Our God is not distant deity, but a passionate, loving Father. Because of his love he has often wooed us with a life filled with unparalleled beauty, intriguing relationship and wonderful adventure. But we often reject his advances in order to pursue our careers, find self-fulfillment and seek after any number of lovers who are far less wild. In The Sacred Romance John Eldredge and Brent Curtis challenge us to let go of these "less-wild lovers" so that we can begin the journey back to the passionate lover of our souls. Don't miss this opportunity to return to the intimacy, beauty and adventure of life with God.
The God who saves is also a God who woos His own to a relationship primarily of the heart. As we draw closer to Him, we must choose to let go of other "less-wild lovers," such as perfectionistic driveness and self-indulgence. Eldredge and Curtis identify the lies offered by "false loves" and instruct us on the journey back to the Lover of our souls.In carefully crafted words and images, the authors entice the reader to his or her own journey of the heart, promising, "It is possible to recover the lost life of our heart and with it the intimacy, beauty, and adventure of life with God."
Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(4.5 out of 5 stars)
8 of 12 Reviews Showing:(View All Reviews)
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Andrea Llewellyn (Spokane, WA), August 18, 2009
My pastor preached excerpts of this book that had me in tears. I am very excited to read the book for myself.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Patricia Mcadoo (Old Monroe, MO), March 04, 2008
Awesome book,really speaks to your heart. I think everybody should read this book. I think Eldridge is a true man of God.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Lauren (Greenville, SC), November 22, 2007
For the majority of my life, even though having been saved at the age of 7 years, I have struggled with building and keeping faith in the Lord. With many doubts about all of His Promises to us, I never felt satisfied with life, a significant person, or truly loved for everything that I am. I could go on forever about how much this book has drawn me to the Lord, but most importantly, this book has helped me completely with overcoming my major insecurities. The "Arrows" were more important to me for most of my life, so I was blind to God's Heart, Promises, and incredible Love for me. I also learned that I've always been trying to live life according to my own reasoning and coping strategies, while underestimating God's wonderful power and willingness to comfort, guide, love, forgive, etc. every human being who Loves Him. This book has totally encouraged me to change my whole perspective on life, Satan, God, and all His promises. Now, after having read this book very recently, I can hardly keep my mind off the Lord, constantly relying on Him for direction and intimacy! Very obviously, this book has made a wonderful transformation of my life. Please read it if you haven't. Every human being on this earth needs to read it, for the book explains to the reader everything he or she wants and needs to know and feel and what he or she has always been searching for.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Dr. Robert W. Kellemen (Taneytown, MD), May 02, 2005
When Curtis and Eldredge penned "A Sacred Romance", they started an avalanche of Christian writing on the Bible as a passionate romance novel and a grand adventure narrative. Theirs is still the classic on these themes.
"A Sacred Romance" puts into words, pictures, stories, images, and illustrations (both ancient and current) concepts about God that many Christians always sensed were true, but rarely felt permission to believe. But more than adding new intellectual insight, Curtis and Eldredge provide a pathway toward a journey of spiritual intimacy. The subtitle says it well, "Drawing Closer to the Heart of God." At they explain, when you know His good heart, then everything within you longs to cling to Him.
I would summarize the premise of "The Sacred Romance" with the phrase, "Life is a wedding and a war." Life is headed toward the marriage supper of the Lamb, which is immediately followed by the final victory of the Lion over the Serpent (see Revelation 19). Curtis and Eldredge describe how all of history contains this twin theme.
Their message is not nearly so novel as some reviewers imagine. A thorough reading of Church history demonstrates that the life of the mind and of the heart has been integrated throughout Christianity. It is modern, Western Christianity that sidetracked the dual emphasis of head and heart. Yes, they could have developed their emphasis with more theological precision. However, the texts they do use, they develop appropriately. Further, their style is to offer a narrative, not an analytical, retelling of the eternal sacred romance.
Whether you're a new Christian or a seminary professor, "A Sacred Romance" can open windows to your soul. These windows will not only refresh your relationship with God, but also with others.
Reviewer: Dr. Robert W. Kellemen, author of "Soul Physicians" and "Spiritual Friends."
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by David E. Finnell (Indianapolis, IN), April 18, 2004
I believe many will read this book and say “I don’t get it.” This work is profound. I just finished the book. Trying to put it down, all I could do to stifle my sobs was to try and mutter to God, “thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Failure to see the point of a book like this, and recognize God’s heart for what it is, magnifies the reason for the book’s importance. The authors’ own poignant reflection on this is seen through an excerpt from page 203 in the paperback:
… This is inevitable when we fail to remember, or when we remember only with a purely propositional approach to Scripture. We can possess volumes of doctrinal knowledge and it can all be true, but if it is separated from reality—especial the life of the heart—it becomes of no consequence to us. …
I read no early reviews and completely missed any “hype” about it, because I wasn’t tuned in to the release of the book or to the co-authors. I’ve bowed and thanked God for personally blessing me with this exposure to Curtis’ and Eldredge’s insights. Not only is what they say relevant but it is evidence of life and of not being alone, either physically or in our thought-life—our spirits’ access to the deep heart of God and our connections to each other as we traverse common ground.
This book seems for times when:
you need a hug from God
words alone are just not enough, if you’re really honest
you know God’s words but you’d like to feel his touch, and see his face
you’d like to hold God’s hand and go skipping through heaven’s fields
you can’t wait to have all the above, but have accepted or need to be reminded that you must
I previously read Wild At Heart and loved it. The Sacred Romance is very different, as apparently it was meant to be. It has moved me like only one other book I’ve read over the last 20 years. I just bought over 3 dozen copies to share with close friends and family, and will ask that they keep a copy and pass one on to others.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Rebecca Banks (White, Ga), August 04, 2003
After a very dry journey in the desert of Christiandom, I found an oasis in the words penned by John and Brent in this thirst-quenching book. To come to that place in our heart where we can rest, knowing we are being romanced by the greastest lover of all, is more than refreshing, it is life giving.
0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Lori (Virginia), April 25, 2003
This book is not for everyone. About half of the members of my Bible study group did not enjoy the writers' style or the way the book flowed. If you like a book to get to the point, with little or no use of analogies, stories or allusions to pop-culture, then you'll be wading through many, many such pages before getting to anything of interest to you. The authors spend more attention on "setting the scene" for what our problems are than they do describing the solution--Christ. Personally, I also do not see my relationship with God as a "sacred romance" in which God has been wooing me to come back to Him. This analogy in particular did not sit right with me because I believe it brings God down to our level, asking us to view Him as too human, instead of encouraging us to discover who God truly is and what He desires of us, through prayer, the study of His Word, and walking by faith.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Nate Fry (New Richmond WI), January 09, 2003
When I bought this book I did not have time to read it. I had too much to read in seminary. I had been searching for something, I had suffered some pain in my life and started with Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart (highly recommend) I became interested in The Sacred Romance and had the opportunity to read it over Christmas-two airplane trips facilitated this. I really do not know what to say about this book other than if you just want to continue to live a lackluster Christian life, if you are comfortable where you are and don't want to truly understand that you were created for a purpose. Than avoid this book at all costs, it is not for the timid. For within these pages you will find a story, and within that story you will discover a wild romance with a heroic lover. As you read you will discover that the Wild Lover who wants to heal you of your arrows is none other than God, and the best part--YOU are the beloved, the sought after in the story.
View all 12 Reviews
Write a review of The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God
Catalog Shopping
Membership
