The Shack by William P. Young Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Shack
Book Review: Absolute Must Read - Then Pass It Along!
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book over the holiday break and have to say I was blown away by it -- it's probably one of the top ten books I have ever read. So as soon as I finished reading it (then re-reading it for a second time), I ordered copies for everyone who was particularly special to me. It's one of those books that I think everyone brings their own history to, so what you experience when you make your own journey to "The Shack" is going to be different from mine or someone else. And because I want you to read it with fresh eyes, I'm not going to go into the story line or why I was so shaken and moved by it on so many levels. Just let me say that the story is a very good read but more that that, it will touch and inspire you to the very core of who you are. I don't say this lightly -- more often than not I have read books that people have recommended as inspiring and come away thinking it was just ok and maybe a little dry. I truly hope that you enjoy "The Shack" and that when you come to the end, you will firmly believe that there is someone "particularly fond of you"!Book Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Shack is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. Anyone with an idea of God as an old man with a long beard who doesn't really care about human beings has GOT to read this book. William Young has described God and the Holy Spirit better than any doctor of the Church could, in language everyone can understand. My friend, Melissa, gave me this book after she read it, and now I understand why she said she was going to reread it with a pencil and hi-liter. Some of Young's ideas are so unique and simple that you'll want to remeber them always and refer to them often. You will not be disappointed.Book Review: Christians beware! This book is warped. Burn it!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I am giving it 1 star because I can't leave the space empty... Darn! This is a story of a man faced with the tragedy of losing his young daughter. He gets a note to meet with "Papa" at the place she was killed. (Seemingly from God) Then a whole warped scenario plays out when God shows up at the door as a woman...another woman & then a man. (Like this writer is trying to recreate the trinity.) Don't be fooled people! This guy is not writing this book with the help of the Holy Spirit...rather a familiar spirit. "WOW" is all I can say! What will the enemy come up with next to fool God's people?! Skip this book! If it does not line up with the Holy Spirit in you and doesn't like up with the Word of God then it is a lie from you know who.Book Review: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS ONE!
Summary: 1 Stars
Christians,
My wife and I have recently read the book, The Shack. This book seems to be growing with rising popularity, especially in Christian circles. While we were first somewhat excited to read it, we were left feeling profoundly disturbed by its content. I've heard several people say that it is the best book they have ever read. In fact Eugene Peterson (author of The Message paraphrase) says that, "This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good." I have to confess that Young's characterization of the Father as a large, beaming African-American woman, the Son as a Jew with a large nose, and the Holy Spirit is a mysterious Asian female makes me more than just a little uncomfortable. Whether you have read this book or not, most likely some of your friends or loved one have, so please allow me to take a few minutes to share with you a word of caution. It is books like this make our discernment as believers even more necessary than ever before.
Someone else recently said to me, "Come on Julian, it's just a novel!" Let me tell you Christians, this book is not just a novel. It is Young's platform to spoon feed people his theology (universalism), which in a free society is fine, but it is his own personal belief and not the Truth found in God's Word. God is concerned about doctrine (His Truth) way more than we are, but we should be cautious nonetheless. John 4:23-25 says that, "a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." He said Truth. Not feelings or relationships but simply Truth. Not false religions such as Christian Universalism, or Mormonism, or Jehovah's Witness, the prosperity gospel, or even the Emergent Church. Truth as found in God's Word and His Word alone. John 14:21 says that "whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." 1 Timothy 6:3-5 says "if anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain." Fellow Christians, please allow me to exhort you to be very careful and discerning when entertaining supposed "fiction" books like The Shack. The Bible is crystal clear about the fact that there is one way to a relationship with Jesus Christ and only one. Young, however, claims the polar opposite in this book. He is rejecting the Truth of the One and only God and His infallible Word, and in doing so, is leading many well-intentioned believers down the path of destruction.
Christians, virtually every theological heresy begins with a misconception of the nature of God, and unfortunately, The Shack is no exception. The Bible declares that everything we see, hear, and read must be examined before God's Word. This is how we discern His Truth from error. This is particularly true if something sounds almost right, but is dangerously wrong. After reading The Shack, I find it necessary to bring to light some of its errors. One man stated that, "The book is like a deep ditch covered with beautiful flowers - and sadly, many Christians are falling into this ditch". I couldn't agree more. My prayer is that we will all develop a sense of discernment so that we may be able to determine what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ (see Philippians 1:10). After reading The Shack, I wanted to find out more about the author, William Paul Young. As I did, the overall message of his now bestselling book made more and more sense to me. Apparently, Young was the son of missionaries to New Guinea. He went to Bible school, and he had some pain in his life. He once believed in biblical Truth until about four years ago when he embraced Christian Universalism. Universalism declares that Jesus is "a way," maybe even "the best way," but not "the only way" to the Father in heaven. So regardless of your belief system, we all get to the same destination: heaven. Christian Universalism destroyed Christianity in England and in all of Europe, and is now at work toward the same end in America.
To his credit, Young attempts to answer the question, "Where is God in a world full of pain and hurt?" The novel is about a man named Mackenzie (Mack) Phillips whose daughter, Missy, was brutally murdered by a serial killer. Three years after this tragedy, he receives an invitation by mail to meet with the holy Trinity in the same shack where his daughter was murdered. Each member of the Trinity appears in a bodily form. God the Father is called "Papa," but his actual name is Elousia, which is Greek for tenderness. Papa appears in the form of a large maternal African American woman who is always cooking in the kitchen. Though, by the end of the book, she turns into a pony-tailed, gray-haired man to assure Mack that God is both male and female. Jesus is a middle-aged Middle Eastern man, dressed in a plaid shirt, with a tool belt around his waist. The Holy Spirit appears as a delicate Asian woman named Sarayu, meaning "air," who loves gardening. Mack also meets another woman, named Sophia, Lady Wisdom. The novel is primarily a dialogue between Mack and the Trinity. Chief among the topics discussed are the nature of the Trinity, the cross, and forgiveness. As the dialogue progresses, Mack's faith in the God of the Bible falls apart completely and is replaced by a new understanding of who God is - transforming him into a changed man. The Holy Spirit depicted in the novel declares that the greatest evil is man's independence from God. Yet this evil is precisely what the author promotes in the pages of his book - declaring his independence from the God of the Bible in favor of a new god, with very little resemblance to the true God. Thankfully there are others who are just as concerned about The Shack as I am. Some of these have called it subversive and seductive, while others refer to it as "undiluted heresy."
One of the most devastating aspects of The Shack is the absolute disrespect and disregard for God by the main character. Think about it. When Isaiah saw a glimpse of God's glory, he was so overwhelmed that he cried out, "Woe to me for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and dwell in the midst of people who of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of Hosts." In contrast, Young not only presents a false view of God; he mocks the importance and the uniqueness of the Bible. He makes the Bible equal to whatever your personal imagination says about God. This is what we know from Scripture: God is Spirit, and He does not have a body, yet He chose to reveal himself in the masculine form. Nowhere does God reveal himself as a goddess. The Bible is very clear: Dare not portray God in an image. It is impossible to make the Creator part of the creation. Jesus said, "God is Spirit, and he who worships Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth" (John 4:24). The second commandment forbids us from making a visual portrayal of God. To worship such an image is pure idolatry. To worship an image of God is to worship the creation, not the Creator. Since Adam and Eve first sinned, there has been one plan for our redemption. God revealed it through the pages of the Old Testament, and then 2,000 years ago, at His appointed time, He fully revealed that plan in His Son, Jesus Christ. The plan was for Jesus to pay the punishment for our sin - for everyone who comes to Him and receives Christ's payment for himself and for herself. That's the plan of God.
The day is coming when Jesus Christ is going to sit on the judgment bench to separate those who have accepted His Father's plan from those who have accepted another plan. He will separate those who tried to stretch His plan, who are trying to make the plan popular, or are trying to rewrite His plan. The question that we must ask ourselves is this: Am I willing to accept God's gift of eternal life as it is revealed in the Scripture? Our eternal life hangs in the balance and depends on the answer to this question. We simply cannot be blown away by every wind of doctrine, or by our emotions. We should never allow emotions to control our minds. Rather, our mind should be the thermostat that sets the temperature of our emotions.
So Christians, as we continue to develop our sense of discernment, informed only by the Word of God, may we all cling to the God who loves us so much that He gave His all. Don't be mislead by all kinds of warm and fuzzy descriptions that do not fit God's own personal revelation in His Word.
THIRTEEN HERESIES IN THE SHACK (TAKEN FROM LEADING THE WAY MINISTRIES)
1. God the Father was crucified with Jesus.
Because God's eyes are pure and cannot look upon sin, the Bible says that God would not look upon His own beloved Son as He hung on the Cross, carrying our sins (Habakkuk 1:13; Matthew 27:45).
2. God is limited by His love and cannot practice justice.
The Bible declares that God's love and His justice are two sides of the same coin -- equally a part of the personality and the character of God (Isaiah 61:8; Hosea 2:19).
3. On the Cross, God forgave all of humanity, whether they repent or not. Some choose a relationship with Him, but He forgives them all regardless.
Jesus explained that only those who come to Him will be saved (John 14:6).
4. Hierarchical structures, whether they are in the Church or in the government, are evil.
Our God is a God of order (Job 25:2).
5. God will never judge people for their sins.
The Word of God repeatedly invites people to escape from the judgment of God by believing in Jesus Christ, His Son (Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:1-3).
6. There is not a hierarchical structure in the Godhead, just a circle of unity.
The Bible says that Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. This doesn't mean that one Person is higher or better than the other; just unique. Jesus said, "I came to do the will of Him who sent me. I am here to obey my Father." Jesus also said, "I will send you the Holy Spirit" (John 4:34, 6:44, 14:26, 15:26).
7. God submits to human wishes and choices.
Far from God submitting to us, Jesus said, "Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life." We are to submit to Him in all things, for His glory and because of what He has accomplished for us (Matthew 7:13-15).
8. Justice will never take place because of love.
The Bible teaches that when God's love is rejected, and when the offer of salvation and forgiveness is rejected, justice must take place or God has sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for nothing (Matthew 12:20; Romans 3:25-26).
9. There is no such a thing as eternal judgment or torment in hell.
Jesus' own description of hell is vivid ... it cannot be denied (Luke 12:5, 16:23).
10. Jesus is walking with all people in their different journeys to God, and it doesn't matter which way you get to Him.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one will come to the Father but by me" (John 14:6).
11. Jesus is constantly being transformed along with us.
Jesus, who dwells in the splendor of heaven, sits at the right hand of God, reigning and ruling the universe. The Bible says, "In Him there is no change, for He is yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 11:12, 13:8; James 1:17).
12. There is no need for faith or reconciliation with God because everyone will make it to heaven.
Jesus said, "Only those who believe in me will have eternal life" (John 3:15, 3:36, 5:24, 6:40).
13. The Bible is not true because it reduces God to paper.
The Bible is God-breathed. Sure, there were many men through 1,800 years who put pen to paper (so to speak), each from different professions and different backgrounds, but the Holy Spirit infused their work with God's words. These men were writing the same message from Genesis to Revelation. If you want to read more about the place of Christ in the Scripture, read "We Preach Christ" (2 Timothy 3:16).
Book Review: Extremely Humbled
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Shack" is one of the best books written. Really, everyone should get their hands on this one. Whether you're a believer in God or not, it truly speaks to the human race and our independence and struggles we face in life and why God desires so much to be a part of it all. He teaches us through this story why disappointments can happen to us, the love and compassion he has for us, and the strong desire to trust in Him. It will humble yourself and see God for what he really is. An awsome book! tj