Shack Attack

The Shack by: William P. Young

My Spiritual walk has been a wonderful personal journey. I grew up in the world of Charismania, an affectionate name for the Non denominational Charismatic church. Then I went Baptist in college and I have hung out in an in between world ever since. I love the freedom that Charismatics have with their relationship with God. There is so much feeling and emotion, it is very liberating and personal. With the Baptist church, I love the theology. I agree with more points on the theological level with the Baptist church than in the Charismatic realm. I tried to do a little research on William P. Young to see what his denominational background was with no luck. With The Shack, Young’s description of the Holy Spirit was very much like how I would imagine a Charismatic person’s would be. I read The Shack, and my opinions are mixed. I can see why many people like the book and I can see why some people did not enjoy it. I would definitely discourage anyone from reading the book and taking it literally. This is a fictional book and the Theology is sketchy at best, but it does have some good points. The writing was not good, but the story was interesting. I’m going to leave this blog open ended and you will have to read the book and let me know what you think about it.

Criticism:
William P. Young would say that certain ideas of God were incomprehensible and there are no examples that can explain this idea about God, and then he would try and explain it with an example. An example of this is his explanation of the Trinity. I felt like the author tried to boil down the very idea of God and explain it all by saying he couldn’t explain it. I don’t know that I would have the guts to write a book about God, trying to explain the very mystery of who He is. The book falls short, and nothing against the author, but a man cannot describe God or explain God. The very idea of a human trying to explain God is like my dog Princess trying to write a book about her master, Simon. It just would fall short on so many different levels.

One thing I love about reading is getting into the head of the main characters. One problem I had with Mack was that I didn’t feel like he was a real person. I felt like he was a fake character that always came to the conclusion that he was supposed to, right or wrong. The writing in this book was just okay and it was not that great of a novel. A lot of people’s argument for The Shack is that it’s fiction and not to be taken literally. Well, if it’s fiction that you are going to base your life on, it should at least be well written fiction. It seems like it’s a good idea, but the project needed to be taken on by an established writer.

Praise:
I enjoyed Young’s word pictures for the love that God has for his children. The concepts are charming. It was awesome when God embraced Mack like the prodigal at their first encounter, even though Mack was undecided about his relationship with God at the time. The pictures and images were very childlike. I usually have a hard time with being a child in God’s presence, and therefore I appreciated how childlike Mack was in God’s presence.

Love and Relationship with God were the key points of what Mack was to learn from God during his weekend retreat at the Shack. Although I think the Bible is the ultimate example and story of love, The Shack was a good reminder of how much God sacrificed by sending His son to the earth.

In closing, I do believe that this story would be very encouraging for anyone who has been through a real tragedy in their lifetime. Our creator God is the true healer to the hurting and loves all of His children. I think that if a person is hurting and needed to read a fictional novel, then this could be a good pick for them.

Quotes:
“Jesus?” He whispered as his voice choked. “I feel so lost.” A had reached out and squeezed his, and didn’t let go. “I know Mack, but it’s not true. I am with you and I am not lost. I’m sorry it feels that way, but hear me clearly. You are not lost.” (Mack & Jesus)

Mack, I don’t want to be first among a list of values; I want to be the center of everything that happens to you. Rather than a pyramid, I want to be the center of a mobile, where everything in your life--your friends, family, occupation, thoughts, activities--is connected to me. (Jesus)