the shack

Before I read “The Shack” by William Young, I had heard two main things 1) that it would probably change my life/relationship with God and 2) that it was heretical. Those things combined sounded exciting enough, so I opened it up. It took me a day or so to get past his writing style/voice (horrific), but after that I finished it in a day. I didn't find it that interesting, I didn't cry, I didn't find myself changed or renewed or refreshed, or anything else. Things I noticed were:

1) God was represented as a human. What? Has “Willie” read the Ten Commandments? see 1 tim. 6:16 ("...the only one who has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom none of mankind has seen or can see, to whom be honor and eternal might. Amen" (HCSB).John Piper says this is "God is the Gospel:" "...created beings simply cannot look on the Creator and see him for who He is" (Piper 48).)

2) God was represented as a woman. Young was correct when he said that God is neither male nor female, but God revealed Himself to us in a masculine way for a reason, and is referred to as “Him,” “He,” “the Father,” etc. throughout the Bible.

3) Mack swore in front of God. Yeah.

4) Young writes that everyone in the world was forgiven of their sins, but only some choose to have a relationship. People are not forgiven until they accept Jesus Christ, who died, a perfect sacrifice, who took the punishment in our place.

5) Young seems to hate seminaries, studying the Bible, the Church, churches, and Sunday School.

All of these things were very troubling to me. I looked around for a review of “The Shack” and the best one seemed to be this one. The author of that review goes more in depth and gives more details about the book, and I think that this review is a must-read for anyone who reads “The Shack”. Especially because this book is so popular, I think it is even more important that people understand that the book contains so many lies/fallacies/misrepresentations about God, the gospel, etc. that it will do more harm than good to many people. (The best way to be a good heretic is to use “Christianese” but change what words mean. Satan and his demons often masquerades as angels of light.)

Challies.com has many other reviews of books that have been personally helpful to me. They are objective and seek truth as revealed to us through the Bible.

Read what another blogger has to say here.

Watch Mark Driscoll's take on the book.