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

by John Eldredge

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

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Religion, Christianity, Spirituality, Christian Living

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

John Eldredge is an American author, counselor, and lecturer on Christianity. He is known for his best-selling book Wild at Heart.

Reviews

[Ben De Bono · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Eldredge has been an incredible influence on both me personally and on my ministry. Wild at Heart and Waking the Dead are two of the most powerful books I've ever read. I use both regularly in my teaching and have encouraged many other people to read them. While his others books aren't quite on the level of those two, I consider most of what he's done (while a bit repetitive at times) to be excellent and highly recommended.



In some ways Beautiful Outlaw continues that trend. There are parts of the book that are vintage Eldredge. Unfortunately, there are also some glaring theological issues throughout. I understand that Eldredge is neither a theologian or a scholar. I don't expect him to be. But he is someone who has devoted his life to ministry and teaching the Word. Theologian or not, that makes him accountable to a higher standard. Much of the error in this book is simply not acceptable for someone in his position.



Let me start with the good. I found much of the book to be a very refreshing read. Eldredge brilliantly presents the human side of Jesus and shows how his personality shines through the Gospels in ways that we often miss. He also stresses the personal side of faith, something that's too easily forgotten when studying theology. As such, the book was a very important reminder to me to not let go of that side of my faith. I say reminder because for anyone who's read Eldredge before that's what it will be. There's not a ton of new ideas from him here. While it's helpful to see them presented in this context, it would be nice to see him stretch himself a bit more as a teacher and writer. That aside, the material is powerful and important.



Unfortunately, that's not the whole story. My biggest complaint with the book is Eldredge's use of the word "religion" According to him religion is what's wrong with modern Christianity. He never defines his term and it quickly becomes apparent that religion is a straw man he's constructed to project onto anything he doesn't like about how other people do church.



This on it's own is obnoxious, especially to those of us who find religion (despite all the ways it has been corrupted) to be a beautiful and powerful part of our faith, one that brings us closer to God. But what really takes the book down is the way Eldredge projects his vague understanding of religion back onto Scripture. He assumes that Jesus was confronting the exact problems that he, as a 21st century Christian, is. At best this is an eye-rolling, hermeneutical error. At worst it's a serious theological error in need of rebuking and correction.



The heremneutical problems don't stop there. Eldredge is determined to draw out the personality of Jesus in Scripture. At times this is done brilliantly. Other times, it's bizarre and problematic. He quotes Matthew 15:22-28 where Jesus metaphorically refers to a Canaanite woman as a dog. It's a confusing and troubling passage and one that deserves serious thought if we're to understand it. Eldredge's answer is to tell us to not bother looking for any deep spiritual truth here. Jesus is just being playful. Ok, maybe. But where's the textual evidence to back up that claim? It's a nice thought but it's completely unsupported by Scripture.



I don't think Eldredge realizes how serious an error he's committing with claims like that. On the surface it seems like a small thing, but what he's doing is projecting his view of Jesus onto the text rather than allowing God to speak to him through the text. Without intending to, Eldredge has undermined the authority of Scripture in a very serious way. It's clear throughout the book that he is in desperate need of a hermeneutics class or two.



The other major issue with the book is the way that Eldredge allows no room for reverence of God or a recognition of his transcendence. He's determined to present Jesus in a highly personal, highly relatable light. He does a great job and what he presents is important. But the fact that he does away with any sort of reverence for God is very troubling. There is a place to come before God as Father, speak to him personally and experience the rich personality Eldredge describes. There is also a place to come before him in awe, recognizing his greatness and holiness. Both are taught by Scripture. Both are necessary for a complete faith. Both draw us closer to God and help us become who he wants us to be.



The other side effect of Eldredge's highly personal presentation is that he winds up with a frighteningly low ecclesiology. At one point he briefly affirms that going to church is important, both those words ring hollow compared to the rest of the book. He spends a lot of time attacking the church and winds up a faith that is very much "just me and Jesus." I find this incredibly problematic and unbiblical. I believe that Scripture quite clearly teaches that we find that personal relationship with God only within God's covenant family. The church is not a nice add on as Eldredge presents it. It is essential.



There are a couple other minor problems with the book. First, it's not very Trinitarian. Eldredge frequently confuses the different persons and roles of the Trinity, which is a bit shocking considering this has been a strength of his in previous work. Second, his instance on The Message as a legitimate (and at times superior) Bible translation is pretty disturbing. I'm fine with people reading The Message but it's simply inaccurate to consider it a translation. It's not. It's a loose paraphrase that is really Eugene Peterson's interpretation of Scripture rather than Scripture itself. If that's understood by the people reading it, I have no problem. Eldredge clearly fails to understand this and winds up presenting it in a way that will lead other people astray.



At the end of the day, I'm glad I read the book. I admire Eldredge and will always owe him a huge debt of gratitude. It makes me sad to see the direction his work is headed in. I know God is continuing to use him powerfully, but he could be used for so much more if he would only get himself some proper theological training and correct some of these issues. This could have been a great book. Instead it's merely a good one with enough theological holes to make it difficult to recommend. 2.5 stars

[☾❀Miriam✩ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The personality of the artist leaks through their work. God included. He reveals himself through nature, as the Scriptures testify.”



This book came to me in a very delicate moment of my life. I recently went back to my Christian faith after years of being far away from the Church, and I had a couple of weeks of deep spiritual trouble. I prayed so much every day that I neglected every other aspect of my life, because I really just wanted to be with God. But the problem is, I was sad. Every time I prayed, worshiped, listened to a sermon, even went to Church or spoke to our pastor, I felt like crying. Why? I guess I was crushed by the guilt of all those years far from God, and I was punishing myself.

Then, messages started to appear in my everyday life. Miracles started to happen, bigger and bigger every day, more and more difficult to ignore. Finally, yesterday, one EXTREMELY INCREDIBLE thing happened, and I was crushed by the greatness of the power of the Lord.

This book has thought me, in a moment of pain, what it truly means to be a Christian and a follower of Jesus. It means to know Him, to look at Him, to became an instrument of His will, because this is the only way to truly love Him with the deepest, most intimate love. In today's prayers, I thanked the Lord for the gift of joy, and asked Him to remind me to always, always, pray with a smile; give thanks with a smile, worship with a smile.

I am not saying that I know better than others how to be a Christian, far from that. I am not saying "if you don't have a faith like it's described in this book you are not a real Christian". The opposite is true: since I don't know much, I won't do much on my own will: I will surrender to Jesus, and He will show me the way. ❤️

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give 6 stars I would. This may be the most impactful book--outside of the Bible--that I have read. It's a book about the personality of Jesus.

If you're looking for theology principles, like how God could become man or the Trinity, this isn't where you would get that. There are many fine books for that. This is about the personality--the character qualities and values of the person of Jesus. It's about his playfulness, his ferocity, his wild disregard for looking "proper", and his cunning.

It's biblically grounded with many, many passages included word for word. It's full of vulnerable stories from the author. There's humor all throughout. And there are challenging sections that made me stop and pray right there.

I've ready a lot of books about Jesus. I've taught a lot about Jesus. More importantly, I have a personal relationship with Jesus. And this book added depth and clarity to how I see Jesus. I finished this book understanding and loving Him more than I have ever before (and that's saying something).

I can't think of a more impacted book I've read, outside of the Bible. Loving and truly knowing Jesus--having His life pour into me and through me--is the most important thing I can do with my life. This book inspired me to do that more powerfully than any other I have read. I think EVERYONE should read this book.

[J.S. Park · Rating 2 out of 5]

John Eldredge, the manly man's author of Wild At Heart and Captivating, has written quite a manly work on Jesus. It's a frustrating, if at times well-written and unique journey, into the life of the most famous person in the history of the world. Such a daunting task is not lost on Eldredge, who bypasses the scholarly doctrine and gets right at the heart of Jesus, not always successfully.

We often project our own personality onto Jesus himself, as argued by Scot McKnight and counter-argued by N.T. Wright. This happens frequently in Beautiful Outlaw, as Eldredge's well known personal theology takes center stage. Though he continually wants Jesus to "be himself," we suspect this is hardly the case throughout the book. To at once claim Jesus as his own person and then label him "playful, cunning, disruptive," and other postmodern terms is not only contradictory but inadvertently undermines Eldredge's point.

Eldredge also beats up the "religious," never defining them but gut-punching them at every opportunity. It's very vogue these days to use Pharisee as a religious boogeyman, the equivalent of saying Nazi, and then to exclaim how not to be like them. The first few times I agreed, but the next one-hundred or so verbal smackdowns was eye-rolling. Eldredge states that categorizing people with partisan dismissal is a religious tactic, but then he himself casually dismisses the religious group and never once shows grace their way. It's too bad, because traditional, church-raised, Southern-value-abiding, well-intentioned, religious folk need Jesus too. It's an immature Christian who pits two sides against each other and claims one as superior. Eldredge's spiteful bitterness is cringe-inducing.

The main problem here is that the ideas are presented in such a way that bullies you into believing: If you don't agree with Eldredge's take on Jesus, you got it all wrong. While this is probably not Eldredge's agenda, his entire presentation is forced down your throat. The last couple chapters are rife with this sort of mean spirit, and his "vivid encounters" is so off the rails of orthodoxy that I needed a shower from the guru-esque grime. The irritating thing is that Eldredge would ridicule me for disagreeing with him, and in fact has already done so with preemptive defenses.

If I have been too hard on him then, I must confess that portions of Beautiful Outlaw are written well, with the expected poetic grandeur (and pretentiousness) of Eldredge's previous works. The stories of Jesus' life, while presented haphazardly with no cohesive order, are still shown in a fresh way. We really do see the humanity of Jesus shine through here. If it weren't for Eldredge's overbearing aggression towards "religious" people, then the stories of Jesus alone could have made this book a classic.

In particular, when Eldredge talks about Jesus as Faithful and True, I was stirred by Jesus' all-too-honest nature: he never had to hide anything and was exactly who he said he was. No other human can make that claim. We all bury ourselves in labels and manners and conformity. This was a great view into Jesus that shows why the Christian life is about bearing his image in sanctification.

Bottom Line: I really expected more from Eldredge's work. I had even purchased a second copy for a friend, excited for more intimacy with Christ. If only Eldredge could get a re-do. While there are some great portions here, we still await the insightful look into Jesus' humanity.

[Brian Robbins · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some good features about this book, but overall it was seriously marred by issues related to style, content and manner of argument.

On the plus side there were 3 particular areas of strength:

1) He validly challenged two widely accepted misunderstandings that can have profound affects on the possibility of developing deep relationships with God.

Firstly, the often anaemic, uninspiring & remote vision of Jesus. created by a failure to appreciate and represent the full and authentic reality of Jesus’ humanity.
Secondly the equation that relationship with God = religion, contending in fact that institutional religion is often a negative influence on attempts to develop real relationship with God.

These were by no means original observations, nor was this the best investigation and exposition of the negative effects of these two misunderstandings, or of the positive effects to be gained by jettisoning them. For a far more concise, rigorous & well written piece, John Bell’s “10 things No One Ever Told Me About Jesus” + some of his published sermons, are much better.

2) He was very good on the use of imaginative reading of gospel (a method with a long tradition) passages e.g. on pages 81 – 83 he discusses the healing of the leper in Matthew’s gospel 8: 1-3. He provided a sound and enlightening interpretation of the responses of the various characters involved, by fleshing out their likely emotions and tones of voice.

3) In many places he gave good pastoral advice related to specific issues.


There was however a strong down-side to the book. The faults were numerous.

1) Arguments were of poor quality and were reminiscent of the worst techniques of tabloid journalism.

For instance a major contention of Eldredge’s was that Jesus was misrepresented by false images of him as “wispy and pale”. This is quite legitimate, and provided a more rounded portrait of Jesus, by demonstrating a spectrum of very human characteristics in his words and actions as seen in the gospels.

However, he used as a major tool in presenting his case, the creation of just the same type of nonsensical cardboard cut-out images of a variety of people and groups of people. For instance, in his chapter “Fierce Intention” he used the story of Jesus driving the traders from the temple to show Jesus as capable of anger, hostility to injustice and of commanding personality. He then counterpoised this against an image from a worship song comparing Jesus to a “rose trampled on the ground.” Such a dreadful line is hardly difficult to demolish. However he goes on to say this:

“Helpless, lovely Jesus. Vegetarian, pacifist, tranquil. Oh wait – that was Gandhi. Not Jesus.”

Apart from the crass and insulting nature of the comments, he has obviously failed to read any accounts or words of Gandhi, or any accounts of real pacifists or opposers of warfare (e.g. conscientious objectors,antiwar protestors, ploughshare groups or Greenham Common women, with their own ‘fierce intentions’, their commitment to the point of accepting violence, imprisonment and, in the cases of some conscientious objectors, death. Nor has he understood the motivations of principled vegetarians.

Perhaps more a matter of concern was his use of similar crass misrepresentation in relation to a whole world faith. Having described the short-comings of a Christian college which encouraged a “religious” rather than a relational approach to Jesus, and where the motivations were pressure & guilt, he then describes this as “A kind of Christian Islam”. The faith of millions of people across the world is homogenised into the worst kind of tabloid headline, scare-reports about Islam.

I found it interesting that after these examples he could then write:
“Branding someone prevents them from ever being able to prove that they are innocent, or state their case. It’s a cheap and effective ploy that’s been around a long time, a particular favourite of the religious. Tar and feather them.”

Hmmm! Physician heal thyself?

Chapter quality was varied. Probably the worst was “Extravagant Generosity”. This was repetitive, muddled & at times close to incoherence. As an example this is a footnote related to the story of the wedding feast at Cana:

“Watch this – if you want proof of the current religious spirit, its ugly nature, watch how folks freak out over this. Websites will crop up. Theologians will step forward to argue the amount (“It says ‘holding from twenty to thirty gallons’”). Okay, take an average- twenty five gallons per jar. That’s still 150 gallons, 757 bottles. They’re not going to like that, so they’ll tell you it wasn’t really wine or their wine isn’t like ours. I’ll be accused of encouraging drunkenness. I am not. The scripture forbids drunkenness. Look – I didn’t do the miracle. I just did the math. Are you going to tell Jesus he can’t do this.”

There were some stylistic irritations. I hated the use of the word “friend” as he made some of his statements. This was one example of his dreadful folksiness. Maybe the worst came in his discussion of the ‘normal’ nature of Jesus:

“This is a problem gang. People loved to be with Jesus, just be with him in normal life – walking down the road, having dinner, talking on the beach. If your spirituality doesn’t ‘fit’ into normal life, it is religious.
Ooops – now I am gearing up for a tirade.”

At his worst he had the approach and language of a salesman. ‘Here, I’m including you in my gang too.' Sorry, but much of the time I had no desire to be part of his 'gang'.

Overall the concept of the book was valid, the execution often poor, muddled & repetitive.

[Emma Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus is literally insane, the most attractive personality in all of time! I have too much to say abt this book so here is one of my favorite quotes from it;

“To live in such a way that there is always something of an element of surprise, and yet, however he acts turns out to be exactly what was needed in the moment. Oh, his brilliance shines through, but never blinding, never overbearing. He is not glistening white marble. He is the playfulness of creation, scandal and utter goodness, the generosity of the ocean and the ferocity of a thunderstorm; he is cunning as a snake and gentle as a whisper; the gladness of sunshine and the humility of a thirty mile walk by foot on a dirt road. Reclining at a meal, laughing with friends, and then going on a cross. This is what we mean when we say Jesus is beautiful.”

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Outlaw, by John Eldredge is almost like two books in one. The first half takes you through different personality traits of Jesus, emphasizing how human he was and how loveable his personality is. The second half is about us, how we can respond to this Jesus and live more fully through Him. Sprinkled throughout are Bible versus that help support what he is saying/illustrating. While I enjoyed the first chapters, the chapter about Jesus’ “Disruptive Honesty” really stuck out for me. Especially in the politically correct world we live in, I have never really equated honesty with love before. John takes us through different scenarios of Jesus correcting people. He says: “The man [Jesus] shoots straight. Sometimes he’s playful; sometimes he’s fierce; the next moment he’s generous. This is the beauty of his disruptive honesty—you can count on Jesus to tell you the truth in the best possible way for you to hear it.” (P. 71) I had never thought that Jesus was tailoring his rebukes towards the heart of the recipient before, or that rebuke can be an act of love.
The second half of the book really picked up for me. I Love how John is willing to wage battle against religion (even current-day religiosity) warning us of the dangers of crowding Jesus out with fake rules and practices. The following quote also resonated with me, as I look back on my youth-group days with much of the same feelings. “The campus ministry [my friend] had joined shortly after coming to Christ was – sadly—deeply infected with the religious. They did not teach the availability of an intimate relationship with Jesus. Focus was on consistent Bible study, witnessing, good morals. Motivation was largely pressure and guilt. A kind of Christian Islam. The fruit was that most of its disciples did not experience Jesus, did not believe in anything supernatural, and lived under a cloud of pressure and guilt.” (p. 187) I think most kids in my generation felt this way. I wish more youth leaders- and pastors for that matter spent more time cultivating knowledge and expectations of relationships with Jesus than they do on activities and pressures to witness to friends. (This is not the majority of the second half of the book- it’s just something that has stuck with me personally)
John wraps his book up with a chapter called “one last thought” and I hope that everyone will read it. After showing us who Jesus is, and then helping us understand how we can respond to that, he leaves us with a few last words… mostly of encouragement, but also of warning. A warning that life will still continue to be hard and that suffering will almost certainly happen. He encourages us to cling tightly to Jesus, especially through the pain and hard-times. I have been a Christian for a very long time, and while I felt acquainted with most of the concepts in this book, there were some new ones for me, and I am left with a deeper expectation/hope of relationship with Jesus, right now, this side of heaven; and for that, this book is worth the read.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this newest book by John Eldredge, “Beautiful Outlaw”, he takes the life of Jesus and puts it all into context for us. He gives us who Jesus really is, more than just saying he is both God and human. Eldredge lays out that Jesus was not only human, but had real feelings, and was just like you and me.
I absolutely love how Eldredge uses the scripture and intertwines the stories and brings out the hidden treasures. He brings up a point in one chapter that when something is written, something behind those written words get lost in translation. They just don’t get the same context as if you are looking at a person’s face. To actually be able to see Jesus’s playful nature in scripture was eye opening for me. I had always thought Jesus was just this straight laced guy who didn’t really joke around. Eldredge dumps that right out the window showing stories straight from the Bible that show he has quite the sense of humor!
The book goes on to show how Satan is using religion itself to poison the way we should be seeing Jesus. Do you pray “oh high and mighty God,” or do you pray “Abba, Father”? Jesus came so he could know us on a personal level. Eldredge says that most people find Jesus as they expect to experience Him. Most people set boundaries for Jesus, but Jesus wants to just be Jesus.
All we need to do is but to ask Jesus to show us who he really is. By doing so, it will be like when He turned those six stone water jars into 908 bottles of wine! Jesus came to set your heart free, to free us from the religious drapery.
This book is essential In opening your eyes and helping you to gain better insight into the stories in your Bible. Eldredge says “Jesus is not merely a figure for devotions, He is the missing essence of your existence… Whether we know it or not, we are desperate for Jesus”. He also states, “You are meant to share life with him – not just a glimpse now and then at church”. I couldn’t agree more.
To really know and understand Jesus at this level, frees you in ways that you would never think were possible. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are meant to live in His truth. If you are struggling with who Jesus is, or with the loss of a loved one, this book is essential and will open your eyes to the healing Jesus has for you.
I urge all you who are debating on getting this book or not, to not hesitate. This book will change your outlook on Jesus, and He will change your life forever if you just let Him be Himself.

[London B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow…just wow.

This book was incredible. It honestly has changed my life. I have been walking in a dark place mentally and spiritually these past few weeks, maybe even these past few months. This book ushered in the thoughts that have lead to a reconnection with Jesus.

Do yourself a HUGE favor and read this book.

Please.

[Jordan Southerland · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m almost willing to say every believer should read this book. it will change your life. you will see Jesus in a new way that shows how beautiful he is

[Ellie Mouer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shout out to Aunt Julie for gifting me this book! And I'm really sorry I don't love it as much as she does. And I'm sorry to all the John Eldredge fans out there...I'm not one of you. There were certainly some good ideas and impressions he sought to leave on us readers but his voice as a writer is not one to strike me deeply. I also was very wary of the ways he continued to call out religious fog and at times it rubbed me the wrong way. Whichhh he would say is the religious fog in me but I think his down to earth way of talking about how to connect with Jesus is not how everyone connects with him best, there is freedom in it and it doesn't have to look like the way he presents it. That's my best to sum up my thoughts, I'll probably edit this again tomorrow haha

[Jason Neff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most important books I've ever read, and possibly THE most important book. Eldredge captures the person of Jesus in a way I've never seen or heard from the church. He dispels common misconceptions about who Jesus is to us.

The book triumphs with an appeal to look at reading stories about Jesus within the context of his real personality. Otherwise we struggle to absorb a number of separated stories that cause our view of Jesus to be one of confusion. Picturing Jesus with a real personality requires us to depart from what most of us have grasped in our Christian walk - Jesus walking along the streets with children running around him, a look of calm tranquility and peace always over his face. Jesus always passive or Jesus always severe in his dealings with people. If there are extreme attributes you've placed on Jesus that take away from his humanity and your relationship with him, they're most likely addressed here.

Imagine Jesus having a sense of humor. Can you? I admit that because my pursuits of Jesus are many times associated with needs or difficult times that humor never enters my mind. Jesus HAS humor. Eldredge shows you this here.

My primary take away from this book is that Jesus is knowable. He is a really fascinating and dynamic person, and wants to be intimate with you to a degree most of us have never thought possible. Seeing his personality makes me WANT to know him. It brings me out of this "he's up there, I'm down here" thought process that makes him feel far away and distant. I have to read this book again more slowly to fully appreciate the pictures painted about Jesus and the appeals to allow Him into your deepest places to give you life! But reading it once through was absolutely captivating. A stunning book.

Don't miss the opportunity to read this. If I could recommend one book for someone to read if they could never read another book again, this would be it. That's how amazing and influential it was.

P.S. - I caution you to read this book with the understanding that some of the notions you cling to about Jesus will be smashed. At first you may be offended at the feeling that your foundations are being attacked. I didn't have this problem because I don't center myself around Christians with extreme pop culture views of Jesus, but you may feel that way. Before you write it off as offensive, take a moment to ask God if your convictions are based in truth OR based in what you know because that's the community you live in. Have you just embraced what's been preached to you about Jesus all your life without actually stopping to think about whether or not its accurate? This book challenges that quite powerfully. I encourage you to embrace the "shake up" that you'll experience from this book. It's so true! So true. Did I mentioned I loved this book?

[Tina Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I have always had a problem with Jesus. Historically, I read Him as being a little snippy. I preferred the Old Testament to the New. Old Testament God made sense to me. He said no, we did it anyway, we got blasted. Fair enough. Jesus, on the other hand, is much more unpredictable. I just didn't really know what to do with Him. This is not to say that I didn't read the New Testament, I just did so with a little trepidation and not as much open enjoyment. I heard John Eldredge speak at a conference recently, and I thought I would see if this book changed my opinions. It did.
First, this book presented Biblical stories through the context that Jesus has a personality. It suggested that Jesus had a sense of humor, something I never considered. Jesus laughed. It's not recorded, but I'm pretty sure He did. Most of us do. Jesus also was a FRIEND to people. He hugged them, chided them, loved on them. Again, I'm sure He did, I just never considered that either. On this account, this book was genious for me. It presented Jesus as a living, breathing human being that I could relate to. Something I have never considered, but desperately needed.
The theology of this one is a little out there. I'm not sure if I agree with all of it, but it might just be because I've never been presented with it before. He discusses the "religious fog" quite a bit, blaming it for separating us from Jesus. I have to agree with that since I am fairly faithful and have never heard Jesus expressed like He was in this book. However, Mr. Eldredge suggests communicating with Jesus and asking Him to live my life for me, which I find a little unnerving. Not necessarily wrong, just unnerving.
Mr. Eldredge is also deducted for suggesting in his final sentence of the book that we suggest to all our friends to read his book. Shameless self promotion is never acceptable.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapters 1-13 are incredibly valuable for any person's walk with Christ. I would recommend to anyone.

But chapters 14-16 need to be read with a lot of discernment. This is where the book began to go downhill for me. Some misinterpretation of Scripture; too much emphasis and foundation built upon extremely subjective experiences with Christ instead of built upon Scripture; downplaying of the role of the Church, the collective body of Christ... these chapters became rather painful to read, honestly.

Chapter 17 and the epilogue are really great and very worth reading. Just skip over chapters 14-16 and you'll be fine.

Eldredge has some good ideas (though not many new ones here) and is great at making the life and personality of Jesus come alive, and then connecting that life back to us. I love his emphasis on loving Jesus... that's huge for all of us. Eldredge just kinda goes off the crazy-deep end sometimes and needs someone to reel him back in with solid Scripture and doctrine. Seriously, in chapter 15 he makes a statement about churches "fiercely defending" doctrine as if that was a bad thing. Ironically, this is exactly what Eldredge could use a good dose of.
The life Eldredge talks so much about in chapter 17 begs to be founded in firm, sound biblical doctrine, or else we are susceptible to being led astray by what WE think is the life. It is by Scripture revealed through the Spirit that we most primarily can know about Christ and His life. Eldredge forgets this in chapters 14-16.

[Dave Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Challenges Christians to live authentic Christian lives by moving away from religion and into a relationship. Eldridge encourages the reader to take a fresh look at how Jesus related to people as a part of his incarnation. He wants the believer to be rid of the stereotypical Jesus that is often depicted in so much of Christian art that tends to make him unapproachable or aloof.
Conversely, as one reads this book he must remember that Eldridge only relates the humanity of Jesus. After reading it one's desire might be to do completely away with traditional Christianity and build a "Jesus Cabin" in the woods (LOL!). While that might not be a bad idea to consider, followers of Christ must never forget that although Jesus was the Son of Man he was also the Son of God. We must also resist the temptation of an "us against them" mentality, thinking that we alone have the key to an effective Christian life.
I reccommend reading Beautiful Outlaw, if for no other reason than to make you think beyond some of the religious walls that believers have a tendency to build.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished writing a detailed review of this and the site froze and I lost it. So here goes the bulleted form:

-Love Eldredge's heart in this book
-The message of knowing the true Jesus personally rather than following rote religion is near and dear to my heart.
-Eldredge draws out aspects of Jesus that have long been neglected by the majority of the church.
-I think there is an unintentional sense of "out with the old, in with the new" in this book. There is a tone of flippancy when "cliche" aspects of Jesus like his holiness, "old school" titles like "Good Shepherd", and long treasured aspects of the journey of faith like the "dark night of the soul" are discussed.
-I think this book is worth reading but urge readers to be moved to a desire to breathe new life and revitalization into the aspects of Jesus that have become stale to them, rather than abandoning them for the "new" aspects of Jesus that they are now discovering. Both/and, not either/or.

[Gabe McKinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me know and love Jesus more deeply. A fresh perspective with lots to think about. Took a chance on the book and glad I did. Jesus feels way more real.

[Paxton Herod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book dives right into the personality of Jesus and challenged me to see him more of how he is- fierce, true, the most human of all, and even playful!! I loved how the author brought in a lot of scripture (mostly from the gospels) to really bring life to Jesus. I’m excited to read through the gospels and see Jesus and his personality more. This would be a really good book for a new believer who maybe grew up in the church and sees Jesus as a strict religious figure. Generally a good book for anyone wanting to grow closer to Jesus and know him deeper.

[David Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book approached Jesus from a perspective that I haven’t considered very often. One that we do not discuss or engage with much in our churches either. Eldridge does an excellent job of showing that Jesus did have his human side. That he did have a personality. The he is a person who we must come to know and love, not just untouchable God up in the heavens. I highly encourage anyone struggling with their connection to God to pick this book up.

[Chandra Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a eye opening experience!! For those lost in religion trying desperately to find Jesus and not finding him - this is the book for you! John Eldridge has a way of bringing Jesus’ life into todays focus.

[Emma Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

the humility chapter made me cry! I loved certain parts of this book and it did impact me. Some of his anecdotal arguments just didn’t hold up for me 100%. Haley Kidd gave me this book in like 2016. guess now I can finally mail it back to her :’) (sorry Haley)

[Emma Dotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a non fiction book on the character of Jesus, I’d say this is top tier. Far higher ranking than gentle and lowly. This is so much better. Candidly, I’d say it’s a BETTER gentle and lowly plus some Accidental Pharisee mixed in. V good.

[Darrel Hofland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book!
Been a while since I've read Christian literature.

At the moment, not having a "home church" - this was helpful and encouraging.

Some lines that grabbed me:

"Prayer: Lord Jesus, I give my life to you today, to live your life."

"Find those things that help you remember Jesus, turn your heart toward him through the day."

"I love this about you Jesus. Show me this in my life; be yourself with me."

And a very good question:

"What are you looking forward to with Jesus?"

[Alexa Vanderploeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most life-changing books I've ever read .. has completely changed the way I read the Bible & see Jesus .. highly recommend.

[Matthew McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. Especially in recent years, it always jars me to read the New Testament and hear how funny, blunt, alive, real and sassy Jesus actually is, on top of everything else, when we as the so-called Christian community at large have this dumb tendency to set him up as something so much more ethereal and alien. This book is all about removing that religious gloss we've painted him in. I feel like this passage explains it best: "You'll find it hard to receive his life in any great measure if you as the branch keep running off on your own, leaving the Vine behind in order to do life as you please. Honestly, I think this is why we accept such a bland Jesus, or a distant Jesus--he doesn't intrude on our plans."

I highly recommend this book. It's really helped me in the last couple months. :)

[Malin Friess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eldredge's "Beautiful Outlaw" is a one of many recent books that likes to emphasize that Jesus was counter-cultural (Blessed are the poor, the meek, etc), subversive (in Mark Jesus heals but then proclaims, "don't tell anyone what I have done"), and Scandalous (he had dinner with thieves and tax collectors and allowed a prostitute to wash his feet with her hair). So this is a long line of more progressive evangelical books that focus on Jesus and deemphasize "religion" or otherwise known as "Emergent Christianity" books even though that category seems to be vanishing.

I expected a lot from this book. Beautiful Outlaw contends that we have misread the Gospels and lost Jesus' personality. We have lost his trueness, humility, cunning, fierce intention. We have read the Gospels like we often misread e-mails when we can't use the facial cues, volume of voice, and emotion behind the typed words. We don't know the Jesus of the Gospels.

I thought this book fell completely flat. Maybe these chapters would make better sermons, but I found no passion, no new insights in this book. The worst part was it seemed like this book rather than Honor and Worship Jesus..came across as a bad praise and worship song..like a teenage Crush on Jesus..as opposed to worhipping a King, Immanuel, the Incarnation.

Look at this example on page 141:
When I wake up and the sunshine is pouring..I say I love you. A breeze will caress my face so gently and I'll say I love you....When I see a chipmunk or a wave...I love you, I love you, I love you.

Christian writers can and should do better. That is sappy.
1 star for this book.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As John Eldredge illustrates in his book Beautiful Outlaw, Jesus is God. And he is Man. That makes everything he did, is doing, and will do, so amazing. When he says, "there's not anything you could face that I haven't dealt with," he's not joking, or talking in some lofty God-above-it-all way. He's really been there.

Check out the rest of my review/reaction to Chapter 5: The Most Human Face of All at Tatter'd Pages

[Tami Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! If Jesus Christ is important to you and you want to know him, this is a wonderful book that can help you. It doesn't matter what church you go to or what religion you are. If you truly want to know Jesus and not just know of him. If you want to learn how to have him in a more intimate, daily part of your life, then I would suggest this book. This is one that will definitely get read more than once.

[Jonathan Crabb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read from 2023 - This book continues to be very, very strong on the reread. So much so that I am including this on my list of books that I am giving to each of my kids as they leave for college.

I agree with several other readers. I would give this book 6 stars if it was a available. What an amazing book to read, enjoy and contemplate. In many ways this book reflects many of my own thoughts on Jesus, but served to put an excl point on those thoughts. Great read

[Lisa Bien · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that is meant to introduce Jesus in a more playful and friendly light I found this book surprisingly negative. In the author's attempt to reveal a more human Jesus he spends too much time putting down those who have come before him in their religiosity. His view of the gospel, while somewhat different than others, strikes me as being just as rigid as those he criticizes.