The Shack- A review of the controversy

Not all things can be taken at face value- sometimes you must dig a bit deeper

*** Spoiler alert- I am going to be writing my thoughts about The Shack, by William P. Young. In this review/discussion, some of the details of the book will be revealed. Some may not have read the book, some may not care to. I pray that my discussion will at least pique your curiosity to investigate it for yourself, but I do apologize for any plot revelations. ***

Things are not always what they seem. At least that has been my experience in life. As soon as I think I have a situation/person figured out, they shock the daylights out of me. Some things in life are predictable; we know the sun will rise each morning, most of us have our "routine", but there are times when life just surprises.

I was given a copy of the book, The Shack by William P. Young, from a friend at church who told me, "this book has changed my life; you should read it". I took it from her happily, being a lover of books of any kind. But when I sat down to read this one, something was different. I could not get into it. I would pick it up and read a few chapters, get frustrated, and then just put it away. I was going through a really dark time in my life, and the thought of reading anything else about how "God would help me" or "God would speak to me" made me cringe. I know we all go through these times. My professor recently did a lecture on this in my Authentic Christianity class during a study on Solitude. He references the "dark night of the soul"- a concept originally discussed by Saint John of the Cross, a Roman Catholic Priest. That was certainly my experience at that time, and reading this book was just not on the radar.

Eventually the clouds lifted somewhat. Life took on a bit more normalcy in routine, and I found this book again. Or should I say- it found me. I am well aware of the level of controversy swarming though both Christian and non-Christian circles regarding this story. As I did not read the book when it first hit shelves in 2009, I don't know if the same intensity existed then. But with the recent release of the movie version, the pot has certainly been stirred. My point in this post is not so much to "review" the book. There are plenty of great reviews, from both sides of the spectrum of belief, that you can find on the internet. What I would like to do here is discuss some points of controversy- and explain how, if we look a little deeper, we might find some meaning that God can use to change our lives- at least He did with me.

1. God portrayed as a woman- or the "femininity of God" in general- I know this is a big one for most people. Believe me, I take a firm stance on what I believe about Biblical roles, both in and out of the church, for men and women. I don't believe one sex is better than the other; and I don't believe God does either. He created us, male and female; assigning each of us a specific sex. He gave each of us parts to play in this thing called life. He has a perfect plan- we messed it up. Thank God He was willing to clean up our mess and invite us to do life with Him!

We need to understand the reason behind why God the Father is depicted in female form for much of the book, from the standpoint of the story line. The character of "Mack" was a child of abuse, suffering horribly at the hand of an alcoholic father, and watching his mother do the same. If God had attempted to approach him in male form- he likely would have balked and not been receptive to the truth needing to be conveyed. I too, was a bit taken aback by the character structure when I first started reading. But as I moved past the setup- and just started listening to what was being said, God really spoke to me about a truth I know is Scriptural- God will stop at nothing to reach us! He will meet us where we are- and minister to us there. I needed that. I really needed that when the book was first handed to me, but I was not ready for it then. I am so thankful that He persevered to reveal that truth to me through this work- to know that God loves me that much. One quote that stuck out to me from the character of God was His statement, "I am especially fond of you". It still rings in my heart. He truly loves each of us, and wants to help us untangle the mess we have made, or was made for us, in our lives.

2. The Trinity- and the "unification" within- Some circles contend that to believe God exists as three unique entities, yet is still one God, is heresy. The definition of "trinity" is not specifically stated in the Bible- and yet it does get revealed. Countless times throughout Scripture, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are referenced together. As my pastor has so eloquently pointed out numerous times, there are many places we miss in Scripture where God is actually referring to Himself in different forms (ex. Psalm 110:1 "The Lord (God Father) said to my Lord (Jesus Son)- sit at My (God Father) right hand until I make Your (Jesus Son) enemies a footstool under Your feet")

Whatever your personal approach to the Trinity- the way it is portrayed in this book makes people a bit uncomfortable. There is much chatter about the "irreligious way" the three persons of the Godhead interplay, and cases have been made that God the Father is actually given a somewhat "common" role between the three. Nothing could be farther from the truth, as both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are in submission to Father God, or "Papa", as He is referred to in the story (even in the female form He is expressed through).

We must realize, however, that to capture the essence of an unlimited God in limited form is extremely difficult. As already stated above, the depiction of God as a "woman" just serves to show that He is willing to reach anyone- wherever they are. The depiction of Jesus the Son appears pretty true to form- He is a young, Jewish carpenter; full of vitality and life, and much wisdom. We are really shown in this book what it looks like for Jesus to be a friend, or a brother. His interaction with Mack is extremely relational, and yet He still carries authority in their conversations. The Holy Spirit, named in the book "Sarayu" (also meaning "wind"), appears almost translucent, being all places at once. Seems pretty appropriate to me- seeing how that is the experience we have with the Holy Spirit- He moves about according to the will of the Father- and "breathes" on us with truth and fire. This truth ministered to me greatly- The Holy Spirit is the "wind" of God- that blows upon me in wisdom. In comfort. In power. In truth. And He truly does want to grow something beautiful in my heart and life.

The thought that God could exist in this way is often more than our feeble human minds can register. Just like any other lofty concept by an "unlimited" God (Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.")- we must take this on faith- and on experience. We do meet God in many different ways throughout our lives. And He truly is big enough to exist in the "person" of three forms, yet move as one. 

I know there are countless other "heresies" being claimed about this book- I cannot expound on each one here for the sake of time and space. But let me just leave you with this thought, taken from the book, "judging requires that you think yourself superior to the one you judge". If you have not read the book- read it. Don't just see the movie either- as much as I love film depictions- there is WAY too much lost in the translation- this one needs, and deserves, a good solid read! DON'T just read all the negative press about it- even the stuff written by well-known and respected ministers/ministries. I am not saying that all of the things they are claiming are invalid- they are well within their rights to express opinions. I just worry about people lashing out with such fervor against a work that God could be using to bring someone to Himself- just because it does not line up with their personal belief or opinion. It does not fit into their "God box", so to speak. Let's not be so quick to limit a limitless God.

Remember this- God CAN and WILL use whatever means necessary to reach a person for eternity. There may be some controversial topics in this book- and the author may have taken a lot of creative license to depict an undepictable God. But there are beautiful nuggets of truth in this story. God takes a man, broken by the experience of his life- both in his early, formative years, and also in the loss of his daughter to a horrendous death, and makes him whole. He works through all three "persons" of the Trinity to minister to Him- which is something I fully believe He does in each of us. If there are three persons in one God- why would it not stand to reason that each one wants an intimate relationship with us? And yet, they are still fully GOD- divine and indivisible. What a truth!!

We all need to be reached by God like that- and the truth shown in this book is that we CAN! He longs to meet us at our own "shack", and wrestle through our questions, our fears, and our pain. He wants to grow something beautiful in all of us.

Don't take things at face value- investigate for yourself! Read the book- and see what God will do in your life. Keep the things that are good- toss the stuff that is not- but approach it with an open mind and heart!