"The Shack" from a Catholic perspective?

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Hi everyone!

I am sure at some point the book “The Shack” has been discussed here, but I did a search and could not find anything using the CAF search tool.

I just bought a used copy of this book, but wanted to get some of your thoughts about the book from a Catholic POV.

I appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut!
 
esieffe said:
Hi everyone!

I am sure at some point the book “The Shack” has been discussed here, but I did a search and could not find anything using the CAF search tool.

I just bought a used copy of this book, but wanted to get some of your thoughts about the book from a Catholic POV.

I appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut!
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Take this with a grain of salt knowing it is a personal opinion and not authentic Church teaching, but I loved that book.

It does rely on some New Age theology, though. I don’t personally think the book is bad and shouldn’t be read, but I do advise caution in how you apply it to your spiritual life.

This is a pretty good review, but beware of spoilers.

The above review also recommends this one

I agree with both of their conclusions that Young does a great job of explaining things we often struggle with (God’s relationship with Himself, for example) and does a great job breaking down some of the traditional stereotypes we fall into when picturing God as a physical being and his attitudes. But there are some things that don’t quite cut it theologically.

Read and enjoy, but don’t make it into a catechism for your faith. 👍
 
…ok… maybe I didn’t phrase the question correctly. Can this book be enjoyed by a Catholic? Will I feel like I just walked out of a tent revival? Did you love it? Hate it? Why?

Thanks!;)😃
 
From what I remember the book has a good view of the Trinity but comes across negative on religion. I didn’t finish it, so many other good things to read.
 
esieffe said:
…ok… maybe I didn’t phrase the question correctly. Can this book be enjoyed by a Catholic? Will I feel like I just walked out of a tent revival? Did you love it? Hate it? Why?

Thanks!;)😃
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My reaction was very positive, and I did not feel like I walked out of a tent revival.

I’ve re-read the book a couple times, and like I said before I think he does a great job helping us break down stereotypes of God.

SPOILER ALERT!!! 👍👍

The main character is very relatable, as is his struggle. Young calls it the “Great Sadness,” and I love the way it’s portrayed. So many people, including myself the first few times I read it, have a “shallow faith” like Mack (main character). When we encounter real, genuine heart break like Mack, who loses his young daughter (I think she’s 4 or 5), we fall away and barely go through the motions.

I love that, although the time period is only a day, the story isn’t the classic, “life sucks, become faithful, life is great” kind of story we so often see in Christian fiction.

Two of my favorite parts are the constant descriptions of the relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the imagery Young uses to describe the Father. In the book, Mack is surprised to see God as a large, black woman (I always think Queen Latifah) instead of an aged man with a long, white beard (Gandalf).

It’s clear throughout that the Father is not always a woman, but has assumed that image specifically to challenge Mack.

There is one other part I love, though it’s not theologically 100 percent accurate. The Father talks to Mack about when we commit sins. He rejoices at them, because he knows how many times we will commit that sin. It’s like a countdown, only X more times to go before the person gets it.

While I like that image, and I think God does see it that way in part, there is no denying He detests sin and does not rejoice in it. Maybe a part of Him rejoices because we’re one step closer, but part of Him also feels hurt because we’ve broken our relationship with Him. I wish this was presented more clearly in the book.
 
LittleFlower378 said:
From what I remember the book has a good view of the Trinity but comes across negative on religion. I didn’t finish it, so many other good things to read.
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That’s a great way to view it.

God, in the book, keeps saying things about not wanting “church” as we know it. He doesn’t like the “institution” of “religion.”

In spite of things like that, I still recommend this book.
 
I hear it’s a good story from a fiction perspective. Heresy from a Christian perspective.

Enjoy the story, keep your Catholic theology.
 
ChurchSoldier said:
I hear it’s a good story from a fiction perspective. Heresy from a Christian perspective.

Enjoy the story, keep your Catholic theology.
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It’s not quite heresy. It does toe the very fine line with some points crossing over (at least from a Catholic perspective).
 
I was given a copy of the book several Christmases ago by a family member who is an ordained Church Deacon. Keeping in mind that it is fiction, I found it interesting and dud not find any conflict with my faith.
 
I didn’t like it and thought that it was very poorly written. 😊

I know a lot of people were moved by it but for me “the message” was too in my face to enjoy it as a story, and I found aspects of the theology very problematic. But it’s been a while since I read it so I don’t think I could offer any specific examples.
 
I was surprised to see my novel about God’s mercy, Rain from Heaven, favorably compared to The Shack. The reviewer said it is “even more exciting.”

You can read that here: amazon.com/Rain-Heaven-J-Avila-ebook/product-reviews/B00DPO6A3E/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

You can also read the entire novel absolutely free at ajavila.angelfire.com/ although you’ll have to put up with all the ads that come with a free website.

I’ve never read The Shack, since I had heard it had heresy in it. Frankly, I would rather my novels never saw the light of day than promote heresy, so I waited for permission from my Spiritual Director before publishing.

Is the author of The Shack supposed to be Christian?
 
Kay_Cee said:
I was surprised to see my novel about God’s mercy, Rain from Heaven, favorably compared to The Shack. The reviewer said it is “even more exciting.”

You can read that here: amazon.com/Rain-Heaven-J-Avila-ebook/product-reviews/B00DPO6A3E/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

You can also read the entire novel absolutely free at ajavila.angelfire.com/ although you’ll have to put up with all the ads that come with a free website.

I’ve never read The Shack, since I had heard it had heresy in it. Frankly, I would rather my novels never saw the light of day than promote heresy, so I waited for permission from my Spiritual Director before publishing.

Is the author of The Shack supposed to be Christian?
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Kay, I think he defines himself as a Christian but I can’t remember where he actually said it.

I thank you for providing an alternative.

The Shack does contain some ideas which we as Catholics would call heresy, but because it is a work of fiction that also has great benefit I am not hesitant of recommending it. I always urge caution when I do, but there is value there.

Now if you want something that’s a complete waste of time and absolutely heretical, then we can talk about the tragedy that is “Left Behind” lol
 
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