BOOKS: The Shack by William B. Young

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Has anyone else read this book? I just read it not that long ago for a Bible Study I attend (inter-denominational) that wanted to discuss it. Everyone who read it (protestants) simply loved it. When I read it, I saw a lot of things that were not only unscriptural, but seemed to strike me as rather blasphemous. What do you guys think? Has anyone else read it? What do you think as fellow catholics?
 
Whitacre_Girl said:
Has anyone else read this book? I just read it not that long ago for a Bible Study I attend (inter-denominational) that wanted to discuss it. Everyone who read it (protestants) simply loved it. When I read it, I saw a lot of things that were not only unscriptural, but seemed to strike me as rather blasphemous. What do you guys think? Has anyone else read it? What do you think as fellow catholics?
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I’m interested in knowing what this book is. Can you give me a few examples? 🙂
 
😦 Yes read the book and agree with you. But the friend that ask me to read it thought it was beautiful. I read it for her and threw it away,would not have finished it if she had not been the one to ask me. I do not know the appeal for it. Very new agey to me. the Oprah type religion of today. So many books taking people away,need to pray.
 
It’s about a guy who has a 6 year old girl that was murdered. The man is in a lot of pain where we find him. He receives a not from “god” asking him to meet him in the shack where his daughter’s blood-stained dress was found. When he gets there he meets the trinity: God, a large black woman, Jesus, a carpenter, and the Holy Spirit, a whispy looking asian woman.

In this shack he spends a weekend with them, where “God” makes things clear that he hates governments, religion, and even the title “Christian”. There are some good points made, but I can’t get over this discussions where the author puts words in the Trinity’s mouth.
 
I just finished it two days ago and read it for a book club. (secular book club). I have to admit this book made me cry. I cried at the sad parts and I cried at the end of the book. I bawled my face off. Did this happen to anyone else? It did change some things for me… or rather renewed. I remember to love. I remember that God loves me.

I consider myself a rather well catchesized Catholic and of course I have my struggles. Like many others have said, I read this book with a grain of salt. The hierarchy part didn’t disturb me that much.

Some parts confused me and left me still with questions. Mostly, how does God want the character to proceed? Just to go and love everyone as he loves himself, and loves God? It’s not that simple to go and love. I get that you cannot do it alone without God the trinity.

I am glad I found this thread because I am now thirsty for C.S. Lewis (as per your recommendations).
 
I work at a bookshop. A born again Christian bought i for me, which was nice but weird. However, I thought that the prose was typically (sorry guys) trashy American (not that all American lit is trashy!). I enjoyed the first half, but the second half with the anti-Catholic stuff didn’t do much for me. I mean I can kind of see what he meant about some stuff, but his alternatives weren’t valid.

Oh and by the way, the thing about the Father as a woman - you might not like it but it’s explained adequately in the book. Also, I love the way people are taking issue with that, and implying that the problem with that is that God actually is male.
 
Yeah the book does explain why God choses to appear as a woman in the beginning to the main character, and He later appears as a man.

I just loaned the book over to an Evangelical friend of mine who rarely reads. 🙂
 
Seems this book is still going strong, was just given to me as a gift…interesting beliefs.
 
Sina said:
I am glad I found this thread because I am now thirsty for C.S. Lewis (as per your recommendations).
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CS Lewis is one of my favorite authors.

I’d like to thank everyone who posted in this thread about this book. I read through all of them and I’m glad I did. My wife wants me to read this book and when I do, my eyes will be wide open to both the positive and negative critiques people have made.

From what little I garnished, it sounds like an fictional book that describes one person’s inner struggle with injustice and their faith. As CS Lewis in Mere Christianity mentions - the subject of forgiveness is an easy one to talk about - until that person has someone they need to forgive. Everyone has to struggle in their faith regarding why certain things happen (or don’t happen) in their life. It sounds like this book is an allegorical tale describing one person coming to terms with reality in their faith.
 
Baptista said:
Well, I realized that someone combined a thread that I had started about this book and the original thread…thank you, whoever you are! 👍

Ok, I finished The Shack today, and I must say that I would not recommend it to anyone who isn’t strong in their Catholic faith. Or Christian faith, period!

It seemed ok. A nice feel-good book, even with the sad parts, which I won’t go into to spoil it for anyone. I was thinking, ok…yes…that’s what I was taught…that’s what I believe. And then it started to drift into what seemed like double-talk to me.

And THEN it got downright contradictory. To name only a few things that bothered me…

On page 136 ~ “Evil is only the absence of good, like dark is the absence of light.” God is supposed to be saying this to the main character. No mention of satan anywhere in the book.

On page 177 ~ While Jesus says that the church is his bride, he/God is also against religion. God says that “religion, politics and economics are the man-created trinity of terror”.

So much seems to go towards the ‘new age feel good’ attitude. It seems as if the author takes just enough truth to make you let your guard down, and then hits you with these weird ideas. Such as…

On page 181-182 ~ ‘Jesus’ “has no desire to make anyone a Christian”. (excuse me? What about His command to the Apostles to go out and make disciples of all nations???)

On page 202 ~ The Ten Commandments no longer apply. It says that “Jesus fulfilled it all, so that it (the law) no longer has jurisdiction over you.” (excuse me? What Jesus said was that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it…NOT abolish, as the book says)

On page 203 ~ It says that ‘In Jesus, you are not under any laws.’
(no laws? again…do what you like, it’s ok.)

Ok…I’m done naming pages. I think you get the drift. In this book, the author says it’s ‘all about relationships’, with God, with each other. No responsibility or rules as we know them. And I see in the back of the book that he has a non-fiction book that is for sale, which seems to mean to me that he will be teaching/preaching his theology, or whatever you want to call it.

This book worries me because it just seems that the ‘feel good’, ‘no I don’t really have to worry so much about sin’, etc. may appeal to many people and actually take them away from God. I have seen/heard people say that it has “changed the way I view God and the Trinity.”, and a very devout non-Catholic Christian friend of mine who is a leader in her church groups is all fired up over the ‘teachings’ in this book.

I’m done. Sorry for rambling.
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I really wanted to love this book, as I love the Wallowas of Northeastern Oregon, and my family loves the book–and a friend knows the author. Unfortunately, I am encountering one theological problem after another, and I hadn’t even noticed all the ones in the quoted thread above. For starters, the book suggests that not only man needs God, but that God needs man. This is one of many interwoven errors found in the tale. I will have more to say once it’s done. So far, though, I’d say that I’d be careful about taking this book very seriously.
 
By the way…I am still reading this book, but does it ever mention MARY anywhere?!
 
jkiernan56 said:
Does it have to? Should it? I sincerely hope you don’t think so.
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Why? Please share your thoughts.

With all the tangents and conversational digressions the author asks the poor reader to patiently endure, this omission speaks volumes. Given the “down home” nature of life in the shack some mention of Mary would seem to fit into the conversation–after all, in Jesus’ time there was actually this mysterious idea of honoring your father and mother. Is she just a vessel to be used and then forgotten? Because, reading between the lines, that appears to be one of this author’s many misguided little messages.

By the way, for my fellow English majors out there, I wanted to share another editorial problem with this book. It concerns the perspective of the narrative–and the title. On page 61, the descriptive term “shack” is introduced by the narrator, but it’s not expressed in dialogue or other means in such a way that the main character (Mack) would have picked it up. In other words, the descriptive term is known only to the reader and narrator. When Mack receives a note referring only to the “shack,” how is he supposed to know which one? Anyone who is as familiar as I am with this large area, knows that there are many, many, many shacks in the Blue Mountains. This wouldn’t have been a pet peeve, except it’s in the title, so it is a little hard to avoid. (There is a mention in the introduction that Mack was involved in the narrative in some way, but this really comes across as more of a “Okay, guys, I know this has some problems, but, see, I’m covered now.” I don’t think so.)

Also, leaving the generous number of theological blunders aside for the moment, the law enforcement passages really come across as juvenile. I spent many shifts with city, county, state, and federal law enforcement, and this does not do a really good job at communicating how they interact with each other or the public. It comes across more as dialogue written in such a way to be easily converted to a poor screenplay.

If I don’t do a formal review on this book later for a publication, I’m thinking about adding a page to my site with an informal review of the book–along with photographs of this remote area of Oregon. In the author’s defense, I will say that I like his rich descriptions of the Wallowas, but it just isn’t enough to save this tale.

Meanwhile…hope everyone has a sparkling Christmas!
 
Writer said:
Why? Please share your thoughts.

With all the tangents and conversational digressions the author asks the poor reader to patiently endure, this omission speaks volumes. Given the “down home” nature of life in the shack some mention of Mary would seem to fit into the conversation–after all, in Jesus’ time there was actually this mysterious idea of honoring your father and mother. Is she just a vessel to be used and then forgotten? Because, reading between the lines, that appears to be one of this author’s many misguided little messages.

By the way, for my fellow English majors out there, I wanted to share another editorial problem with this book. It concerns the perspective of the narrative–and the title. On page 61, the descriptive term “shack” is introduced by the narrator, but it’s not expressed in dialogue or other means in such a way that the main character (Mack) would have picked it up. In other words, the descriptive term is known only to the reader and narrator. When Mack receives a note referring only to the “shack,” how is he supposed to know which one? Anyone who is as familiar as I am with this large area, knows that there are many, many, many shacks in the Blue Mountains. This wouldn’t have been a pet peeve, except it’s in the title, so it is a little hard to avoid. (There is a mention in the introduction that Mack was involved in the narrative in some way, but this really comes across as more of a “Okay, guys, I know this has some problems, but, see, I’m covered now.” I don’t think so.)

Also, leaving the generous number of theological blunders aside for the moment, the law enforcement passages really come across as juvenile. I spent many shifts with city, county, state, and federal law enforcement, and this does not do a really good job at communicating how they interact with each other or the public. It comes across more as dialogue written in such a way to be easily converted to a poor screenplay.

If I don’t do a formal review on this book later for a publication, I’m thinking about adding a page to my site with an informal review of the book–along with photographs of this remote area of Oregon. In the author’s defense, I will say that I like his rich descriptions of the Wallowas, but it just isn’t enough to save this tale.

Meanwhile…hope everyone has a sparkling Christmas!
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For someone who was an English major, you seem to have a very poor understanding of the purpose of fiction and allegory. It is never meant to be taken literally, historically, or even factually. It is a book with the same intent as JR Tolken’s … an allegorical tale about a person’s inner journey and transformation through adversity to overcome evil. You are reading way too much between the lines. I agree there is room for caution for readers who are not grounded in their faith. It is important for people who are grounded in their faith to give their critical expertise to those who are not, but it seems to me overkill. I liken this type of criticism to straining a knat and swallowing a camel.

As far as not mentioning Mary in the story, the book is not factual or historical. It is allegorical and I see no need for the author to bring her into the story.
 
jkiernan56 said:
For someone who was an English major, you seem to have a very poor understanding of the purpose of fiction and allegory. It is never meant to be taken literally, historically, or even factually. It is a book with the same intent as JR Tolken’s … an allegorical tale about a person’s inner journey and transformation through adversity to overcome evil. You are reading way too much between the lines. I agree there is room for caution for readers who are not grounded in their faith. It is important for people who are grounded in their faith to give their critical expertise to those who are not, but it seems to me overkill. I liken this type of criticism to straining a knat and swallowing a camel.

As far as not mentioning Mary in the story, the book is not factual or historical. It is allegorical and I see no need for the author to bring her into the story.
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That’s a valid opinion–as is mine. I’m very familiar with allegory and have written some religious fiction myself. The fact of the matter is, however, that one page of Lewis or Tolkien’s allegorical fiction contains more meat, substance than the entire “Shack.” It’s in an entirely different league. Considering the author’s abandoning of tradition and authority in his narrative and the lack of any mention of the Mother of God, I think it’s safe to assume that he places little importance on Mary. It would be interesting what the author himself says on this point.
 
Writer said:
That’s a valid opinion–as is mine. I’m very familiar with allegory and have written some religious fiction myself. The fact of the matter is, however, that one page of Lewis or Tolkien’s allegorical fiction contains more meat, substance than the entire “Shack.” It’s in an entirely different league. Considering the author’s abandoning of tradition and authority in his narrative and the lack of any mention of the Mother of God, I think it’s safe to assume that he places little importance on Mary. It would be interesting what the author himself says on this point.
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I agree with you about CS Lewis and Tolkien and their substances as compared to other allegorical stories. I am looking forward to meeting them in heaven. I also think you are probably dead on about assuming the author’s lack of importance of Mary. I don’t minimize your critique about this point, but its fair to say there is good reason why Mary was left out of the story - both from the author’s allegorical intent and immature understanding of her role. Have you published any religious fiction? I honestly would love to take a look at it if you have. You sound like a very intelligent person with a human face. And anyone who loves Mary in my book, is OK with me. I know it also means you love Jesus and very mature in your faith.
 
jkiernan56 said:
I agree with you about CS Lewis and Tolkien and their substances as compared to other allegorical stories. I am looking forward to meeting them in heaven. I also think you are probably dead on about assuming the author’s lack of importance of Mary. I don’t minimize your critique about this point, but its fair to say there is good reason why Mary was left out of the story - both from the author’s allegorical intent and immature understanding of her role. Have you published any religious fiction? I honestly would love to take a look at it if you have. You sound like a very intelligent person with a human face. And anyone who loves Mary in my book, is OK with me. I know it also means you love Jesus and very mature in your faith.
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Thank you very much for your kind words. I’ve had a number of articles and essays published (including our conversion story in “This Rock”), but my fiction is still in a holding pattern. I have two completed children’s books: Toupee Mice and Tristan’s Travels. I had given up on the first in favor of the second, but I was recently asked by a friend at the Catholic Writers Guild to adapt *Toupee Mice * for possible radio broadcast on a program called Relevant Radio. I came close to recently getting “Tristan” published at a good publisher, but they declined in the end. I am now back to seeking a literary agent–which is a slow process.

To continue in this little digression here… The religious fiction I mentioned is called “The Stars Within the Glass,” and it deals with issues of free will, suicide, and Purgatory–all within a fantasy context. At this point, I’m holding the short story for later use in a compilation of essays and stories I’m trying to do concerning our conversion or enrichment to the Catholic Church. Currently, I am a little discouraged with the children’s market, and I’m working on a humorous book concerning modern day absurdities (that’s about as specific as I can be) for an older audience. I’d much rather publish my children’s books first, but having any book published would likely be a big boost to Tristan’s Travels.

Anyway, if you’re interested, you can access my website via karlerickson.com . If you go to main site and select the articles page, you can read some of my published essays. Thanks again, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
 
Writer said:
Thank you very much for your kind words. I’ve had a number of articles and essays published (including our conversion story in “This Rock”), but my fiction is still in a holding pattern. I have two completed children’s books: Toupee Mice and Tristan’s Travels. I had given up on the first in favor of the second, but I was recently asked by a friend at the Catholic Writers Guild to adapt *Toupee Mice * for possible radio broadcast on a program called Relevant Radio. I came close to recently getting “Tristan” published at a good publisher, but they declined in the end. I am now back to seeking a literary agent–which is a slow process.

To continue in this little digression here… The religious fiction I mentioned is called “The Stars Within the Glass,” and it deals with issues of free will, suicide, and Purgatory–all within a fantasy context. At this point, I’m holding the short story for later use in a compilation of essays and stories I’m trying to do concerning our conversion or enrichment to the Catholic Church. Currently, I am a little discouraged with the children’s market, and I’m working on a humorous book concerning modern day absurdities (that’s about as specific as I can be) for an older audience. I’d much rather publish my children’s books first, but having any book published would likely be a big boost to Tristan’s Travels.

Anyway, if you’re interested, you can access my website via karlerickson.com . If you go to main site and select the articles page, you can read some of my published essays. Thanks again, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
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Thank you and I will remember you in my prayer for the Lord to bless your work.
 
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