BOOKS: The Shack by William B. Young

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Hello and thanks to the two people above
I realize that certain bits of this book could be argued or considered ‘wrong’.
All I am trying to say with my above post is that these people who are outright calling it a ‘heresy’ and people like Pastor Mark Driscoll (I think he’s a Protestant but, you know) telling people to NOT read it, is wrong. Basically these people are encouraging others, who may well benefit from it as I did, to not risk it. Or something.
I find this rather sad, is all. Telling a congregation who is trusting you, to not participate in something that will, more than likely, have a positive effect on your life. This is crazy to me.
It is not a dangerous book. Sure, it is not exact theology, and it can be debated about, but at the end of the day, do not tell people to put it down for being heresy. This makes the world a worse place, not a better place.
It would be like telling people to not watch Jesus Christ Superstar, after all, Jesus doesn’t rise from the dead in the end - so that must be heresy - but yet people can still be inspired to learn more, and pick up a Bible - as you said above about the musical.
Debate the pros and cons all you want, fine, but please don’t tell people outright to not read the book because it is not Christian.
This is all I am trying to say here.
Thanks
 
aramac77 said:
Hello and thanks to the two people above
I realize that certain bits of this book could be argued or considered ‘wrong’.
All I am trying to say with my above post is that these people who are outright calling it a ‘heresy’ and people like Pastor Mark Driscoll (I think he’s a Protestant but, you know) telling people to NOT read it, is wrong. Basically these people are encouraging others, who may well benefit from it as I did, to not risk it. Or something.
I find this rather sad, is all. Telling a congregation who is trusting you, to not participate in something that will, more than likely, have a positive effect on your life. This is crazy to me.
It is not a dangerous book. Sure, it is not exact theology, and it can be debated about, but at the end of the day, do not tell people to put it down for being heresy. This makes the world a worse place, not a better place.
It would be like telling people to not watch Jesus Christ Superstar, after all, Jesus doesn’t rise from the dead in the end - so that must be heresy - but yet people can still be inspired to learn more, and pick up a Bible - as you said above about the musical.
Debate the pros and cons all you want, fine, but please don’t tell people outright to not read the book because it is not Christian.
This is all I am trying to say here.
Thanks
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Fair enough. I guess the way I look at it is, I know that no poster here at CAF has the authority to command me not to read or watch anything. So I’ve grown accustomed to merely interpreting such things as personal recommendations. I can take it under advisement, but the decision is still mine. I’m not bothered by someone simply recommending that I read or not read something. They’re entitled to their opinion.

I agree that some of us tend to toss out the word “heresy” with abandon. :o According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same.” Since this is a work of fiction and not a comprehensive treatise on what it means to be Christian, I don’t know if it qualifies as heresy per se. Again, I think I’ve just grown accustomed to that language here on CAF as being a hyperbolic way for the poster to say they believe something isn’t true and/or is at odds with Catholic teaching. I understand why that’s a turnoff, though.
 
I have read this book and would say it is an adult Fairytale. It promotes a ‘feel good factor’ and should just be read as a good yarn. Enjoy it but do not take it seriously!
 
I only read the shack after a friend of mine forced me to read it. I was going through tough times while reading this book. And while I loved the ending, while I was reading it, there were things that were bothering me. Among them were: God is a fat black woman (it was just something I wasn’t used to) and Jesus being too human. And while I loved the book’s message, these things bothered me…Until this week.

This week I was on vacation and for some reason I was contemplating the book (mind you, I read it about 4 or 5 months ago). And all of a sudden it hit me that this book has a great portrayal of the Trinity.

While God was a fat black woman for most of the book, at the end He was a male. This shows us how God is both motherly and fatherly to us depending on what we need at any given time.

Jesus. I sometimes think that Jesus is portrayed and thought of as a dry personality and more God than human. Really, what this book did was tell us, “Yes he is God, but he is also a human.”

And the Holy Spirit, her work in the garden and tending it, it just touched me. It’s hard to explain meaning here for this, but for me, it makes sense somehow.

So, I finally had a “revelation” on this book and the Trinity.

So for those of you who have read the book, what say you?
 
woodyww said:
I just read the book last week. I got it as a birthday present. It is not scripture. It’s theology is a mishmash of everything from good Catholic Teaching to New Age whatever. It is a compelling story with lots of overdone sweetness. It is much like a storyline from “Touched by an Angel”. People who don’t care about orthodoxy will call it a great Christian story. I would call it a fantasy story witha hodge podge of different religions. I would recommend that people stay away from it.
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I thought it was meh, myself…and as you can see, I’m agnostic. It wasn’t terribly bad, but it could be better written, and yeah, it was a feel-good spiritual kind of book. I gave it to a co-worker when I was done…it’s a fast read, too…so, if you have a few hours to kill, that’s all it would take.

Try to borrow it from the library or a friend or something. I wasted my money on it. Pfft.
 
mary_kelly said:
I have read this book and would say it is an adult Fairytale. It promotes a ‘feel good factor’ and should just be read as a good yarn. Enjoy it but do not take it seriously!
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In general I agree with this. It is a work of fiction and should be considered as such. However there are good values that Aram has already touched on. For me, when read it, the biggest thing I pulled from it was the portrayal of the Trinity. Seeing God in relationship helped me to begin to fully understand the mystery behind it.

It also helped me understand how some things about God and grief. Why do we suffer and where God is when we suffer. I’m not saying the book is theological correct. It is absolutely not pro-religion (although I hesitate to say it is anti). But for adults it certainly can deepen our faith. I have found it much easier to approach God in pray since reading this book, and have recommended it to friends who are either grieving or find prayer difficult.

Again, it is fiction. So read and critique as such. Keep an open mind and enjoy it as you would Harry Potter. If it challenges you, pray about it. Ask God why something is bothering you and seek his guidance. You may be surprised at what you learn.
 
Another thing I thought of about this book, and that Aram did not mention:

God gave us independence so that we can choose to be in relationship with Him. That is what he ultimately wants.

And how do we choose that relationship? Through prayer and supplication, by surrendering ourselves to His will.

He allows Himself to be limited so that we can approach Him in prayer and feel as comfortable as if we were talking to our earthly family.

This is a great work of fiction with a strong and powerful message: God wants you to use the gift of independence that He has given you to choose a loving relationship with Him.
 
And one more important point that came to me today while I was praying:

God is fond of all His children
 
Yes, this thread’s last post was in November. I just thought about this book again. When it came out, many of my friends, both Catholic and Protestant, just went bonkers over it. I was curious enough to pick it up, although I always look upon things that the general population approves of with a very jaundiced eye. Sure enough, what I found was a mostly New-Age spirituality which directly contradicts the Bible in many ways.

It’s fine as a piece of fiction, although I don’t think it’s particularly well-written, and the device of creating a supposedly real character to describe another supposedly real character is amateurish and tired. But the way people immediately started study groups based on this book was rather troubling. It is part of the Theology of Tickling People’s Ears, IMO. It sounds so good, that people who aren’t ready for the real message of Jesus Christ will run to embrace it.

I now use it as a kind of touchstone to evaluate a person’s true depth. If that book is brought up in discussion, and he or she goes bananas over it, I put them into a category of “gullible, naive, doesn’t know the Bible very well.” If the person says, “Well, it was a decent story, but there were parts that made my eyes bug out,” or something like that, I will know that I can go deeper with that person since we have a basis to build on.

It’s not my only gauge of a person’s spirituality, but it’s one of them. My supposedly Catholic friend who reads her horoscope and believes in reincarnation absolutely LOVED the book and gave me the copy I read. She’s an Oprah Catholic I think. 😦
 
I have to admit that I actually enjoyed the book very much. BUT keeping in mind that it is a fictional book. It’s actually quite cute and I enjoyed the writing. It does give you something to think about, but there are many ideologies that I disagree with. As far as recommending it? I would be careful about that. I would recommend to someone strong in their Catholic faith, but not to someone I was trying to introduce to the Catholic or Christian faith. This book can be a dangerous instrument in todays society, that does scare me. Just wanted to give my (name removed by moderator)ut. Blessings!
 
I read the book, “The Shack” by William P. Young. I enjoyed it. I do hear a lot of people criticizing the book though. I agree, the writing style leaves much to be desired. So, from a literary stand point, the book is not top notch.

I did not approach reading the book with being a literary critic as my goal though. I went into it with a “I wish to have a discussion about God. I want to feel like I’m sitting down with a friend over a cup of coffee and hearing them tell me a story about how God works for them.” That is basically what I got.

I hear though that a lot of the books critics are, like myself, not so concerned with how well the book is written. They don’t agree with how the book portrays Christian beliefs/doctrine.

What was it that had them concerned?
 
I am not well schooled on other Christian beliefs/doctrine however; I have studied Catholicism a bit therefore; I can offer my own understanding of the Catholic faith. Additionally, it has been a couple years since I read the book. I too, enjoyed it immensely, even though it did not represent the Catholic traditional beliefs, PER SE. One of the many reasons I love Catholicism is because of the rituals and traditions it steadfastly upholds. Those rituals and traditions give us a stronger foundation for our faith, as well as stir our curiosity and encourage us to dwell deeper into the meanings, reasons, and representations of our religious beliefs. The Trinity is one of the truths not represented in the book. Although the Three are One, they are, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each serving very important roles in our lives here on Earth. Mary and the Saints were left out of the books’ representation of the girls’ father searching for ‘her’ and/or the explanation of what happened to her (if I remember the book correctly). For me, and most of the other Catholics I know, Mary & the saints have an active role in our lives. Without reference to them, there is little or no explanation of how anyone gets to heaven/meets Jesus/is blessed with any of the graces the girl’s father was clearly blessed with. I would have to read the book again in order to delve further into where the book differs from CATHOLICISM and, unfortunately, I don’t have the time right now…Good luck in your quest, I am anxious to read the responses you receive. God bless you!
 
It’s been several years since I read it, but I remember one of the biggest concerns being ecclesiology. I think the author had God saying things to the effect that it didn’t really matter where you went to church or what you did on Sunday mornings, etc. Basically, “God” was telling the protagonist what he wanted to hear, i.e. that he could just concentrate on his personal spirituality and to heck with the world of institutional religion. It’s the typical individualistic line that lots of American Christians want to believe: it’s all about me and Jesus. So much from history, tradition, and communal faith is lost in that formula.

Honestly, though, I thought the beauty and goodness of the book outweighed the bad. It’s not a theology textbook and shouldn’t be read as such. If readers are serious enough about their faith, I think they will realize that and look elsewhere for the details of doctrinal truth.

The overall depiction of the Trinity was probably my favorite part–fascinating and beautiful, if a bit pop-culturish.
 
I read this several years ago also so cannot completely rely on my memory. I do remember thinking that the view of the Trinity, was interesting and seemed pretty accurate at least as far as it went. I ran into one lady who had real difficulty the God the Father (Mother) was represented by a Black Woman. Gasp. I am not sure if it was the race or the gender that offended her more. Neither offended me, in fact, I really delighted in the image. I could imagine crawling into her lap! There is a feminine princlple to God we often overlook.

The Holy Spirit was sort of tinkerbellish. At least at first read. The Son was approachable, as of course He is. I was so caught up in the story - sort of a Jobian parable - that I did not much notice the writing. That is unusual for me - you should hear my comments on Dan Brown’s books!
 
I’ve been told to read this more than once by a dear friend of mine. I have put it on my to-be-read list but I haven’t taken the time to purchase the book yet.

I don’t really look for my theology in works of fiction. Barring all theology, is it a good read?
 
I liked it when I first started reading it, but then it got very strange in more ways than one…and not in ways that I can appreciate.
 
:nun2:I am a Theology Major & I would recommend it to everyone, it is a wonderful book, kept in perspective ~ one person’s view of the possibilities. Enjoy & let the Holy Spirit guide your reading. God bless you!
 
There is a very lengthy thread about this book already:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=240831

I am sure you will find more than enough explanations of the pros and cons of the book in that thread. Probably more than you wanted. 😛

I never read it, but the synopsis didn’t appeal to me at all. Heterodox theology couched as fiction is not exactly my idea of pleasure reading. 😉
 
The Shack is chock-full of hearsies. From what I’ve got, in the shack they use graven images, goddess worship, Modalism, and of course the book portrays the Trinity as having no deference. However the Bible does show there is deference because God the Father sent Jesus, not the other way around or Jesus Himself.
 
Was this book good to read ? My niece said that it was good and said that I should read it. She is a very good Catholic who goes to Mass and is involved in the Cristian groups for youth too. Its enhanced her life , bringing her closer to God. Same with the book Crazy Love by Chan.
 
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