I'm reading the book,
"Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul", by John and Stasi Eldredge. After graduating from college, Stasi hitchhiked thru Europe and as a proud feminist wore a necklace of a symbol of a woman with a fist in the middle - independent and strong. This was after many heartaches. The message of
Captivating is this:
Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman (yet have been pushed aside, wounded, buried) - to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a GREAT adventure, to be the Beauty of the story - they are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as the fully alive and feminine You - whom He thinks is truly captivating. 
Doesn't this remind you of all the Disney movies we grew up with? My personal favorite is "Beauty and the Beast". Belle is not an airhead, loves books, doesn't want the provincial life, longs for adventure and finds romance in a peculiar way.
With Christ, reflecting Him - our fairy tales are transformed into a true story.
I am finding myself intrigued with
Captivating. Some people love it - some hate it. One female professor at Talbot loves it and uses it in her class. Another female professor at Biola published an article against the book for its bad theology. Have you read it? What do you think?
2 comments:
I also have heard positive and negative about the message of this book, but I have not read it. While the idea of being at a center of a fairy tale and having the King of the universe as my knight in shining armor sounds attractive, I don't think that is the message of Scripture. Yes, we are the bride of Christ, but the center of the story is actually Him, not me. And if I live out the story as if it is all about my heart and my wishes for this life, I will be sure to be greatly disappointed. My heart must be in line with God's purposes. Maybe this is overspiritualizing what the author is trying to say, but her message seems to come up short to me (again, not having actually read the book...).
Thanks so much for your post, Lois. I too have read the book thru the filter of: we are "...to be conformed to the likeness of his Son" (Ro 8:29) "...to the praise of His glory." (Eph 1:6,14). There is something so freeing, though - to be more like Him for His glory - knowing I am His beloved (2 Thess 2:13, etc), His loving eyes are always on me (Ps 139) and His love for me never fades (Jer 31:3) nor can be separated from me (Rom 8:38,39). May we all grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is (Eph 3:18), but you're right - to reflect Him for His glory!
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