A Review of The Shack

The Shack
I have been asked by soooooo many people what I think of The Shack. I have told countless people that I would have to wait until I graduated so I would have the time to sit and read the book by Paul Young. I have graduated and I have read it. This post is for those of you have read the book. I am not going to re-tell details or the plot for lack of time/space. I read this book because I have heard so many of my Christian friends passionately tell me that this book has transformed their life. Any Christian fiction is dangerous because we do not know the true authorial intent. What did the author intend? Nonfiction is usually pretty clear. Fiction leaves the intent of the story up to interpretation of the reader. DANGEROUS.

The reason I read this book was not because the intent of the author was clear but because so many people were gaining so many different transforming "truths" from this fictional book. Read these quotes that appear on the official Shack website from readers:

After reading the Shack, I’ll never again see God as the "Abe Lincoln Memorial" I used to invision. A beautiful, big, loving black woman is much more to my liking! Just thinking about a hug from her makes me happy.

The God Journey site , Lifestreams , and other sites that help shift the thought patterns of an abusive god , to the knowledge of a very Loving and concerned God … Big shift …Thanks

A guy that I do not even know told me about it while making a line at a grocery store. He was just amazed about it that it made me curious. I got the book and could not put it down. I am not a Christian, but a Believer in Christ. He is my savior, my ALL in ALL.

I found that each on of my friends and family that read the book came away with it meaning some thing different. Thank You Lord….. Thank you so much for the book.

Other than the Bible, it’s the most important piece of work that I’ve ever read. I’m trying to get everyone else to read it too because it’s so liberating, so full of gentleness, life and love. Exactly as my heart knows Papa is

This book is currently on the top 20 at Amazon. That is why I must write to this. Many people are going to be "affected" by this book.

I got what Young was intending even very early on in his book. He is intending to break some molds that we have formed in the Christian American Church. He is attempting to redefine institutional traditional religion. That in and of itself is not bad, and this issue needs to be addressed. Young is wanting to get God out of the box that most of us have put him in over the years. The problem, as I see it, is that Young went overboard to make a point. I get what he is doing, but he has taken God completely out of THE box. He has taken God out of His own box that He framed Himself in . . . in His own Word.

Young presents an unorthodox Trinitarian theology that personifies God as a woman. Do I really believe that Young thinks that God is a woman? No. However, might other people begin to frame God as a woman and the Holy Spirit as a woman? Absolutely. What is the danger in portraying Abba Father as a woman? Boy, I wish I had the time to explain this. Let me just say that that there is a hierarchy to the Godhead. There is a hierarchy to this earth that God created. Man was created and woman was created as a helpmate. Does that mean God loves man more than woman? No. It does mean that God has given different roles to different people and He has clearly given the role of spiritual leader to the man to imitate and immolate God as the spiritual leader of this world. Have men done a good job of leading our families, nations and the world spiritually? NO, but that does not change the hierarchy that God set up in the beginning. I think that one of the reasons that Young portrayed God as a woman is because he wanted to portray God as a loving God. He wanted readers to feel this loving attribute of God more than any other attribute of God. As a matter of fact, there are really no other attributes of God portrayed in this book. Young has, in a sense, created his own God . . . a God with love and not a God of justice or righteousness. God is a God of love but He is also a God of justice and wrath. Danger Will Robinson. God is 100% good and we are not the definers of good. Another reason that I believe that young portrayed God as a woman is because he wants us to realize that God loves us in such a way that He could choose to show Himself to us in different forms so we in our limited humanness could see Him. Let me explain. Did Moses see God in the burning bush?

What do I find that is good about this book? I love the forgiveness that takes place and I love the relationship (John 17:3) that takes place between Mack and the Triune God. However, the majority of people in this world are not believers and therefore cannot have a relationship with the Godhead until they realize their sin, God’s wrath and punishment for sin (Hell), and redemption through the perfect God-Man (Jesus) who was obedient, even obedient to death, death on a cross. It is through His resurrection that I can be forgiven for my faults.

I also find that Young has pushed the envelope for a reason. The theme of this book is that God loves us. Young does not wish for the critic to call him a liberal. I believe that he wishes that the readers will see how incredibly blessed we are that the God of heaven and earth does love us. This book is meant to expand our minds about the transcendence of God and the fact that transcendent God has chosen to have a relationship with sinful man. He is the Unknown allowing Himself to be Known. Young achieves this.

However, there are so many things that are false in this writing that I cannot leave them alone. On page 145, Jesus says that "Papa is as much submitted to me as I to him." Not true in my Bible. Jesus must submit to God. He can do nothing without the Father (The entire gospel of John). Jesus does not even know when he will be returning—but God does.

On page 145, Jesus says that "in fact, we are submitted to you in the same way." Untrue in my Bible. The Godhead does not submit to humanity.

On the bottom of page 99, Papa says that "Jesus is fully human. Although he is also fully God, he has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything." What about creating the world? Jesus did that. Could a mere human create the world (Colossians 1:16)? What about living in perfection on earth?

Page 120—"I do not need to punish people for sin." Wrong. God cannot let sin go unpunished. He is holy and pure and righteous. Who does Young think sends people to Hell? We all deserve eternal damnation. This statement really blew my mind. Young is on board with so many of his themes—forgiveness, God’s love and the fact that God’s ways are His ways and we may never understand (Job). But sometimes Young acts like he has never read the Bible. I don’t get it. This book has a lot of truth and some big theological mistakes. Dangerous.

Page 110—Jesus says "I am the best way to papa or Sarayu." In John 14:6, Jesus says that there is no other way to the Father except through Him. Surely, Young does not mean that there are other ways/religions that lead to the Father and that Jesus just happens to be the "best" way.

Page 134—Young writes that not believing in Eden is not a fatal mistake. This is a slippery slope at best. If one does not believe all of God’s word than how can he believe any of it?

Page 145—Jesus says that the earth belongs to Him. Actually, the earth was given to Satan and Jesus will take it back on the day of His return.

Page 182—can someone explain this please? Jesus says, "I have no desire to make them Christians." Christian is defined as a Christ follower. What is Young talking about? Jesus desires to make those who the Father has chosen, Christians (John 17:24)! Maybe Young meant that he had no desire to make them religious???

Page 182—Young jumps on institutionalized church by saying that many have come to me who "are not a part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions." How can one be a Christ follower and not submit and love His church? The Book of Acts is very clear that we are to meet together in corporate worship. This is where Young misses the point. He has been hurt by "institutionalized church" at some point. He is now a bigger part of the problem instead of the solution. Let me explain. Say I told my buddy that I like him as my friend and that I would love to spend time with him but that I refuse to spend time with him if his wife is around. Don’t you think my buddy would be offended? Well, he should be. I am defaming his wife. I am telling him that he has chosen badly. I am knocking his mate. The church, the corporate body of believers who meet to worship along side each other on Sunday mornings is the bride of Christ. If you do not love His church then you cannot love Him! Are churches broken? Yes! There are people in them. Would Christ have us abandon His bride or attempt to fix her?

Young does admit proudly, on his website, that he is "not connected, or a part, or a member of, or involved inside any sort of organization or movements anywhere." We are called, as Christians, to be a part of the Kingdom movement (Matthew 28:19,20, Acts 1:8). Look, I think that Young does a great job of making his points on forgiveness, God’s love, and the fact that we must trust God even when He does not change circumstances that hurt us. This is what Young was trying to convey and I commend him for doing just that.

He says on his website that he is not a universalist and so I take him at his word, thinking that he must have accidentally used the word "best" on page 110. Listen, I think this is a good piece of fiction that relates many true attributes of God. However, people who have never read the Bible (many of which sit on our church pews) are raving about this book and sharing it with their friends like it is the gospel. I am more upset with these people then I am with Paul Young. When is the last time you gave a Bible to a friend? When is the last time you shared the Good News? God is accurately portrayed in all of His ways/attributes in the Bible and it is not fiction (even the part about Eden). Have you even ever read it?