The Shack (Part 1)
With over five million copies in print, William P. Young’s The Shack is one of the more popular ‘Christian’ books out today. I heard many theologians I respect say it was a doctrinal mess, while many of my friends and websites I have seen gave it massive recommendations. The only reason I chose to dive into The Shack's pages was to know once and for all, who was right? Is the book biblically sound or a complete wreck? After reading through the entire book, I can say with full confidence that it is a complete wreck. I know some reading this review probably enjoyed the book. I encourage you, read through my review with an open mind, and ask yourself: is this book really biblical?
Before I read the book I jumped on the internet and did some preliminary research. After checking Amazon, I noticed Tim Challies had written a booklet dissecting The Shack and stating where it was not biblical. How would those who loved Young’s book respond to the booklet? I found their responses troubling.
"Enjoy the Shack for what it is worth and what it means to you. Not everything has to be dissected."
"The Shack is FICTION. If those who read it find The father, Son and Holy Ghost in such a way that that it helps them find their way to healing their own pain, than it has done a good thing. Each individual must find his or her own way."
First Thessalonians 5:21 says, “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” In other words, everything must be dissected! I believe the fact that the average American Christian practices little to no spiritual discernment is one of the reasons the gospel is so polluted today and Truth is so distorted. The Bible warns us to be aware of false teachers who appear to be in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15) and to make sure, “no one takes you captive through philosophy to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ,” (Colossians 2:8). We are commanded to not be “carried away” by varied and strange teachings (Hebrews 13:9).
The day that we fail to dissect everything and practice spiritual discernment is the day we lose our passion for the purity and truth of the gospel. We must examine everything in light of the scriptures, and if the two do not line up, something is radically wrong. We cannot trust in ourselves to “find his or her own way”, we must rely upon God’s Word. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Now that we have established that we must examine everything from a biblical perspective and dissect any text based on the scriptures, we can jump into The Shack itself. I would first like to point out that the fact that the book is fiction does not give Young the right to change biblical truth to match his story. Fiction or nonfiction, Truth does not change. If I write a work of fiction that distorts the Trinity or the gospel in an attempt to tell a moving story, take my computer and throw it in the trash can and pray to God I will repent of misrepresenting His precious gospel.
One final disclaimer before we dive headfirst into the text, my intention in this review is not to review the fictional side of The Shack. I am writing about this book for two simple reasons: to examine the book under scripture and to provide you with a resource to use if anyone tells you how great the book is so you do not have to read it yourself. Because I am not reviewing the book’s plot or fictional side, the following will contain spoilers in order to help you understand what the book is about, and to help the review flow.
The Shack tells the story of a man named Mack who is struggling after a serial killer kidnaps and murders his daughter, Missy. His family is somewhat of a wreck, his spiritual life is in ruins, and he hates himself for not being able to protect Missy. One day, Mack mysteriously receives a note in the mail that reads, “Mackanzie, it’s been a while. I’ve missed you. I’ll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together. –Papa” There are two very interesting things about this letter. One, Papa is the term Mack’s wife uses to refer to God. Two, the shack is the location where Missy’s bloody clothes were discovered. Could the letter actually be from God? Mack decides it is at least a possibility. He loads up, drives away alone, and arrives at the shack to find it empty. Before long, the Trinity appears incarnated as three human beings and spends the weekend with Mack in the shack, helping him find himself spiritually and deal with the horrific tragedy of his daughter’s brutal murder.
My first major issue in the book comes when Mack is seriously considering the possibility that the letter he received in the mail could in fact have been from God.
"In seminary he had been taught that God completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred scripture, properly interpreted of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper…It seemed direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerner’s access to God was meditated and controlled by the intelligentsia. Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book.”
God has not stopped communicating with ‘moderns’ at all. He simply chooses to communicate through the scriptures. Are we really saying that the Bible is simply, “God’s voice reduced to paper.”? God has given us His written Word, which contains 66 letters full of information about Himself and His plan of salvation. We have His communication with the prophets, some of His conversations with the disciples, and written records of His miracles and commandments. God’s word reduced to paper? It is a privilege and honor we do not deserve to have the Bible in print, what a shame that so many apparently view it as insufficient. God has been more than gracious in communicating so much information to us in the pages of the Bible. Later in the book Mack says, “I guess part of me would like to believe that God would care enough about me to send a note.” He did care enough; He sent you 66.
