The Shack Mass Market Paperback – November 29, 2016

God is LOVE but in the face of a devastating loss we want answers. The Shack is tells us how one man learns about God’s love in the midst of tragedy.Please Dear Lord, help me embrace your love & help me share that love with others.

What an astonishing range of reactions Wm. Paul Young's little novel The Shack has provoked. The enormous number and variety of reviews suggest it is either a great work of literature comparable with Pilgrim's Progress if not the Bible itself; or worthless garbage on the grounds of its being: (1) anti-Christian and deceptive; (2) anti-intellectual and theologically bankrupt; (3) very weak literature that is: (a) arcane, ill-constructed, mush-mouthed tripe; (b) too simplistic; or (c) ponderous, impenetrable, and jargon-heavy. I don't agree with any of the above assessments, so let me propose a different one.The story of Mackenzie "Mack" Allen Phillips is presented as if ghost-written by his friend Willie; I think those who criticize the book on literary grounds are failing to allow for this nuance. The story has been accurately described many times in other reviews so I'll avoid repetition. For a father to lose a beloved child is hard enough; for this to happen in the way described in the book - her abduction by a mass murderer while the father was only feet away - would be as difficult an event to bear as almost any I could conceive. However strong someone's faith in God, these circumstances would surely test that faith to the full as is portrayed in Mack's "Great Sadness" and tension within his family. As a suicide counselor I heard countless people ask "Where was God?" in response to changes in their lives less profound than the fictional Mack's so I can relate to the issue on a personal level.For those who slam the book as anti-Christian I have this to say. It is a work of fiction; I thought of the events described at the shack as an elaborate dream that Mack experienced not as "real" even in the context of the story. But what is special about this dream (or real events if that is how others read the story) is that the experiencing of it brings about real and necessary changes in his life and those of his family. His faith in God is restored along with his engagement in the world and his ability to forgive; in fact his life is transformed by the experience for the better. I cannot see anything about this that could be described as anti-Christian; it is exactly what Christ asked of us.This is a short novel; I read it in under three hours. In no sense could it be expected to serve as an apologetic in the style of a CS Lewis, a Keller or a Copan. But it would be a mistake to dismiss the theology in the book, which at times is quite profound. Here's an example from p.127: "broken humans center their lives around things that seem good to them but will neither fill them nor free them. They are addicted to power, or to the illusion of security that power offers. When a disaster happens, those same people will turn against the false powers they trusted." Another is found on p.137: "Then is it's you who determines good and evil. You become the judge. And to make things more confusing, that which you determine to be good will change over time and circumstance. And then, beyond that and even worse, there are billions of you, each determining what is good and what is evil. So when your good and evil clash with your neighbor's, fights and arguments ensue and even wars break out ... And if there is no reality of good that is absolute, then you have lost any basis for judging. It is just language, and one might as well exchange the word good for evil." These extracts capture very well the reasons why we must not act as judges - which is one of Christ's strongest messages to us.Those who claim the book brings God down to our level or puts him in a box are missing the point of the narrative: I suggest they re-read it bearing in mind the points I have made above. All we know of God is that we know almost nothing - except that he is all good, all loving and merciful. So the fact that Young's allegory (actually that of the character in his story) for God may differ from someone else's is not valid ground for criticism; rather it should cause one reflection upon exactly why we feel that we have God figured out better than another person. The God described by Mack with Willie's help is clearly capable of appearing in whatever form suits his purpose; those who insist that God appear as portrayed in the Old Testament are actually more guilty of the "God in a box" error than Young. If it had achieved no more than warming the heart of a veteran (thank you Timekeeper Dave for opening your heart to us) this would be a worthwhile contribution to literature. That it has brought the faith debate down from the ether and into everyday conversation makes it especially valuable and I recommend it to anyone with an open mind.

The ShackI will admit that I typically do not like modern day Christian books. Most authors that I have a great deal of respect for lived in the 1800's or earlier. The gospel in present day America has been so corrupted by the world. Either the “prosperity gospel” is taught, which is one of the greatest heresies I've encountered and I’ve seen an entire family destroyed due to the lie that accepting Christ will make you "healthy and wealthy." Another common theme in modern day Christian books is that they are nothing more than a self-improvement book that mentions Jesus, and they miss the whole point of the gospel.I'll admit that when I first read “The Shack” it was because I knew a lot of people were going to ask me for my opinion, and I wanted to be prepared to explain why they should throw it in the trash.  However, I was completely shocked, and pleasantly surprised, at the author's understanding of the true Christian life. The Shack does an excellent job explaining that God does not expect us to "try our best" to live like Jesus. Consider that for one moment. Since Jesus is God and walked in perfect love, how likely is it that you, being human, could ever possibly live like Jesus? It's absurd, and if you think you can, then to say you struggle with pride would be a huge understatement.The "Good News" of the gospel is that God knows you can't just try real hard to act like Jesus, and the Scriptures make it clear that God's game plan goes far beyond a self-improvement endeavor. The glorious and liberating truth of the gospel is that Jesus' work was not completed on the cross. When we become born again, God does a miracle and places the Spirit of Jesus Christ Himself within us. Therefore, we don't have to "TRY" to act like Jesus, but rather we have to "TRUST" Jesus to do through us what we could never do ourselves; walk in perfect love and forgiveness towards others.It’s clear that William P Young understands this greatly forgotten truth in modern American Christianity, and he has a gift for communicating this truth in a way that is understandable and life transforming for those who are willing to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus.The criticism of his book among certain Christian leaders is unfair in my opinion. He did not set out to write a textbook on Systematic Theology, but rather a work of fiction to help others consider the deeper truths of life, such as dealing with tragedy, forgiveness, hope, trust, love, and coming to a place where “Christ IS Life,” not just a part of life. Admittedly, the way he communicates some of his concepts in this book are quite unorthodox, but if you can move past that by accepting that it's not a Theology book, but a work of fiction, you may just come to understand the true Christian life better than many of our modern day American Pastors.I highly recommend "The Shack" to everyone; from unbelievers, to new believers, baby Christians, and seasoned ministers. I have given out copies of this book to people in every one of those categories, and all of them were drawn some degree closer to the truth of God's grace & love, and knowing “Christ as Life.”In Galatians 2:20a, the Apostle Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." I have dedicated my life to teaching that concept, which Hudson Taylor called the "Exchanged Life." I teach it through counseling, and by expositional teaching (verse by verse) through the Bible, and especially through chapters 6-8 in the book of Romans. Thanks to "The Shack," I now have another resource God can use to help people understand the Exchanged Life, and I'm certain that God has used it to reach people who couldn't relate as well to expositional Bible Studies as they could to the same concepts shared through a fictional story which seized their attention.If you haven't read "The Shack" yet because you heard some Christian leader criticize it, I challenge you to lay aside your religiosity for a few hours, prayerfully ask God if there’s anything He wants to teach you through this book, read it, and see for yourself if God uses it to reveal more of Himself to you.