Is The Shack heretical? I would have to say after reading The Shack, considering the words of its critics and teaching a course called The Theology of the Shack for BrookwoodU, The Shack would fall into the category of being unconventional, but not heretical.
The theology police have raked Paul Young over the coals. I have heard everything. Some have said that portraying God the Father, Papa, as a black woman is creating a "graven image" and violates the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4). Unless the sculpture of Papa fell out of my book before I read it, I did not encounter a graven image in the book. Some have even been troubled by Mack and Jesus laying on the dock looking up at the stars. I don't believe they were holding hands, so relax.
What is The Shack about? It's about a lot of things. The Shack takes on our disappointment with God. If God loves us so much, then why does He allow life to hurt us so much? We can have our theology perfectly straight in our heads, yet walk around with completely broken hearts. The Shack touches on this issue in a powerful way.
How does the Trinity relate to each other? There is nothing else in the universe like the Three-in-One Being of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Is the Trinity like an egg? Well, if so which is higher in cholesterol and represents the yoke? Is the Trinity like a bicycle? If so, is Papa the big wheel? Not according to the author.
If The Shack messes with your head, but ends up touching your heart, then you get what it's about. If you're stuck on the theology of a fiction book, then put the Shack down and read C.S. Lewis or something. Of course, Lewis uses many metaphors as well, so watch for those "graven images."
The bottom line is simply this: if you read the Shack and walk away with a better understanding of how much God loves you, then you understand what Paul Young intended in writing this book. If you are hurt or broken, then The Shack is a great prescription.
Featured Book REVIEW: Primal by Mark Batterson Mark Batterson is a Renaissance man. He employs science, art, sports, literature and travel to express his love for God. Though I am a bit jealous of his tr This Renaissance approach suits the premise of Primal well: Getting back to the core of the Christian faith. Many years of tradition and practice have obscured the heart of having a relationship with God. Batterson directs the readers focus to the core aspects that Jesus directed us to: “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and all of your mind and all of your strength. Most Christians simply don’t know how to do that. Many Christians believe that love for God is demonstrated by obedience to God, which typically means the avoidance of sin. While Batterson does not contradict that thought, he does expand the idea to include using one’s whole being to worship God. Being created in the likeness of God, humans have a great capacity for logic and reason. This is essential in understanding God and his purposes, but logic is not the only tool in the toolbox, if you will. God has also given human beings emotions, creativity, curiosity and inventiveness. How does one worship God with these? Batterson clearly outlines from the examples of poets, artists, inventors and scientists the connection between their genius and their relationship with God. Batterson carefully reframes some conventional Christian thinking. When believers approach a passage like “take captive every thought” (2 Corinthians 10:5), the reader is challenged to consider the contrasts of the verse. The precautions associated with thinking pure thoughts rather than impure thoughts are expanded to not letting innovative and creative thoughts escape. The stewardship of one’s mind is not just eliminating impure thoughts, but capturing creativity. According to Batterson’s thoughts, God did not create human beings for a mundane, beige existence. God designed humans to be as vivid as the natural landscape around them. A relationship with God is not a constraint on one’s personhood, rather it allows the freedom to be who you were created to be. “If we are going to reach our generation with the gospel, we can’t just appeal to logic. We’ve got to capture their imagination” (p. 113). Just as J.R. R. Tolkien challenged C.S. Lewis, “Your inability to understand stems from a failure of imagination on your part” (p. 112). As Batterson points out, C. S. Lewis not only found faith, but the great mind who wrote Mere Christianity also tapped into his right brain to create the Chronicles of Narnia. This multifaceted approach to God and to the good news opens up the door to many who are stuck intellectually as well as those who shun a logical approach. Batterson in Primal does for worship what Becoming a Contagious Christian did for evangelism. By presenting the idea of a spiritual love language, the author validates those who approach God through creativity, curiosity and even sweat as worshipping just as appropriately as the intellectuals. Batterson’s emphasis on a genuine, practical faith demonstrates again that Christians only believe what they actually do. Amo Dei, indeed. --Allen White, South Carolina
avelogue, Mark speaks to every reader somewhere. He has a knack for finding the holy in places most would not.
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The reviewer received a copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for a review.
