Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus [Hardcover]

John Eldredge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2011

Reading the Gospels without knowing the personality of Jesus is like watching television with the sound turned off. The result is a dry, two dimensional person doing strange, undecipherable things.

In BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW, John Eldredge removes the religious varnish to help readers discover stunning new insights into the humanity of Jesus. He was accused of breaking the law, keeping bad company, heavy drinking. Of being the devil himself. He was so compelling and dangerous they had to kill him. But others loved him passionately. He had a sense of humor. His generosity was scandalous. His anger made enemies tremble. He'd say the most outrageous things. He was definitely not the Jesus of the stained glass.

In the author's winsome, narrative approach, he breaks Jesus out of the typical stereotypes, just as he set masculinity free in his book, Wild at Heart. By uncovering the real Jesus, readers are welcomed into the rich emotional life of Christ. All of the remarkable qualities of Jesus burst like fireworks with color and brilliance because of his humanity.

Eldredge goes on to show readers how they can experience this Jesus in their lives every day. This book will quicken readers' worship, and deepen their intimacy with Jesus.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Eldredge's trademark passion and personal transparency offer another inspiring challenge that could revolutionize lives as did his Wild at Heart." (Christian Retailing, Editor's Pick )

"Bestselling author Eldredge (Wild at Heart), founder of Ransomed Heart Ministries, uses his playful style to uncover the truth about who Jesus really was. With an eyebrow-raising warning about the "poison of religion," he urges readers to turn from religious power displays and legalism and instead spend time falling in love with the man, Jesus. Eldredge repeats tales from the Gospels to reveal a leader who was both humorous and confrontational, generous and moody. Eldredge clearly loves his subject, almost chuckling in delight at Jesus' antics. Readers get an intriguing glimpse of Jesus waiting his turn in line, "snorting" in anger, and artfully outsmarting his enemies. On the other hand, many of the themes are recycled (e.g., Jesus is your friend, suffering happens for a reason), and the book lacks opportunities for application and reflection (e.g., study questions). Still, readers will find a three-dimensional Jesus and may find themselves re-reading scripture with an eye on characters' feelings." (Publishers Weekly )

About the Author

John is part of the leadership of Ransomed Heart, a ministry devoted to helping people discover the heart of God, recover their own heart in his love, and learn to live in his Kingdom. John grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles. John earned his undergraduate degree in Theater at Cal Poly, and directed a theater company in Los Angeles for several years before moving to Colorado with Focus on the Family, where he taught at the Focus on the Family Insitute. John earned his master's degree in Counseling from Colorado Christian University, under the direction of Larry Crabb and Dan Allender. He worked as a counselor in private practice before launching Ransomed Heart in 2000. John and his wife Stasi live in Colorado Springs with their three sons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords; 1 edition (October 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892960884
• ISBN-13: 978-0892960880
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (366 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 85 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The full life Jesus comes to give us all. September 24, 2011

By mtmeek

Format:Hardcover

A friend recently handed me John Eldredge's book, Beautiful Outlaw. I had no idea they were actually tossing me a life preserver. The more I read the more I understood how religion drowns us from the life that is ours in Jesus. He came that we might "have life, and have it to the full."

In Beautiful Outlaw, John takes us to the Bible and zooms in on the everyday interactions and conversations that Jesus had with people not unlike you and I. Here he helps us consider the Jesus that many miss as the pages are flipped in the "religious fog". Our eyes are opened to see the life-giving personality of Jesus.

Next, John brings the focus into our own lives. He helps us to find Christ in our hearts. Jesus is not a two-dimensional figure in a book, he is with us and in us every step and breath along the way. He is not far off in Heaven, he is near and here now! John notes, "We should expect to encounter Jesus anytime, anywhere, everywhere."

The final impact on me in reading John's book is threefold; I want to fall in love with Jesus, I want to share every moment of every day with him, and I want his life to spill out of me onto everyone around. As you read John's book you will find The Beautiful Outlaw pulling you from the religious undertow and breathing his very life into your soul.

137 of 148 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Outlaw: A Review October 13, 2011

By James R. Williams

Format:Hardcover

John Eldredge's latest title, "Beautiful Outlaw" is his first since switching publishers. After a longtime association with Thomas Nelson, he's now writing for Faithwords, home of the great Billy Coffey. The subject of "Beautiful Outlaw" is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Eldredge feels that many (most?) Christians have a distorted, incomplete, or one-dimensional view of Jesus, and he feels so strongly about this that he wants to set the record straight for all believers.

My take on this book is mostly positive. It's well-written, engaging, and anything but boring. The reader will be enlightened and encouraged to love Jesus more, because once you know Him, you can't do otherwise.

Eldredge takes many familiar stories about Jesus and expounds on them in an informative and inspiring way. I am praying my way through this book, asking God to reveal Himself to me, and, while I think there's more to be revealed, this book has done wonders so far in the two weeks since I received it.

Longtime Eldredge readers will find may ideas familiar. At various times while reading "Beautiful Outlaw", I was reminded of "Wild at Heart, "Epic", and "Waking the Dead", to say the least. But this book stands on its own. It's not a rehash of the same old ideas.

Now, the concerns: I have read many books over the past several years which have one thing in common, despite coming from authors with very different perspectives. It's amazing that writers as diverse as Mark Driscoll, Donald Miller, John Eldredge, Matthew Paul Turner and Frances Chan, among others find common ground, but in this case, they do.... Here it is: they all have messages which contain, although conveyed in different ways, the idea that (my paraphrase) "most of Christianity is getting some major things wrong, and I'm here to set it straight. If Christians will see things as I present them here, then the Church will finally be what it should be."

In a way, I cannot argue with Eldredge (or the other authors mentioned above) on this point. I've been a believer for 35 years, and have seen more distortions, false beliefs, harmful mindsets, groupthink, and general untruthfulness than I can list for you here. I think back to what I was taught, and what I have taught others, and I can only shake my head and pray that God will undo the damage already caused. There are some ideas out there, shared among Christians, which badly need to be addressed.

That said, there's a right way and a wrong way to do so. I think Frances Chan has it most right: he simply says, without bashing others who disagree "let's open our bibles, and see what God says about this topic with as little bias as we can." He remains respectful of those with whom he disagrees even as he says specifically why they get it wrong. His heart is for the Church to be as good as it can be.

Eldredge, too, has a heart to see Christians see Jesus correctly, but in doing so, he insults most Christians who have differing perspectives. Sometimes, incorrect perspectives do harm, and they should be pointed out. But there are times in this book when he goes a little too far. For example, the first chapter has a section titled "The Poison of Religion", then refers to some beliefs, such as Jesus being primarily a peacekeeper, as "nonsense". Well, it is and it isn't. If someone thinks Jesus is only a peacekeeper, then Eldredge is right to call him out. But much of the tone here is dismissive of any who see this differently.

Because of my diverse church experience, I have come to the conclusion that most denominations, while flawed, carry with them an expression of God that He has ordained for them to have. Pentecostals worship God in ways that make non-charismatics uncomfortable, but most likely we will all worship God in heaven in ways we currently think is undignified. Presbyterians may come across as "the Frozen Chosen", but their adherence to, an insistence on, correct doctrine is valuable and necessary. The Social Justice types are often deemed by conservatives as too light on sin, but their caring for the marginalized who struggle with sins, poverty, and addictions are reflective of a merciful God. The fundamentalists who are derided for their unwavering commitment to preaching about God's wrath, and judgment, are proclaiming a message that Jesus Himself proclaimed in several occasions.

The bottom line is that just as a bouquet looks best when it's represented by different flowers of varying colors, so also is the Church beautiful because of its diversity. God gives different believers passions for different things which are important to Him. Some--in fact, many--Christians take their "thing" and try too hard to make it everyone else's "thing". By doing this, and by disrespecting those who see Jesus from different perspectives, we set ourselves up to be used by Satan (the word "devil" means "one who divides") to harm the cause of unity among Christians.

Bottom line: "Beautiful Outlaw" contains some very helpful teaching, and I recommend it. I only wish Eldredge would have toned down, or left out completely, his attacks on those who have presented different perspectives on Jesus to us over the years. Read more ›

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What we've been missing September 25, 2011

By Storyteller

Format:Hardcover

For several generations now, Christianity has been missing something. We've had "church". We've had "religion". We've had whatever traditions we've engaged in on Sunday morning... from hymns & stained glass windows to contemporary worship in mega-churches. We've had our DUTY. We've had our 3-POINT SERMONS with their LIFE APPLICATION. For the most part we've all gotten very good at beating ourselves up for falling so far short of what we believe church is asking of us.

What we've had very little of is the Truth about our creator, our redeemer, our friend, the incarnation of God in man, Jesus Christ.

I've personally been involved in the message of John Eldredge and Ransomed Heart ([...]) for more than a decade and it has changed my life. Each of the books John has written are full of important Truth, but "BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW" is quite easily the most important message yet.

Without the Truth of who Jesus is, not much else matters. We can sing all the songs, listen to all the sermons, go through all the motions and still miss the whole point... intimacy with the Living God. In "BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW" you will meet Jesus in a way most of us never even conceived of. The New Testament stories of Jesus are familiar to most of us. Familiar to the point of being lifeless and cloaked in religious drapery. "BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW" removes the veil of these stories, inviting us to experience the Jesus people were willing to rip the roofs off houses to get near.

If you want to see the life of Jesus and the Truth of His Gospel in a new light. I highly recommend this book

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my Heart <3 November 21, 2011

By Deb in NC

Format:Paperback

I was a little sceptical when I began reading this book (recommended by a friend). I have been going through some of the darkest times of my life and honestly I wasn't looking forward to reading another self help book. However, after reading the first chapter, I knew there was something different about this book. As I read the words on the page and wiped tears from my eyes, I could feel a change taking place. My heart was changing. I began to see and experience Jesus as I never have before. He is more real to me now than when I first gave my life to him.

This book is truly a gift from God to those needing to meet the real "Beautiful Outlaw"