The Shack - Revisited

by Robert Fraire

I recently read the book "The Shack" and I have a series of things I want to talk about concerning the subjects covered in it as well as the overall value of the book.

In short I would say that "The Shack" is a dangerous book that fosters all sorts of ungodly understandings of: who God is, what is our relationship to him, what is God's will concerning His people.

I bet that in calling "The Shack" a dangerous book, some may think that I am overreacting. But instead I think I am actually downplaying the problems with this story. I was reading some reviews posted about "The Shack" and I found them very interesting. Some reviews called "The Shack" a wonderful and powerful book, others called it a good story, but with some bad theology. One post specifically brought forth my main point for this blog post and is the reason I call "The Shack" dangerous. The site where I read reviews allowed for people to comment on the book and many people had done so. The post that struck me the most was from a woman who said that she had read all the comments people left and that her summary of the arguments by people who didn't like the book came down to the idea that it contains bad theology. This woman then wrote: "I liked the book a lot, those who concentrate on the supposed bad theology are overreacting."

Here is my question for you. How important is it if "The Shack" contains bad theology? What if the story is uplifting and God honoring (I don't believe it is) isn't that what matters? What importance does the Bible place on correct theology. Or asked another way, how important is it if we portray God, as the Trinity, differently then the Bible does? My answer is that it is of the utmost importance. We don't have to go any further then the 10 commandments to understand what God thinks of portraying Himself in a way other than how He does.

Now before I go to scripture let me clear something up right away. When I say that "The Shack" portrays God in a way other than the Bible does, I am not talking specifically or solely about physical appearances. The Shack portrays The Father as a black woman, Jesus as a Jewish man and the Holy Spirit as a young Asian girl. Instead I am talking about the character, mind, and reasons for acting of God.

In Exodus 20: 4
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

This commandment has been thought of throughout the years as a prohibition concerning statues, pictures, etc. But there is much more than that in this commandment. God has revealed himself in the Bible. It is in the Bible that we see what he likes and dislikes, what he commands and what he cares for. Scripture tells us how we are to relate to him, what is the purpose of life, and on what basis will he judge us. When we make idols, or false pictures of God, we are indicating in one way or another that we do not accept God's self revelation.

When the people of Israel built a Golden Calf (Exodus 32) what were they building? Did they build an idol as a "New" God? Aaron told them "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." Now who was it that brought them out of Egypt? It was the true God. So the people weren't turning to other gods instead they made an image of God.

Now someone might say, what is wrong with portraying God as a young calf? Doesn't that portray strength, power, and other things that are true of God? In verses 7 and 8 God tells Moses that the people have corrupted themselves and worshiped an idol. Again, only God has the right to portray himself.

In my estimation this is where "The Shack" goes wrong. Its whole premise is bad. It tries to portray a God that is not consistent with scripture. So back to the woman's comment I relayed earlier in this post. How important is it if "The Shack" has bad theology? If you believe the Bible, there isn't much more important. This fatal flaw of "The Shack" is sufficient for me to label the book dangerous. But what about the idea that it has a good, God honoring message? In later posts I will deal with many of the main points made in this book and see that there is not much in it that is God honoring.

If you have read the book and liked it, let me ask you to consider whether the portrayal of God is consistent with scripture, and how important to you is it how God is portrayed. If you haven't read it yet, don't bother; there is nothing of value to be found in it.

The Shack: A House Built on the Sand

by Bruce Mills

A friend recently sent me an email asking me if I was familiar with William Paul Young’s book, The Shack. I was familiar only to the degree that I had heard one of the DJ’s on our local contemporary Christian music radio station talking about it in glowing terms. When I heard that, I immediately became suspicious because this is the same person who has promoted other books which were superficially Christian, in that they only talk about faith and God in vague generalities rather than with theological precision. The same individual has also promoted books by "Emergent Church" authors, so when I heard the promotion for The Shack, warning bells went off in my mind. But I didn’t take time to familiarize myself with the book.

Anyway, when my friend asked me about it, I began to learn what I could about the book. I found out that the author never originally intended to publish this book. It was written as a story for his children as a way of explaining certain theological issues to them. After finishing the manuscript, he bound it and gave it to his children as a Christmas gift. He later showed a copy of the manuscript to a former pastor who had started a small publishing company. The company published the book and initially, it was promoted only by word-of-mouth. It has gone through multiple printings and, to date, it has sold over a million copies.

Obviously when a book which promotes itself as an explanation of the heart and nature of God sells that many copies, Christians ought to know enough about it to make a decision about whether or not to take the time to read it. So I went to a couple of websites written by men whose theological perspectives are sharp and trustworthy to see what they had to say about the book.

Apparently, the primary focus of the book is on the most difficult of all theological dilemmas: the goodness of God and its relationship to the problem of evil. Where is God in the midst of pain and suffering? How can a good God allow evil to exist? How can He allow mankind to suffer the effects of horrible crimes and dreadful calamities? Why doesn’t He do something to stop it? Why does God seem so unconcerned about suffering and injustice?

These issues are discussed in the context of a story regarding a man whose daughter was kidnapped and murdered years before. He spends the subsequent years in great sorrow until God invites him to meet with Him in the shack where it is believed that his daughter was murdered by a serial pedophile. After spending two days with God in the shack, he emerges as a changed man who has learned about the power of forgiveness.

However, in reading the various reviews by men of such theological fortitude as Dr. Glenn Kreider, professor of theological studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, and the world’s most famous Christian blogger, Tim Challies, it didn’t take long to realize that The Shack isn’t worth reading because, as Al Mohler has stated, “this book includes undiluted heresy.” The problems are that it promotes heretical views of the Trinity, the humanity and deity of Christ, God’s punishment of sin, and the exclusivity of salvation through faith in Christ alone.

As the protagonist of the story, Mackenzie Philips, meets with God in the shack, each of the members of the Trinity appears to him as separate, distinct individuals. God the Father appears in two forms; primarily, that of a large, matronly African-American woman, but also as a pony-tailed, grey-haired man. Jesus appears as a Jewish man, while the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman. Philips also meets Sophia who is a female personification of God’s wisdom. It is in this faulty presentation of the Trinity, as well as the conversations between Philips and the members of this strange Godhead, that the false theology which permeates this story comes through.

Young claims that the story which is told in The Shack is fictional, but he also claims that the conversations with God which take place in this book are all real and represent actual conversations he had with God, friends, and family members over a period of several years. In other words, he is claiming to have received “special revelation” from God other than that found in the Bible, which is God’s completed revelation to man. And much of the theology found in the book contradicts that found in God’s Word, revealing Young’s low view of the authority and inerrancy of Scripture.

So, with all these problems, I have no desire to waste my time reading The Shack, nor will I recommend it to anyone. As Chuck Colson has stated: "stay out of The Shack." But if you want more information about this book, I recommend you download and read Tim Challie's extensive review of The Shack, or listen online to Dr. Al Mohler's review.