Waking the Dead

Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive, by John Eldredge             Hardcover: 244 pgs.         

     From the title, you might think this book is about the zombie apocalypse, but this is no horror story!  There is, however, a sense in which most Christians are zombies, according to Eldredge (though he doesn’t use that analogy).  After all, Jesus promised His people abundant life (John 10:10), but the lives of most believers fall far short of this amazing promise.  The question is, why?  Eldredge argues that most Christian teaching, emphasizing “sin management” or mere intellectual knowledge of doctrine, doesn’t help us find this life in part because it doesn’t emphasize the importance of our hearts.  We usually think of the heart as the seat merely of our emotions, but the author shows that the Bible speaks of it as far more than that: as the source of our motives, deep thoughts, creativity and courage.  Citing Romans 10:9 & 10, he even shows that it is part of the means by which people come to faith in Christ.  Perhaps the most controversial thing Eldredge writes is that the Christian’s heart is good— that the oft-quoted verse about the heart being deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9) does not apply to believers.  Christ gives us the abundant life when we engage our hearts through what the author calls the “Four Streams”: walking with God, receiving His intimate counsel, deep restoration and spiritual warfare.  Eldredge especially emphasizes spiritual warfare; he often brings it in even when talking about the other streams.  This resonated greatly with me, as spiritual opposition well explains why things are often so difficult in my life, especially in my spiritual life.  Eldredge doesn’t blame demons for everything, though; their activity doesn’t absolve Christians of sin and unwise choices.  I found most of the author’s arguments very convincing, though there are a few things I didn’t agree with or wasn’t sure about.  I also found his interpretation of a few Scriptures to be questionable.  Nevertheless, I still would highly recommend this book.  It gives hope that, in spite of great opposition from the Enemy, Christians can find, more and more, the life Christ promised us.