Captivating

My high school bible study at church was separated between boys and girls for about a month now to read two books. Book one is Wild at Heart, while book two is Captivating. Captivating is written by Stasi Eldredge and co-authored by John Eldredge. At first I wasn't to interested in having to read yet another book. However, my automatic reaction against the book fueled my curiosity. I casually picked it up and flipped through the pages. An hour later I was still reading, and a few days later I had finished it. I wasn't even supposed to be that far ahead of the group. What did I think of Captivating? It was well, captivating, I have to admit it. So why did I have a hard time putting the book down? The writing style is very accessible and there is an abundant use of good quotes and stories which make the book easy to read. But that’s not the main thing that kept me turning the pages. The premise is essentially the same as Wild At Heart, so it wasn’t originality and creativity that hooked me.
What particularly captured my attention was the Eldredge's’ claim that there are three desires that fuel the heart of a woman: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil her beauty. I wanted to just finish at first but, the more I read and listened to the words on the page, the more I found myself resonating with the Eldredge's’ observations. They contend that these desires are good and essential to the way God made women. The concluding chapter was another great part in the book. The authors ask believing women to step away from insecurity and fear and ask God to show them how to best offer others their beauty with a heart of bravery and vulnerability.
While there is much insight to be gained from reading Captivating, there are some cautions I should mention. The Eldredge's tend to be overly person-centered. There are sections of the book that suggest God needs women in an almost dependent, helpless fashion. There is also a habit to overplay the loveliness of the creation (women) and understate the loveliness of the Creator. I think their intent is to say the loveliness of women reflects God’s beauty, but the language throughout the book tends to subvert this. Another weakness is the Eldredge's’ less-than-biblical idea that God is somehow each woman’s individual lover. The Eldredge's affirm varied “romantic encounters” with God that include having a date–type experience with God where women can sing “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera as an expression of worship (an option in the book). Also, Captivating tends to over-simplify and overstate certain observations on womanhood that veer away from having a biblical foundation such as the idea that women are the prime enemy of the devil.
This book can be a very good book to read to motivate yourself or to understand God more. It is recommended more for women (since it is based on the beauty of their creation) but men can read it too. Wild at Heart is written by John Eldredge and is the men's' version of Captivating. I highly recommend this book myself. I have already achieved my goal at getting at least four women to read this.