The Shack | William P. Young | Two days later and I still feel the peace

The Shack | William P. Young | An awesome work of fiction with divine message (read with discernment)

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The Shack

	The Shack William P. Young Windblown Media, 2007 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 670 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Two days later and I still feel the peace

I finished reading The Shack two days ago, and I still feel the emotions that it brought out in me. The love and joy in this novel, together with the delightful characters that made God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit so believable. They treated Mack with a compassion that knows no bounds and a love that is beyond imagination thus giving all who read this book a better knowledge of the scope of God's compassion and love. I want to tell everyone about it but they just need to read it. It is too difficult to describe in words

An awesome work of fiction with divine message (read with discernment)

The book has an amazing message about relationship with Christ throughout. The personification and description of the relationship within the trinity is truly incredible and a real blessing. The "judgment" part really makes one stop to ponder and evaluate....as do many parts of this book. I hope it will cause everyone to deeply examine what and why they believe what they do. I hope it will open eyes to judging and legalism within the church. I hope it shakes some "religions" and church's foundations and points all to Jesus and His priorities.

I love the message of relationship w/Christ and how that is of primary importance. The book's message of hope and reconciliation and peace is great.

However, The Shack portrays evil as existing only by human choice. The Shack talks about forgiveness which is a necessary part of redemption and personal growth. But to say that the character's act of forgiving the perpetrator is a part of the work Christ does to reconcile the perpetrator to himself is dead wrong and theologically incorrect.

On page 182 when Jesus says, "Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don't vote or are not part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions." If one is not reading with great discernment and catching the key word "were" it could easily come across that all roads lead to God, even though he says that most roads don't lead anywhere in the next paragraph. I loved when Jesus says he will travel any road to find us. But then the discussion just ends. So the "roads lead no where" means what? They don't lead to Jesus? And if they don't lead to Jesus, where do they lead? And to what end?

Those who live by faith in Christ and believe God is who He says He is and can do what He says he can do and who are students of His Word can read this book with discernment and wisdom provided by the Spirit (Sarayu). They know to filter and examine everything thru the Word. But what about those who read this book who are not believers and followers in relationship with Christ?

My concern is that while the book points to the relationship we are to have with Jesus, it really shoots down religion.
I agree that "religion" and playing church and going thru the motions is not good...and that unfortunately happens in far too many churches. Relationship with Jesus is the beginning of so much more that God wants and provides for us.

The Shack is a work of fiction with a lot of "truth" thrown in, however, it is not absolute truth. It is not the Standard. Christ and His Word is the standard. With so many people looking for something to believe in, I hope they will seek absolute truth in Jesus and His Word and not in a work of fiction.

To quote The Shack, "freedom is an incremental process." So my prayer is that this book will send people on a quest for freedom from bondage (sin, unforgiveness, hatred, critical and judgmental thought, etc.) and into not only the "center of God's love" but also into relationship with the Word (Jesus and the Bible) where the absolute truth will indeed set them free. Amen.

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Review of the reviews

I've only just ordered THE SHACK so haven't yet read it, but I've read a lot of the reviews and it is on some of those I wish to comment.

Who cares whether or not this book conforms to the Bible? It's about a personal spiritual journey and that, ultimately, is what belief and faith are all about. What we believe is between each of us and God. We can't help but make God in our own images; they're the only perspectives we have.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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