The books Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge have become run away best-sellers in Christian bookstores. In Captivating, the authors propose that "Every little girl has dreams of being rescued by her hero, of being swept away into a great adventure, of being the beautiful princess." What makes books like these so appealing? Is their attractiveness scriptural or cultural?

The "Captivating" workshop Christians for Biblical Equality offered at Cornerstone Music Festival overflowed with people who were eager to hear a Christian egalitarian perspective on these popular books. CBE staff member, Julia Butcher, critiqued their emphasis on romance, roles, and outer beauty which do not begin to scratch the surface of the abundant life available to men and women in Christ. She shares her own experiences with these books as well as critically examines them in the light of gender essentialism, scripture use, and cultural influences.