the Resurrection we have been freed from the flesh (meaning it is no longer apart of our core being),

thinking someone picked some green sour grapes back there

I read Wild at Heart when it first came out even though I'm a woman. I'm a wild-at-heart woman who knows that the Lord desires to have us "run with abandon" toward Him. This book was inspiring even with some gender distractions ... I might recommmend that the person who read this book and deemed it worthless might back up if s/he is really seeking an exciting relationship with the Lord and read Divine Romance or Journey of the Heart and be daring enough to let The Lover look into his heart!

Great Perspective

I am always baffled when I read reviews like the one below. Eldridge's message is so relevant today. I've worked through many workbooks where I sometimes wish I knew how others feel. Sometimes, I just need a jump-start because some of us are dealing with these issues for the first time. I might suggest that if the author's answering of the questions are that loathesome to you, why are you reading his book to begin with?

The value of Christian community

With all due respect to Rick Warren's "The Purpose-Driven Life," John Eldredge's "Waking the Dead" is equally if not more effective in describing our reason for existence - to be everything that God created us to be.What keeps us from living out this purpose? The lie that we're not good enough, and never can be good enough. Who promulgates that lie? The one who has the most to gain - God's enemy. We truly are engaged in spiritual warfare and we truly don't realize it.Eldredge makes a clear distinction between the desire of our "good" heart and the "flesh" by which we stray from God's path. He correctly points to our busy-ness as a symptom of our lifeless condition. And he stresses the importance of Christian community, drawing parallels with the Fellowship of the Ring and other bands of brothers and sisters who support each other in love. Eldredge has an extremely engaging style and writes with a sense of urgency that is appropriate to our human condition.

Get this book!

I love the honesty with which John Eldredge writes -- life really is hard and it really is very confusing. I can relate to that. Christians need to acknowledge this fact. But my heart is gripped by the idea that "things are not what they seem" as all good stories teach us, and that I am more than who I feel like I am. John Eldredge's plea to hear what "mythic" stories (written or on film) are trying to teach us about reality captures my imagination and gives me hope. Reading how Eldredge uses these stories to illustrate what is really happening in the world makes my faith in Christ seem so much more fresh and new and alive. Whereas "The Sacred Romance" introduced us to the fact that there is a great story happening here, and "Wild at Heart" showed us that we have an important place in that story, "Waking The Dead" helps us to see what the story is a little more clearly and what must happen for us to truly take our places in this grand drama. Perhaps the most revolutionary part of this book is that we must wake up to the fact that we are caught in the middle of a spiritual war and we must live like people at war. Without that understanding much of life makes no sense. Without reservation, I highly recommend this book.