The Shack
Have you ever stopped to think about what God is really like? (those of you that believe in God)
As part of a family project this summer, we read The Shack
Right out of the gate, I should tell you that this is not “my kind” of book. No questtion I’m a sensitive guy, but I don’t really like my faith too “touchy feely.” I definitely like ideas that challenge normal, but not when it’s just for the sake of being different (and I was worried that might be what I was going to find).
In spite of that, I very enjoyed the book very much.
First of all, many parts of the book really spoke to me as a father. One quote from the book serves as a great example …
He would be glad to burn his fingers and drop the pancake batter all over again if only he could take back the events that followed.
The Shack also challenged me to think more about how I think about God and my relationship with Him. I have always had a lot of questions about God, and while the book doesn’t gives direct answers, it certainly helped me think through some of those questions in a way I would never have imagined. It presents unique examples and analogies that were helpful to me personally. One conversation in the book helped me understand better that God loves me like I love my own children. Though I may be disappointed with them from time to time, I never stop loving them in a way that would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for me to imagine before I had children of my own.
I’m fairly liberal theologically. I make no attempt to pretend otherwise. But I found that I learned a lot about myself by what parts of The Shack offended me. For example, at least twice during the story God winks at Mack. Liberal though I might be, this almost made my stomach turn. If you ask me, this is one of the things that made The Shack so compelling. It made me confront notions I’ve absorbed all my life. It made me think more carefully about them.
Which brings me to the real question …
Can we rely on our own ability to reason in order to understand who God is?
I am very aware of the controversy surrounding the book. Many Christians who I know and respect claim it contains heresy. Strictly speaking, that is true, and I have reservations about recommending the book – especially to non-believers – but I think if one reads carefully and thoughtfully, The Shack can teach any Christian how to have a fuller, deeper, and more meaningful relationship with God. As a matter of fact, the fact that this book challenges many so abruptly is what makes it so important.
A couple of quotes from the book that really meant something to me ..
If you put God at the top, what does that mean, and how much is enough? How much time do you give [God] before you can go on about the rest of you day, the part that interests you so much more?
… if anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again.
I did not read any reviews of this book until I finished my thoughts above, but I had saved Tim Challies review of it in order to read before I published this. I finished reading it last night, and I thought it might be worth sharing my thoughts on it. If you have not yet read The Shack
Tim Challie’s Review
What Follows is not intended to be a full rebuttal to Tim’s review. I admire Tim’s writing, his love for baseball and books, and his commitment to blogging, Scripture, and the reformed faith. He and I certainly don’t agree on all matters of faith and practice, but I respect him a great deal. I also happen to agree with the spirit of Tim’s review, the main point I think he is trying to make, and some of the details. Tim cautions readers to exercise care reading and distributing the book. I agree.
I do, however, want to consider the substance of Tim’s concerns and give you my take on his take. If you haven’t read his review, you should do that before you read my thoughts. He does a much better job articulating his ideas than I.
His review makes me think he and I stumbled onto this book with different preconceptions and needs. I can’t presume to know what he thinks, but I know I read this book after finally settling some very profound questions in my own mind about God and His redemptive work on Earth, and my relationship with Him and His church, and after finally dealing with the effects of years of spiritual abuse.
Tim opens his review with an explanation for why we need to take seriously anything The Shack says about God, and why theology is important. I agree with him on these points wholeheartedly. The Shack does not pretend to be anything other than fiction, but the author’s intent is clearly to teach theology. That the author might not call it that is irrelevant.
Before moving on to three points of contention with the book, Tim shares some concerns about subversive language in The Shack. In his opinion, the author has negative opinions about the church, Scripture, and that the author gets at those ideas with subversive language in conversations and thoughts in the book. He gives ample evidence from the book to demonstrate his point. I agree with Tim’s assessment here, but I am not as concerned about it – for two reasons. One, I don’t think the author is disparaging all churches or seminaries or pastors, I think he is pointing out shortcomings that we’ve all noticed ourselves anyway. Two, I happen to agree with the author that this needs to be done. We all need to think more carefully about what we’ve always believed.
Tim then moves on to three main teachings in the book …
Revelation
Tim spends a great deal of time in the section on the teaching of Scripture that we have a relationship with God that is mediated by Christ. He revisits this idea later in his review as well. This is a case where Tim and I must have both a different perspective on Scripture and a different reading of The Shack. The Bible clearly states that Christ is our mediator, but it also says in Jeremiah that “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.” I know some may interpret that as something God has not yet done, but that is one of the challenges with Scripture, isn’t it – it is written work that must be interpreted.
Salvation
The Shack certainly does not make plain what is made plain in the Bible–that Jesus Christ is the one and the only way to be reconciled to the Father and this only by faith in Him.
I could not agree more, this book does not make that clear, but it doesn’t flatly deny it either.
The book does, in my opinion, bring home the bigger point that Jesus is responsible for our redemption, not us. This is a point many modern Christians would do well to take to heart. It is, in fact, one of the biggest positives of the book in my opinion.
Trinity
I have still not read any other review of this book ( other than the small quotes in Tim’s review ), but I know the portrayal of the Trinity is one of the biggest problems people have with The Shack.
Tim states …
his portrayal of the Father and the Holy Spirit in human form is sinful and expressly forbidden within the Bible.
I am not sure I agree with that, but it’s certainly worth our attention.
Then Tim details some other concerns about the portrayal of the trinity. Most notably, he points out the books denial of a hierarchy in the Trinity, and the use of gender in the book. Tim correctly points out that while the Bible makes it clear that God is neither male nor female, it chooses to portray Him as male, and that there are several passages of Scripture that indicate that God the Father leads, Jesus the Son acts, and the Holy Spirit maintains.
I don’t have a problem with either of these issues in The Shack. In my opinion, the church has spent far too much energy using gender and hierarchy to oppress people. I think challenging those assumptions is a great step forward.
Tim ends his section on trinity with some thoughts on God’s glory …
One of the most disturbing aspects of The Shack is the behavior of Mack when he is in the presence of God. When we read in the Bible about those who were given glimpses of God, these people were overwhelmed by His glory.
He then give several example – Isaiah, Moses, the book of Revelation – and then continues …
But in The Shack we find a man who stands in the very presence of God and uses foul language, who expresses anger to God, and who snaps at God in his anger. This is not a man who is in the presence of One who is far superior to Him, but a man who is in the presence of a peer. This portrayal of the relationship of man to God and God to man is a far cry from the Bible’s portrayal. And indeed it must be because the God of The Shack is only a vague resemblance to the God of the Bible. There is no sense of awe as we, through Mack, come into the presence of God.
I was struck with the same thoughts. I remind my children all the time that God is separate from us, He is different, He is not us, that’s what holiness is about. And I think keeping this in mind while reading the book is important, but I also think Tim misses the point here a little bit.
Yes, if the author were to accurately describe what it might be like if Mack had actually been in the presence of God, the book would have been different, but I think the point is to think about what our relationship should be with God now. I think God wants to hear our questions. He wants us to be honest. He wants to know when we are disappointed.