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1,612 of 1,890 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Flannel-Graph Jesus, January 27, 2008
In the book world, it's hard to explain "the buzz." What causes word of mouth to start spreading? What turns an unknown author and novel into a surprise bestseller? Even more inexplicable for the book snobs is when a story fails to meet their literary standards and yet touches the masses in an undeniable way.
"The Shack" is the buzz book of the past few months. I hadn't even heard of it in November, but by the end of December I'd had relatives, friends, and online pals from across the country telling me I "had" to read this one. I've been burned by such recommendations in the past, particularly in relation to spiritually oriented titles. (Can anyone say "The Prayer of Jabez" and "Left Behind"?), but I was willing to give it a shot.
William P. Young's book has an intriguing premise. Years ago, a father name MacKenzie Phillips took his children camping and lost one of them to a man who has kidnapped and killed others. Mack has grieved since then. His marriage has struggled. Understandably, his relationship with God has suffered. Then, one wintry day, he receives a note in his mailbox inviting him back to the woods, to the shack in which his daughter's dress and bloodstains were found. The note, it would seem, is from God.
From this simple yet effective premise, Young leads Mack Phillips back to his point of despair and anger. The encounters he then has with God there in "The Shack" serve as thought-provoking moments for both Mack and the reader. This is not the God of stodgy Sunday school classes. This is not a flannel-graph Jesus. This is not limited to a fluttering dove of the Holy Spirit. The descriptions here are startling, while remaining true to the nature of God's love and grace as portrayed through Scripture. Not only are they startling, they're wise and moving and beautiful.
Some might argue that "The Shack" has little theology or accuracy to it, but the very argument is what Young is trying to melt away. I earned a Bachelor's from a Bible college, and the majority of Mack's godly encounters could be wrapped up in biblical theology: redemption, grace, forgiveness, propitiation, etc. Do I agree with every line of the book? Not necessarily. Yet, while never sounding like trite religion (because they're not and never should be!), the words spoken by God in this book are full of vibrancy and life.
Is it the best crafted novel ever? No. In many ways, it could be encapsulated in a non-fiction treatise. However, in sharing this remarkable tale in a fictional form, Young has breathed wonder and wisdom into a story that will continue to buzz around for years to come.
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419 of 504 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A poorly written, philosophically bankrupt, theologically challenged airport novel. , March 18, 2009
Wow am I really going to feel like a wet blanket. I hate to say it after all of these awesome reviews of this book, but I really didn't like it. Not just on a theological level either. I just didn't get to the destination that others have. I really don't want to be negative, especially when others have been so impacted by it. But here is what I think about The Shack.
First of all, being a former literature teacher, I actually am shocked by the comparison with Pilgrim's Progress. You are talking about the most popular book in human history second only to the Bible. Pilgrim's Progress is known for its emotional impact more than its literary accomplishment, so they are similar in that. But I think that is where the similarities end. The Shack is not well written at all and focuses on only one primary issue. PP covers the entire Christian walk and does so in a most unique way. It is not only the pinnacle of Christian literature, it is the best of an entire genre (allegory). PP relies upon the everyday Christian's ability to relate to the character Christian and his entire adventure. The Shack relies almost completely on the effect of trauma done to the characters.
Secondly, the theological problems are difficult to overlook. I don't understand the mentality that says, God is pictured as a lot of things in the Bible, so why can't I picture Him/Her as whatever I feel comfortable with? Well, because one of the most devastating forms of heresy is to give God identifiable form, hence the graven images commandment. That's why Jesus was described as one that we would not find outstanding by Isaiah. I have discussed this topic earlier in the year on my podcast, Christian with a Brain. We are not supposed to put God in a box, whether that box be an old, bearded, caucasian male, or an overweight African-American female, it doesn't matter. The truth is that when even an angel enters the scene, people fall on their faces in awe. Making God a poker buddy isn't going to improve my relationship with Him.
This is also part of what I believe to be the humanization of God. We are trying to fashion God in our image, and this book simply reinforces that idea. We have gone from one extreme (God is an impersonal force that wants to punish me) to the other (God blows smoke rings, listens to punk rock and is my buddy). This is exactly like the enemy. He beats us up with one wrong image of God, then he shoves us all the way off the other end of the shelf by presenting a completely different, wrong image of God.
God is my Father, my Abba, my Friend, my King, my Deliverer, my Redeemer, my Fortress, my Strong Tower, my Mother Hen, my Alpha and Omega, my Bread and my Savior and the Word tells me that this is indeed so.
Finally, the philosophy in this book is very weak. In fact, I still don't know the conclusion. If you were to try to communicate the lesson of this book in a syllogism, what would it be? I have an 8 year-old daughter and I hate to sound harsh, but this book terrified me and then never really gave me any satisfying resolution. I believe the problem of evil to be the best arguement in the atheist's arsenal, but this book did nothing to dull its sting. I believe there are powerful and effective answers to address the problem of evil, but in my opinion, this book didn't give them to me.
Wow. I really sound like I hated this book. I hope I haven't offended anyone. But I also have a commitment to communicate what I believe to be true. If you were one of those who really didn't understand the powerful love of God simply by reading the Gospels, then this book was probably a blessing. But other than that, I think it fell way short and may even be destructive for many.
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190 of 231 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Universalist Mysticism Masquerading As A Christian Novel, October 21, 2008
THE SHACK is a fictional account of a grieving father who meets the Godhead in an old cabin where his abducted daughter's bloody dress was once found. These god-figures give the father a long series of lectures about the nature of themselves, reality, and how to be free of his grief.
Although LIFEWAY Bookstores are selling this book, the purchaser should understand that it isn't a Christian novel when judged by classical Christian doctrines. It presents itself as a Christian book. God the Father is depicted as a female deity; it teaches that people are not sinners, but simply misguided due to wrong intellectual paradigms through which they look at life; the woman-god in the story says she is "extremely fond" of everyone, including the unknown person who murdered the poor little girl; the gods hold no moral expectations of humanity, so they are never disappointed in anyone; the gods criticize the father for being angry at the man who murdered his little girl; there is no holiness or hell; the Ten Commandments are bad; followers of the Lord are free from any obligation to follow moral commandments; and Jesus isn't a Savior, but is a participant in the process of becoming godlike.
These points of mystical philosophy -- in prior decades, we would have called it "New Age" -- is clearly presented throughout the book, in the series of dialogues Mack has with the gods. There is no question that this is a profoundly anti-Christian book. But it draws you in by building a strong sense of empathy between you, the reader, and the grieving father, which is a well-known propaganda technique.
If you are interested in reading Universalist Unitarianism philosophy in a fiction novel form, this will do it for you. What I have discovered is that many religious people are projecting what they want to be believe about this book onto it, rather than soberly noting its actual message. This is common with religious fiction. The book denies everything in Christian teaching that is distinctive, disturbing, or upsetting, but uses Christian words and concepts to promote antinomian universalism. Because I accept traditional Nicene and Reformed Christianity, I despise this book. It is very, very deceptive.
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