The Shack
Posted In: Fantasy, Hall Of Fame, Symon, The Shack, Thriller/suspense, William P. Young
Comments: 8 Responses
Reviewed by Burton: 10 out of 10.
I first heard of The Shack by William P. Young in early 2008, and although some people were hailing it as an ‘it-changed-my-life’ masterpiece, I was aware that some very influential preachers were condemning it as pure heresy. Now, having read the book I will simply say that it is without a doubt the most impacting work of fiction I have ever read.
Let me deal briefly with the bullhorn guys…Their main arguments are: God, the Father is portrayed as an African-American woman, and the Trinity’s relationship with Itself(?) is unscriptural. I say ‘Meh’ to both of them, and let me tell you why. William P. Young never intended The Shack to be critiqued by theologians. He simply wrote it for his adult kids to show them God’s character. So what if I didn’t agree totally with parts of Young’s theology? To judge this book based on points of doctrine is to miss the point of story completely!
One last rant if I may… How come so many Christians are quick to use secular movies/books to share the gospel (The Matrix comes to mind), but because a ‘Christian’ book is controversial, they condemn it as heresy?
But I digress.
The Shack is a fictional story which taught me (more than any teaching book BTW), about the love of God, why He allows suffering, and how especially fond of me He is (and if it sounds arrogant, you need to read the book 
.
This is one of those rare books which, from beginning to end, is totally unpredictable… and emotionally exhausting. A warning to fathers of daughters: This book will mess you up big time, and the first-third is incredibly hard to read. But be encouraged, I do really believe that fathers of daughters will be the most impacted by this book.
In conclusion, and if you possibly can… I wholeheartedly recommend that you take a couple of days off work, hike up to a shack somewhere, read this book and thank God for His goodness. Then come home, give your kids (and wife) a huge hug and kiss, and thank God for all His goodness.
Click here to visit theshackbook.com.
Related Reviews
- The Shack by Kristy on February 15, 2010
- The Shack by Stephen on January 6, 2009
- The Rook by Symon on October 12, 2009
- BoneMan’s Daughters by Symon on June 2, 2009
- The Silver Hand by Stephen on May 17, 2009
- The Great Divorce by Symon on February 9, 2010
- Across the China Sky by Rachel Kate on July 21, 2009
I just got my copy of this book yesterday and started it last night. Like you I was in 2 minds before reading because I've heard many people rave over it saying it's changed their lives and others who didn't like it at all or couldn't even finish it! looking forward to getting through it this weekend!
I've heard so much about it too – people LOVE it…. I will find a copy and give it a read.
still yet to read it but looking ford to it. great review symz
Thanks for your honest review! I haven't read this one yet but I have heard mainly good things. Blessings!
I'm starting it now that you've finished with it (and bawled all over the pages
Fantastic book, and I wholeheartedly agree with your views on the controversy surrounding it. Can any human ever be perfect in their theology? I don't think so.
To quote Charles Staples: You can't know, you can only believe – or not.
I definitely enjoyed the book, and agree that it's a lot more about character than theology. It's cool to see God in new angles…especially exaggerated ones.
Admittedly, though, it tends to be a bit rambly. For example, Papa spends a lot more time explaining things to the main character instead of acting them out, which to me can become quite tiresome. It's like when you're reading a textbook and you have to absorb so much information in only a few pages.
Without a doubt, it would be hard for the author to have conveyed so much without that insane amount of explanatory dialogue, so I can definitely see why he chose to do things that way. I just found myself wishing they would show what they wanted to say instead of literally saying it. But maybe I'm just a lover of subtlety (which is definitely not something this book is prone to!).
But yeah, it was a fantastic read, and I'm definitely glad I read it.
i'm up to page 12, i hadn't heard of it till 3 minutes ago on your blog and now i've found an e-preview…