I never read book reviews before I read a popular book. I like to read without preconceived notions or prior expectations Therefore, I had no idea of the controversy I was getting involved in when I decided to read The Shack by William P. Young.
I was born and raised in a Southern Baptist Church, discipled by godly men and women, and taught sound doctrine and theology through the years. However, studying God’s Holy Word on my own, having a personal relationship with Jesus and lead by the Holy Spirit, I hold my own convictions and beliefs that does not necessarily match my SB upbringing. This sometimes makes me unpopular with the masses. That is okay. I have learned to embrace my difference. I am just being completely honest here so please do not tune me out before you hear the whole song. After a lot of studying, praying and discussion with my Heavenly Father, He helped me concluded that my personal relationship with His Son Jesus was the most important aspect of my belief and anything outside of that, including church involvement, which interferes in my relationship with His Son, is not the best way. This is not to say I am not involved in a local Bible teaching church, because I am. I teach a Middle School Girls Sunday School class and attend a weekly worship service. I just happen not to agree with the philosophy that you need to be in a building seven days a week to experience God nor do I agree with the guilt trips church leaders lay on members to participate in every activity God lays on someone’s heart to organize. The Church dwells within people, not the confines of a building. Unless I am sure that the Holy Spirit directs my participation in an activity, I am not involved in every Bible Study, ministry outreach, committee, or worthy event. If I were, I would never have time to nourish the personal relationship I believe God desires for every man, woman and child, not to mention the time to nurture the relationship with my husband and children. I have learned that I cannot live my life constantly doing things. I need to be still. This is also not to say I never reach out to doubters or unbelievers. God is always putting someone in my path to share His Love.
With all that said, I am very surprised at some of the reviews I have read since reading The Shack. Just to give you a little background about the author you can read this. It will give you an idea of where he is coming from. In addition, the fact that this is a work of FICTION and a product of the author’s imagination should cause the reader from the start not to take the book literally. It is an allegory and should not be taken as a Biblical record.
The story is about a man named Mack who loses his five-year-old daughter in a horrible kidnapping and murder, then becomes angry with God, and asks the age-old question, “Why?” What human has never asked this question? God (or Papa in this story) invites Mack to meet him in the shack where the murder occurred. The story that develops is Mack’s encounter with the Trinity and eventual personal healing from his little girl’s death. Papa appears to Mack as a large African woman, Jesus as a Middle Eastern Jewish man who is a carpenter and the Holy Spirit as an Asian woman named Sarayu (meaning wind and relating to Pentecost). While I believe in God as a Father, some popular leaders are taking great issue with God being a woman in this story. The author makes it clear that Mack had a bad relationship with his abusive earthly father and could not relate to a loving Heavenly Father. This story line eventually teaches that God can become all things to help people come to the saving knowledge of His Son Jesus. It is not teaching that God is a woman. Nor is it teaching all religions lead to God, which is the other issue rearing its head. On the contrary, I believe the author is trying to say that Jesus will “travel any road to find you.” Jesus is the only road to God the Father. The hierarchy of the Trinity is also in question and being called heresy. The Bible clearly teaches that God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit are equal although Jesus said many times, “I do only what the Father tells me to do,” and thus, He also does in this story.
I was born and raised in a Southern Baptist Church, discipled by godly men and women, and taught sound doctrine and theology through the years. However, studying God’s Holy Word on my own, having a personal relationship with Jesus and lead by the Holy Spirit, I hold my own convictions and beliefs that does not necessarily match my SB upbringing. This sometimes makes me unpopular with the masses. That is okay. I have learned to embrace my difference. I am just being completely honest here so please do not tune me out before you hear the whole song. After a lot of studying, praying and discussion with my Heavenly Father, He helped me concluded that my personal relationship with His Son Jesus was the most important aspect of my belief and anything outside of that, including church involvement, which interferes in my relationship with His Son, is not the best way. This is not to say I am not involved in a local Bible teaching church, because I am. I teach a Middle School Girls Sunday School class and attend a weekly worship service. I just happen not to agree with the philosophy that you need to be in a building seven days a week to experience God nor do I agree with the guilt trips church leaders lay on members to participate in every activity God lays on someone’s heart to organize. The Church dwells within people, not the confines of a building. Unless I am sure that the Holy Spirit directs my participation in an activity, I am not involved in every Bible Study, ministry outreach, committee, or worthy event. If I were, I would never have time to nourish the personal relationship I believe God desires for every man, woman and child, not to mention the time to nurture the relationship with my husband and children. I have learned that I cannot live my life constantly doing things. I need to be still. This is also not to say I never reach out to doubters or unbelievers. God is always putting someone in my path to share His Love.
With all that said, I am very surprised at some of the reviews I have read since reading The Shack. Just to give you a little background about the author you can read this. It will give you an idea of where he is coming from. In addition, the fact that this is a work of FICTION and a product of the author’s imagination should cause the reader from the start not to take the book literally. It is an allegory and should not be taken as a Biblical record.
The story is about a man named Mack who loses his five-year-old daughter in a horrible kidnapping and murder, then becomes angry with God, and asks the age-old question, “Why?” What human has never asked this question? God (or Papa in this story) invites Mack to meet him in the shack where the murder occurred. The story that develops is Mack’s encounter with the Trinity and eventual personal healing from his little girl’s death. Papa appears to Mack as a large African woman, Jesus as a Middle Eastern Jewish man who is a carpenter and the Holy Spirit as an Asian woman named Sarayu (meaning wind and relating to Pentecost). While I believe in God as a Father, some popular leaders are taking great issue with God being a woman in this story. The author makes it clear that Mack had a bad relationship with his abusive earthly father and could not relate to a loving Heavenly Father. This story line eventually teaches that God can become all things to help people come to the saving knowledge of His Son Jesus. It is not teaching that God is a woman. Nor is it teaching all religions lead to God, which is the other issue rearing its head. On the contrary, I believe the author is trying to say that Jesus will “travel any road to find you.” Jesus is the only road to God the Father. The hierarchy of the Trinity is also in question and being called heresy. The Bible clearly teaches that God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit are equal although Jesus said many times, “I do only what the Father tells me to do,” and thus, He also does in this story.
There are other issues, but I am not going to go through all of them. It sure makes me think that the leaders who are speaking so loudly against the book might have books of their own, which are not selling. They are the same leaders who ranted against The Di Vinci Code being so heretical and painted a dark picture of Jesus and the Catholic church. Now someone publishes a book that tells the opposite story and the critics still can not be pleased. Few and far between are well written Christian fiction books that portrays God as Love who created us to have a personal relationship with Him and sent His son to die and close the gap that sin caused between God and man. I am not sure I understand their thought process.
Anyway, I liked the story. It made me think outside the box. It confirmed that I am not alone in my convictions. It is a story that God can use to draw hurting people into a relationship with His Son Jesus where He can then do a mighty work in their lives. God reveals himself through others, nature, and ultimately in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ whose true story is found only in the Bible. Occasionally, a fiction book appears on the scene that God uses to draw men/women to Jesus. I think The Shack might be one of those books. I encourage you to read it and draw your own conclusion and I would love to hear your opinion.
Papa if I am wrong, then let your Holy Spirit move my heart in a different direction and prevent me from becoming a stumbling block to any person looking for you. Amen.
3 comments:
Great comments. Don't you just love living "out of the box". I've learned so much on my own, so many areas I had so wrong. Funny huh? Have you read "Same Kind of Different As Me" If not, put it on your list next. It is absolutely INCREDIBE! Read it and let me know what you think.
Thanks Amy for the positive feedback. I know you can very much relate to what I tried to say. I'll be sure and get the book "Same Kind of Different As Me," then post a review here. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for pointing out how much we have in common. The Shack was life changing for me. I could have chose to pick it apart and talk about how out of the box it was, but instead I just decided to ingest it. Just took it in and let God do the work from there. The part on expectancy vs.expectations has been the biggest change for me. It freed me. I went into Same Kind of Different with the knowledge that it was "the best book" several people had ever read in their life. Like literally. So,I had too high of expectations. That said, I thought it was excellent and should required reading for all! :)
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