The Shack

I really wasn't going to do this, but lately, it seems almost unavoidable. Every day this week someone has brought it up. On a blog, in a conversation, over the phone, in the chiropractor's office ... it seems rare to make it very far through my schedule without encountering someone who wants to talk about this book, The Shack.

So far, I've encountered two polarized reactions. Conservative evangelical "theologians" hate it, decry it as heretical, and denounce any who would call it good. Others, perhaps less theologically astute, love it. They're enchanted by a well-crafted story, they're captivated by the idea of a God who's love is extravagant beyond their wildest imagination, and they're ready to talk about it.

I don't write book reviews. I wouldn't know where to start. All I can write are my own thoughts and opinions about what I experienced when I read the book and some of my conversations with others who've read it.

A) This is a work of fiction, a finely crafted story that was never intended to be a theological textbook. Period. Most of my beloved theologians follow that sentence with but ... No. There's not a but. That's all it is. When you get all steamed up and outraged over William P. Young's misrepresentation of the trinity, you're turning the book and the author into much more than either was every purporting to be.

B) Don't throw the perpetual baby out with the bath water. If you must, engage readers in a discussion about trinitarian theology. As Christian leaders, if our people do not have a solid enough understanding of biblical theology to discern fact from fiction, that's our fault, something we must seek to reconcile. Just do me a favor -- keep it interesting. Too often I've seen discussions of our wonderful, mysterious Triune God either bore people to sleep or confuse them beyond the ability to even contribute to the discussion. This is a great, marvelous mystery of our faith. Treat it as the awesome thing that it is. However, in your race to clarify the biblical nature of the Trinity, don't miss the other messages, perhaps the greater messages of The Shack.

C) You want to know what stuck with me after I read this book? This great, mysterious Triune God loves me with an outrageously extravagant love and seeks to make Himself known to me at my deepest point of need, in my greatest place of pain, and even when I'm not even sure I want to know Him. That is an incredible story -- straight out of scripture, I believe. (Romans 5:8, John 3:16, John 15:16)

D) William P. Young used one of the most horrific crimes imaginable as a backdrop to tell this story of extravagant love and grace and to address the issues of human grief, anger, helplessness, fear, and raw pain. And, he managed to do it in a way that didn't make a Sovereign God out to be the bad guy. That's rare these days, really rare.

E) I'm almost done, I promise. This book was passed to me by a friend who couldn't get past the introduction of the God the Father character being a large black woman named Papa. I hesitate to address this because I know I'm skating on very thin ice. I do not condone referring to God as "mother." I believe that God chose to reveal Himself to us in scripture using masculine language with reason and purpose. However, I also see throughout scripture where God possesses all of the nurturing traits of a loving, protective parent often associated with a mother. Every day, I work with women who never stood a chance of rightly relating to God as heavenly "father" because of the horrendous examples of fathers placed before them on this earth. A similar problem is presented for the main character in The Shack, a very painful, broken, guilt-laden relationship with his earthly father makes relating to his Heavenly Father almost impossible. Why then are we so outraged at the idea that God might choose make Himself known to a hurting child in a way that might be more readily understood? I'd be surprised to hear that William P. Young believes God is a woman, but I would not be surprised to hear that he used a physical description to help us understand a spiritual reality. When I was broken, God made Himself known to me as Comfort. When I was errant, He disciplined me with the firm hand of a Father. When I was restless, He spoke Peace over me. And, when I was a captive, my Rescuer was mighty to save. Much like the story in this book, as the main character's understanding of God and relationship with God changes, so does the way that God makes Himself known to him. It's a dynamic relationship. Hopefully, just like your relationship with God.

I'm not willing to call The Shack a great Christian classic or put it up on a literary pedestal with The Pilgrim's Progress or In His Steps. It's not a hill I'm willing to die on, either. I will not be breaking fellowship with those of you who disagree with me. If you haven't read this book, I am not encouraging you to do so. I can think of plenty of other, less controversial, more biblically accurate literature on which you could spend your leisure time. But, for those of you who have read it, and are dialoguing about it, I wanted to give you some things to consider.