Captivating by John Eldredge & Stasi Eldredge
Week 9: Chapter 8 — Beauty to Unveil
Read Chapter 8 of Captivating. Key Scripture: Psalm 45:11; Zechariah 9:17; 1 Peter 3:3–4.
Previewing Week 9 of Captivating
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
Every woman longs to be beautiful — and this chapter reclaims that desire from the world's distortion and reveals it as a holy longing that points to something true about God.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.The Eldredges open this chapter by acknowledging how fraught the topic of beauty is for women — wrapped up in comparison, shame, cultural pressure, and wounds. What is your immediate emotional response to the idea that you have a 'beauty to unveil'?
2.The authors distinguish between the world's version of beauty — external, performance-based, competitive — and the beauty God is after: an inner beauty that flows from a heart at rest in God. How would you describe the difference in your own words?
3.The chapter makes the striking claim that beauty is the essence of what a woman is — not something she does or achieves, but something she is. The Eldredges ground this in the idea that a woman is the image of a beautiful God. How does this claim land for you? What makes it hard to believe?