I came into this book with much trepidation. It was a best-seller that was setting the conservative religious community abuzz. The words “heresy” and “blasphemy” litter the landscape in proximity to the mention of this book. Summary: The Shack is about a guy (Mack) whose little daughter is abducted and murdered by a serial pedophile killer. Years later (in which time Mack describes as “The Great Sadness”), Mack encounters God in the very shack where his daughter’s life was taken. The bulk of the novel covers three days of conversations between Mack, and God “the Father” (who predominantly appears as an African American woman), the “Son” (a Middle Eastern fun loving carpenter) and the “Holy Spirit” (an ethereal Asian lady).
My feeling is that most people are initially disturbed by Young’s portrayal of the Trinity, but I think he does a decent job of making the concept of the Trinity palpable and manageable. In the end, when we try to describe God, we always come up short. Young covers a lot of theological territory in this book but I wouldn’t label anything as “unsound”. And I’ll admit it.....I came close to tears several times in this book. There is a beauty and a grace that Young employs in this story that engaged me both emotionally and spiritually.
2 comments:
I'm reading it now...so far so good. It definatly makes you think!
Amber
I read The Shack last summer, then read Mike Moses' (Lake Forest Church) blog about it and found it to be very much in line with my perspectives. I thought you might enjoy this:
June 28, 2008
The Shack book
This book is quite the buzz. Not just in the so-called Christian market, but it has also debuted #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for paperbacks. I just added it to 'books beside my bed' on this blog, but I actually read it some time ago. There was an article about the author in today's newspaper in the Faith section. Check it out.
When books or movies are the word-of-mouth rage of Christian America, usually I don't like it. Don't know why, that's how it is. Maybe because I read and watch everything through two grids - my own grid as a long-time Christian, and my intuitive grid of a hungry-for-God-but-not-yet-worshipping-Him person - people for whom I have great compassion and take into account in all of my leadership, preaching and writing.
I loved this book. I heard two primary critiques from others. The grace in this book is too big. And theological weight. Let me comment, please.
1. The big grace. If you can imagine 'grace' and 'love' bigger than the grace and love of the God of the Bible and of Jesus Christ - then you have misunderstood the God who communicates to you through the Bible. There is no bigger grace than that offered in Jesus and written of in the Scriptures. If an author experiments with new/fresh/expansive conceptions of that grace, as long as it is anchored in the person and work of Jesus, they are incapable of offending me, blowing my mind, or threatening my faith. I say bring it. Make it bigger.
2. Theological weight. Most comments (by supposed Christian spokesmen on the radio, who I NEVER appointed as my spokesman, so I am outraged!) focus around a desire for more theological precision and gravity in this. I have a comment that is strengthened by reading the author's biography in today's news (son of missionaries, survivor of sexual abuse...). Here's what I think about theology. Good theology is ONLY accomplished by those who put in the time/sweat/money/thought of a theological education. I am an emerging church voice FOR theologically educated pastor/preachers.
But GREAT theology is when the educated/meditative Biblical theologian engages in speculative or imaginative theology. (My favorite examples: CS Lewis and the Space Trilogy - a reimagination of The Fall of Man - set in space; Tolkien and the first chapter of The Silmarilion - the most sublime commentary on Genesis 1-3 in existence, in fictional Middle Earth) That is what I see the Shack doing. Moving beyond doctrine into poetic imagination. Wow. It is truly beautiful and shocking at times.
My primary critique of the book is an echo of a Lake Forest person (sorry, I can't remember who to give credit to), who suggested that the wonderful picture of the Trinity might have felt more complete if there was a moment of absolute terror in the presence of a holy God by the protagonist. I agree. That would be consistent with every recorded human encounter with the divine in the Scriptures (except those encountering the en-fleshed Jesus).
I hope you will read this book. And think. And pray.
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