Wild At Heart And The Mexican Drug Cartel

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This is one of those strange stories that give truth the phrase, "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Apparently, there is a Mexican drug cartel who assigns mandatory readings of the book Wild At Heart by an American named, Elridge

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 05154.html

Drawing from an unlikely source, La Familia Michoacana bases its ideology in part on the book "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Ransomed Heart Ministries.

And Eldredge sees the gang's use of his book in a positive light.

"At first, I was really mad that they hijacked my book for their purposes," he said. "But on second thought . . . maybe it will touch the hearts of the people who use [it]."

Nazario Moreno González, known in Mexico as "el Mas Loco" (the Craziest One), runs La Familia with rigid discipline and a pseudo-evangelical spirit. La Familia is known in Mexico, a nation plagued by drug-related bloodshed, for its extreme violence.

According to Time magazine, while Moreno González was ferrying cocaine to the United States in the 1990s, he was influenced by Latino evangelicals and images of the mafia in "The Godfather" films. Later, he returned to Mexico with a sense of religious justification -- and Eldredge's book.

The book has become central to La Familia's recruitment strategy and group mentality.

For recruits, the cartel turns to addicts in drug rehabilitation clinics, helping them overcome addiction before forcing them to join the group. Family values and religion are emphasized during the recruitment process, which includes daily group prayer sessions and mandatory readings.

Included in the readings is Eldredge's book, Spanish translations of which have been found during police raids of La Familia strongholds.

Eldridge's theology is based on a "muscular" view of Christianity, one that emphasizes an "authentic masculinity" that has been lost, he said, in modern Christian theology. He said it is meant to "champion an understanding of masculinity that is not passive."

Writers aren't always to blame for the way their words can be misconstrued. But it is surreal that Drug Lords would assign his book to their members. It is even stranger that the writer thinks that this might be a good thing.

ransomedheart.com/ This is the site for the writer's ministry.

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beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2005/09/Theres-Something-Fierce-In-The-Heart-Of-A-Woman.aspx

Elridge and his wife wrote a book for women. I'm tired of people telling me what I am supposed to feel or think as a woman.

Even though this particular book is geared toward women, I would imagine that Wild at Heart would have contained similar messages. However, I still don't understand why a drug cartel would find it useful. That is just odd.

JE:

And yet, they're distinctly masculine and distinctly feminine. In fact, in "Wild at Heart," I said every man wants a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. And in "Captivating"-

SE:

-every woman wants to be romanced; every woman wants to play an irreplaceable role in a heroic adventure, not just to be useful but to be irreplaceable; and every woman longs to have a beauty that's all her own to unveil, both an external beauty and an internal beauty as well. To be the beauty and to offer beauty.

I'll tell you something a bit embarrasing about myself. When I was a kid, I wanted to be the hero, but in the movies and tv of the time, most women needed rescuing. So, I would pretend that I was boy saving some damsel. It never occured to me that I could be a girl saving a prince.

SE:

I think there are days when every woman on the planet Earth would love to have a man come up on a white horse and whisk her away. But that's not the reality of our lives, and women are not victims. We're not weak women saying, "Rescue me, I can't handle my life."

As a woman, your job is not to be passive, but to become all the woman that you are meant to be, to play your irreplaceable role. Don't diminish the vulnerability in you, which is a lovely and needed part of being a woman.

JE:

Women can be very strong and they can be valiant; that's why we have a chapter on warrior princesses. But one of the essential qualities of femininity is vulnerability. When a woman forsakes her vulnerability because she's been hurt or because she lives in a dangerous world or doesn't want to be used, she loses something essential about being a woman. And we want to encourage her, "don't do that." It takes great courage to be vulnerable. It takes enormous strength to be a real woman.

SE:

Nor are we saying that women should be vulnerable in every area of their lives and with every person.

Your book speaks in terms of pursuing and being pursued. In society today, it's not always a given that men are pursuers-or want to be. Where does this leave women?

JE:

That passivity on the part of men is not a good thing. That's wounded masculinity, and that's why "Wild at Heart" is trying to get guys to take initiative. Hello, give her a call, right? Buy a ring! Make a

move

, buddy!

SE:

One of woman's greatest powers is the power of invitation. Just by virtue of being a woman, the way she's living her life, determines what she's inviting others to. If she's a very controlling, afraid woman, she's inviting others to

not

risk anything and certainly asking them not to be vulnerable with her. If she's driven, she's inviting you to being driven. If it's done with wisdom, there's a very cunning way that a woman can arouse and lure a man to move, to become a man.

[jjmennonite]

So another family has found a way to make money off of their religion. At least these guys make money, as opposed to some of the folk we discuss. Nothing wrong with the drug cartel using their books - more money for the 'ministry'.

The Eldridge used to work for focus on the family - that says a lot.

He is running his boot camp in South Africa - even gives locals a lower price - what a generous heart. Maybe he can give scholarships when the drug cartel starts donating to him.

Wonder what they do in boot camp - it is for men only and

Due to the intimate and personal nature of the content, this event cannot be viewed as a Father/Son event. We strongly encourage fathers and sons to attend, but they will need to participate in different events, at least for each of their first experiences of this retreat. Due to the nature and depth of the content and experience, Wild at Heart is not designed for youth. You must have completed high school or be at least eighteen years of age to attend.

He does not ping my gaydar like Douggy (Doug Phillips is a tool.)

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So another family has found a way to make money off of their religion. At least these guys make money, as opposed to some of the folk we discuss. Nothing wrong with the drug cartel using their books - more money for the 'ministry'.

The Eldridge used to work for focus on the family - that says a lot.

He is running his boot camp in South Africa - even gives locals a lower price - what a generous heart. Maybe he can give scholarships when the drug cartel starts donating to him.

Wonder what they do in boot camp - it is for men only and

He does not ping my gaydar like Douggy (Doug Phillips is a tool.)

know that Philips and crew went to Peru to discuss men being men. Somehow I don't see him approaching members of a drug cartel with the same purpose. Although, his ego is pretty big.