Young, Wm. Paul.  The Shack. (Newbury Park, CA: Windblown Media, (c) 2007). ISBN 9780964729230. 

I have an unwritten (but fairly universally applied) rule of choosing never to read anything that makes the NY Times fiction bestseller list.  Because of this personal prejudice, I am late to reading The Shack by Wm. Paul Young and really only did so because of repeated requests for my opinion of the book and due to the “must read” recommendation of someone I know hates poor literature even more than I.

The under-girding storyline is compelling and the theological questions Paul Young tackles are immense and could only be taken up if provided the proper fictional scenario.  The writing is a little uneven as the insertion of difficult and deep theology is interwoven into the flow of the work.  However, most attentive readers should make it through the sections of the book that don’t flow as easily off the page as do the sections that relate directly to the storyline by exerting just a little effort.

I found that the criticisms of the work that I have read and heard are largely unfounded with one single caveat: The Shack is NOT Scripture.  The Shack never claims to be “inspired,” but some people cannot distinguish between a admirable work of theological import and the Bible itself.  I believe that someone who possesses a good Biblical foundation will discover many things to consider as they read the story.  Someone who has a limited or no Biblical foundation should be encouraged to further pursue and discover the God of the Bible for themselves, taking the questions raised (and even answered) by the work with them as they read the Bible.  Those who use The Shack as their sole theological structure will come away with any number of incorrect, and perhaps even crazy, ideas.

I appreciated the following points Paul Young makes through his story:

1. God is completely sovereign, even over things we count as evil.
2. God is not peevish when questioned, nor is He unwilling to bear the brunt of the consequences of our self-declared superiority over Him.
3. God is bigger than our conception of Him and refuses to be placed into any box (that is why He commands, “No idols”).
4. God’s work for good in the midst of unresolved evil is much more significant than the typical “God has a plan” or “We’ll understand it by and by” answers offered by well-inentioned, but unhelpful, religious people.
5. God placed us in human community.  Our rejection of healthy community responsibility and entaglement damages us and others.
6. God forgave and so must we.

The last point was for me the most convicting.  I am a teacher of Scripture and also have the responsibility to lead a lifestyle that would encourage others to emulate Christ.  In reference to my deep distress over the violence of pornography, I publicly stated that I would kill someone who victimized one of my daughters by exploiting them in that manner.  I meant it and I was wrong.

Our world takes the position of judge and executioner, pushing God out of His rightful seat.  I recently watched the movie Taken which is a great example of a completely human response to the wicked depravity of this world:  more wicked depravity administered by the “righteous.”  Paul Young makes the Biblically correct assertion that only God is righteous and my appointment of myself as arbiter of justice over even recognized evil is not my place.  I am not God.  This is an emotionally unsatisfying position to take, but it is thoroughly Biblical.

“Isn’t this wher you are stuck, Mackenzie?  Isn’t this what fuels The Great Sadness? That God cannot be trusted?  Surely, a father like you can judge the Father!”

Again his anger rose like a tower flame.  He wanted to lash out, but she was right and there was no point in denying it.

She continued, “Isn’t that your just complaint, Mackenzie?  That God has failed you, that he failed Missy?  That before the creation, God knew that one day your Missy would be brutalized, and still he created?  And then he allowed that twisted soul to snatch her from your loving arms when he had the power to stop him.  Isn’t God to blame, Mackenzie?”

Mack was staring at the floor, a flurry of images pulling his emotions in every direction.  Finally he said it, louder than he intended, and pointed his finger right at her: “Yes! God is to blame!”  The accusation hung in the room as the gavel fell in his heart.

“Then,” she said wth finality, “if you are able to judge God so easily, you certainly can judge the world.”…

(excerpted from The Shack, “Here Come Da Judge” pg. 163)

I recommend the book.