Epic Study Guide

by John Eldredge, Craig McConnell

Experience the Story that God is telling! In Epic , a retelling of the gospel in four acts, John Eldredge invites us to revisit the drama of life, viewing God not only as the author but also as the lead actor, exploring His motives and His heart. In Epic Study Guide , Eldredge examines the power of story, the universal longing for a "plot" that makes sense deep inside us, our desire for a meaningful role to play, our love of books and movies, and how all of this points us to the gospel itself.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian Living

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Patrick Miller]

Much like many of Eldredge's books, there are some serious theological miscomunications (especially at the end, where he contorts the gospel story into his normal three-fold gospel of enemy-to-beat/beauty-to-rescue/adventure-to-have.

That said, he actually does a rather good job of laying out the Biblical story, using lots of contemporary cultural references. It's a simple book, and I think it's simplicity makes it a great place for people who want the basic story of the gospel to find it. Moreover, it's simplicity prevents Eldredge's questionable theology from becoming to prominent.

[Bela Soria · Rating 3 out of 5]

a 3.5, lots I really enjoyed & some I just didn’t agree with the way it was communicated. If I could I would print out chapter 2 & pass it out to everyone, he does an excellent job of communicating the seriousness of not only our sin but our separation from God. We live in a generation that doesn’t hate sin, that dosnet grieve the depravity that separates us from our Father. Here he effectively communicated why sin should be hated & fought every second of every day to be put off. That is the most important chapter of this book & why I would suggest even just reading this chapter.

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding book! It's spectacular! Eldredge conveys that each one of us plays a significant role in a large, eternal story. Each of us are important. Eldredge asserts that every great story, or movie that has shaped us, shaped our culture does so because it is a reflection of Christianity and Christianity is a reflection of reality. Well worth reading again and again.

[Carolee DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good information.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to choose one word to describe this little book it would be "encouraging." Eldredge used famous epics (Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, etc.) to reflect the epic that God has written for our own lives. I highly recommend this short book to anyone who needs encouragement. Although, do NOT read this unless you have read "The Lord of the Rings," "The Chronicles of Narnia," and "The Tempest" and are familiar with "Star Wars," "The Matrix," and "The Titanic."

The following are two passages that I particularly enjoyed:

"Every story has a villain because yours does.
Though most of you do not live like it.
Most people do not live as though the Story has a Villain, and that makes life very confusing. How have we missed this?" - p. 29

"The dilemma of the Story is this: we don't know if we want to be rescued. We are so enamored with our small stories and our false gods, we are so bound up in our addictions and our self-centeredness and take-it-for-granted unbelief that we don't even know how to cry out for help. And the Evil One has no intention of letting his captives walk away scot-free. He seduces us, deceives us, assaults us - whatever it takes to keep us in the darkness." - p. 63

[Christy Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Epic, by John Eldredge, has an important message: We long to be part of something epic, which leads us to God. The author explains how every story has the same essential components and those are the same components originally found in the story of God—everything is beautiful, an Adversary interferes, an epic battle ensues, and good prevails. He compares it to a four-act play.

The short book isn’t as epic as I’d hoped. I couldn’t help but feel I’d read it all before—verbatim. I thumbed through a couple of Eldgredge’s other books, but couldn’t easily pick out a single chapter to say, “That’s it.” But the endless movie references, theological quotes, and personal experiences from his life all sounded too familiar.

This review, along with additional book quotes, first appeared on my blog, ChristyBower.com.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, yet I felt like Eldredge relied too much on quotes from the Bible or other Christian writers. The overall message is good...but I'd like to have heard more of how the EPIC relates to his personal life. The book was also over before it got going. The epilogue was what I found most interesting.

[Jill Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

God blesses us with what we need at just the right time. This book was assigned reading for members of the Vision Committee at our church. It was assigned a month ago and I needed to read by May 15. So you can tell, my reading was last minute. It turned out to be perfect timing. Thought provoking, inspiring, uplifting, quick read! I look forward to reading it again.

[Amarta Adi · Rating 4 out of 5]

luka terdalam dari semua orang adalah ketika kedudukan sebagai 'yang dicintai' berubah menjadi 'tidak lagi dicintai'.

[Aneta Jackowska-Musiol · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would do no harm if this book hadn't been written.

[Andrew Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was disappointed...

[Jewell Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is PLOT and we are in it! Where are you in the story God has already written?