"The Shack" Just Another Heretical Book

Equip.org ^ | 11/7/2008 | Hank Hanegraaff

[OneVike]

Over the last few months I've been hearing more and more about a book titled The Shack by William Young, who goes by his middle name, Paul. Some, like my mother, are profoundly disturbed by the content of this book. Others are saying that it is the best book they have ever read. In fact Eugene Peterson says "This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good."

Here is the link to his article Equip.org

Here is a link to another site at Crossroads that also takes "The Shack" to task for it's heretical take on Christianity and Christ.

[OneVike]

We need to keep up on what the enemy does, and there are many Christians who have very bad discernment abilities.

[crusty old prospector]

I’ve never read it but the people I know who have fall into two camps - best book they have ever read or worst book they have ever read.

[Paved Paradise]

Thanks. I had not even heard of this book. I greatly admire Hank and his word is good enough for me. I agree with you that we need to keep up on what the enemy does. There were many who lost their faith after reading “The DaVinci Code.” Now one might suppose that people who have lost their faith after reading a book like that OR the Shack never had a saving faith to begin with but that’s an entirely separate discussion.

Knowledge is power my pops always said.

[Paved Paradise]

What kind of people are the ones who have said, “best book I ever read.” When I hear statements like that, I often wonder if it’s the ONLY book ever read. Even if the book is okay, I hardly think it’d fall in the camp of “best” when one considers the entire pantheon of all books ever written.

[crusty old prospector]

OK, maybe they refer to it as “one” of the best books that they have ever read. Something like “it is a deep thinkers book with all of the symbolism and such.” My wife didn’t finish it and said it was terrible.

[OneVike]

Now one might suppose that people who have lost their faith after reading a book like that OR the Shack never had a saving faith to begin with but that’s an entirely separate discussion.

I must agree, however we must keep in mind that the many Christians are as Paul said in 1Corinthians 3:2,

I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;

So it is not only our duty but our responsibility to ensure the young children John spoke of in 1John 2:1,

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

do not fall for the lies like many did even in the days when the apostles themselves still walked and spread the word to a dark world.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I read the book on the advice of a friend. There were times when I deeply moved by the book. A father loses a child in a very tragic way, and he seeks out God for answers to his tortured soul. There is some good in the story, as it can help us to see God does care for each one of us.

“The Shack” has some interesting ideas, but there are some real problems. The book is a bit too...”existential”. (Indeed the author says Soren Kierkegaard is one of his favorite writers.) What I mean by “existential” is that the “theology” taught in “The Shack” emphasizes one’s personal experience and exalts that experience over objective truth.

One must experience God, to be sure...that is the essence of salvation. But that experience is in relation to absolute truth—and The Shack appears to subvert even the notion of Absolute Truth.

[Samizdat]

I’ve read it and it was a good story but it is pure fiction so if you like fiction, its a good book. I admit I was misled into thinking it was a true story until I did some research.

[Nea Wood]

I’m no theologian, but the book bothered me. I, too, thought the large, warm, straight-talking black woman was a stereotype. The Holy Spirit was depicted as a delicate Asian female, and another character (can’t remember who it was now) was a Hispanic female. I thought that was a little too pat, a little too politically correct.

There was also one part where “Jesus” accidentally drops a dish of food, and He and God the Father (the large black woman was God the Father) had a good laugh over it. Does Jesus make mistakes? Does He drop things? I don’t think so! I could be wrong....

[sassy steel magnolia]

I didn’t like it. I was the cranky one in my ladies bible study—I was always countering the statements in the book and trying to get the other women to open their eyes. Of course, they assured me they knew it was just fiction, but some of them just loved it. Guess I’m a hard realist, and I thought from the beginning the book was a deliberate attempt to mislead Christians or those who are seeking spiritual growth.

We definitely have to be on our guard; using wisdom and discernment to see if things are of God or not.

[philled]

I was curious about this book. It is scheduled for our next month’s (ELCA) church book club selection.

[sassy steel magnolia]

Go and be a source of light for the others in the study! Help them to stay grounded while they study this fictional book. It’s always nice to have someone who speaks reason when they might start drifting! God bless you!

[Saundra Duffy]

I knew it! The religious people would not like this book. I guess I am not “religious” and I’m happy about that.

[Scothia]

I just read it today, and wonder if Hank H. et al bothered to before condemning it to the heresy flames. It's not a theological treatise. It's an allegory, for cryin' out loud! Allegory!

The people who hate The Shack are probably the same ones who won't let their kids read C.S. Lewis because he uses fauns and centaurs.

[nina0113]

I’ve read part of it - looks like another Unitarian Universalist looking to make a buck off God. I can’t send it to the used bookstore in good conscience, so I’m just going to toss it. I may or may not finish it.

[will of the people]

Okay- here's some thoughts on The Shack

I LOVED it!

It is the most important book I've ever read in my life.

Okay- now a few comments to the religious who hate the book and find it and everything else that Calvin or Luther or Spurgeon or {Insert Favorite Dead Guy Here} here didn't write to be heretical.

I get it- you hate it. It violates your well thought out safely filtered view of God.

I understand that by liking the book, in your opinion, I put my very eternity at risk.

I realize that I'll probably never ‘look like you’ in my relationship with Christ.

I'm okay with that. I never wanted to look like you anyway. Oh, and by the way God is bigger than your theology.

You can stop reading now- you know I like the book and the rest will just irritate you.

Now- to the people who will dare to let God be God in their lives.
Who can find truth that resonates the nature of God in everyday occurrences.
Who struggle with a God who doesn't respond the way we've been conditioned to believe he will.
Who find wonder in the fact that the living God will communicate in a personal and meaningful way with you as an individual.
Who have felt anger at God, or questioned God,
Who try to offer grace to others because you realize how much you need it yourself
Who's theology is big enough for seemingly conflicting, seemingly unresolved facets of God's nature
Who can laugh at themselves as they try to become more Christ-like- while remembering how important and serious a task it is.

To you, I say, READ THE BOOK!

It changed my heart.

[ksen]

I used to post a lot here in the religious forum, and before there was a religious forum, back in the good old Calvinists vs Everyone else days. I went to the Calvinist camp because I couldn't deny the truth of how they interpreted the scriptures.

In fact I still consider myself firmly in the Calvinist camp.

That said, I read The Shack about a year and a half ago and I loved it. My wife read it first and she told me I had to read it. You see, a few years before that I had been under a lot of stress and was very depressed and I had a dream that I told my wife about. The only thing I remember of the dream is that in it I was very sad and needed consoling. In my dream a very large black woman appeared and as soon as I saw her I knew she was God and she just took me into her arms and hugged me until I had cried myself out. I woke up with tears on my pillow and a serene peace in my heart.

So when my wife read this book she remembered my dream and told me I had to read it. I realize there are some unorthodox ideas presented in the book. But the established church thought Luther and Calvin published unorthodoxy back in their day as well. That's not to say Young is the next incarnation of Luther or Calvin. All I'm saying is that "unorthodox" does not necessarily mean "wrong."

Anyway, that's my take on the book. I'm sure I'll read it a few more times.

[Alex Murphy]

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