Worship in HD

I recently finished “The Shack” by Wm. Paul Young.  It’s a controversial book garnering quite a bit of attention in Christian circles.  I actually enjoyed it, for the most part, and the difference, I believe, is that I approached it the right way.  Warning: There may be some mild spoilers in this post, nothing to ruin the book but enough so that you may miss a surprise or two.

After reading the book, I have four things to point out for you to consider:

1. The first part of the book was very good reading.  It drew me in with the desire to find out what the main character’s (Mack) “Great Sadness” was.  Once the Great Sadness is revealed, the author fast forwards back to the present where Mack travels into the mountains to meet God (who wrote Mack a note to come meet Him for the weekend).  Once at “the shack” Mack does find God there - all three of Him. And the first shocker of the book - God is a woman!  Well, that’s how He chooses to reveal Himself.  I think this probably makes a lot of people uncomfortable.  Although it was odd at first, I have to say I actually understood why the author did it.  Aside from the fact that God is neither male nor female (we are ALL made in his likeness), there are many Scripture references that describe God’s attributes in a feminine emphasis, including one of His names, El Shaddai.  I think the author’s reasons were two-fold for this.  First, God manifesting himself (there I go) as a woman was important for Mack specifically as he searched to find God and how He fit into Mack’s life.  Second, I believe the author wanted to get the point across that God is NOTHING like what we imagine.  I think he just wanted to mix things up and make you think about your preconceptions of what and who God is.

2. In general, once Mack was with “Papa” (his wife’s name for God), I did feel like the author was just trying too hard to make the conversations sound, well, insightful.  It seemed to me like Papa was saying things that were meant to be deep and meaningful, but they didn’t make sense.  Now perhaps they simply went over my head, but I tend to be very critical and I just felt like there wasn’t any meat…at first.  The chapter that turned the tide for me was Chapter 11 - “Here Come Da Judge” - which is over halfway through the book.  If you don’t read the book that chapter alone is worth the price of admission, in my opinion.  And after that chapter, there were a few gems thrown in right up until the end.

3. One of my favorite “gem’s” from the book was God’s comment about His involvement on earth, and the good and bad things that happen.  God tells Mack, “just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies.  Don’t ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I needed it to accomplish my purposes.  That will only lead you to false notions about me.  Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.”  Now, I don’t want to start a theological debate and get into the 5 points of Calvanism.  I love how simply this was put, and I do agree with what he’s saying.

4. By admission of the author, this is a work of FICTION.  Everyone needs to understand that before they read it.  It’s not a theological masterpiece, it’s just a fictional book - a story - that’s meant to answer some difficult questions about life that many people face.  When you read it with this in mind, it helps the reader get over anything that might make them uncomfortable theologically.  One more note on this point - along with the book, I was given a print out from Wayne Jacobsen, a friend of the author, who helped him develop the concept and I believe helped publish the book.  It was a “rebuttal” to some of the rumors going around about the book, and I found it a great place to start.  I also found the book consistent with his descriptions and explanations.  You can find it here.

And last of all, read the book for yourself, I highly recommend it. You can find it here: The Shack (Special Hardcover Edition).