The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity Paperback – July 1, 2007

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.

I read the negative reviews before I read this book. I wanted to see why so many people thought it was so bad whereas so many more thought otherwise. The issue is simplicity. People make it more complex than it has to be.This book is a work of fiction. This book nowhere claims to be The Word of God nor does it throw around buzz words and Scripture. It is the author's way of sharing what he feels in his heart is the simplicity of God; having a close and personal relationship with Him. He expands on this main point to address issues of judgement and forgiveness. It is only natural for the author to be attacked when trying to share the love in his heart with others who for whatever reason are threatened by that. So threatened that some even proceeded to attack people who liked the book (and obviously missing the points).This book will not change your life, the questions you are faced with in regard to your own faith are instead aroused, and answering them for yourself may change your life.This book does not promise perfection, Bible thump, go off on theological tangents about denominations, about why believers and non-believers cannot get along. This book does not ask you to say a prayer or urge you to be "saved" or judge the readers. So if you are looking for apologetics this book is not for you.If, however, you want to explore a creative way at looking what a personal relationship with God may be like, this book is for you. If you want a better understanding of mercy, this book is for you. If you want to know more about judgement and forgiveness, this book is for you.All too often people get caught up in man-made complexities of faith, when all God desires is a personal relationship with Him. If you are just going through the motions, don't truly trust God, can't speak from your heart when you pray, don't feel comfortable simply talking with Him; this book encourages you to revisit just how personal your relationship with God is by showing the reader how very impersonal Mack has made his relationship with God.Labels aside, people judge others harshly. One key point in this book that sticks with me is when God acknowledges Mack's judgemental, condemning nature. God gives Mack the opportunity to judge, sending some to heaven, others to hell. Mack is unsure but once he realizes that he must judge his own children, he tells God he cannot do it; He cannot condemn his own children. God gently sympathizes as He too does not find joy in condemnation. This is where God's mercy and forgiveness shine and it's a good way to drive a message home to people who could be more merciful themselves, or, know someone they would like to share this point with.The author is using a great imagination to show the aspects of God (Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit); he is by no means declaring that God IS; just a creative way to explain that God shows Himself to us in various ways to best communicate with us according to our circumstances.By no means does the author of this book claim that he is this amazing, perfect Christian and he does not claim to be teaching theology. If you allow yourself to get caught up in the nonsense you are going to miss the very basic, simple to see messages the author does a fine job of getting across.This is one man's way of driving home God's desire for intimiate relationships with each one of us, that God loves us unconditionally, that God's grace, love and mercy are so powerful, and instead of condemning others we need to remember God's mercy and forgiveness for us and show it to others. And these points, they ARE Biblical.