As you can tell if you read some of my articles, I take a strong stand on Biblical truth and I call out “well meaning”, “self proclaimed visionaries” that deviate from God’s truth such as Mormonism, Catholicism, Lutherans and Calvinism.  There are a lot of “ism” in the world that want to proclaim that they represent the truth of God’s word, and they write mountains of material supporting their opinion as if by stacking it high enough they will somehow overshadow God truth with their BS.  My purpose of mentioning these false views of Christianity in light of the present topic is to say … “cut the Shack some slack”.

Look, the Shack is not a book claiming to represent a new religious doctrine of Christianity or a new Denationalization following.  I found it to be an apologetic book like C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” where it tackles the concept of explaining evil in the world in spite of things being under the authority of a loving and perfect God.  And the book reminded me of Randy Alcorn’s book called “Heaven” where some liberties are taken to explain what they eye cannot see such as the way the trinity of God (the Father, Son and Holy Ghost) display their love for one another and for mankind.  The main strength of the book is they way it depicts God as someone who is not willing for any to perish and does whatever is necessary to reach each person with His love and grace (2 Peter 3:9).  The Shack is a story about how God reached Mackenzie Allen Phillips “Mack” and corrected his perception of God, so Mack could “let go” of his preconceived notion of God and love Him.

To me the book is not primarily written for the unsaved person but for the person who is religiously saved by Christ from the penalty of sin but unsatisfied with the Christian life because of the trails and tribulations of life.  Mack himself was a pastor’s son and a seminary student.  He believes in God for his salvation from sin but he has not really trusted God with his daily living.  Mack holds resentment towards God for his abusive father and he holds guilt because that abuse drove him to poison his father.  But when Mack sees his father being beaten as a little boy by his own father, he’s perception of his father changes and he has compassion for his father for the fist time.

That’s what this book is about, making you look at things with a new perspective to see God’s goodness and grace in the midst of the hardships and sorrows of life.  Of course the meat of the story is about Mack’s return to “The Shack”, the place where his 6 year old daughter was brutally murdered.  Why would God allow such evil to occur?  How could God allow such a beautiful life to be taken by ruthless killer?  Was the death of his daughter God’s punishment against Mack for his killing his father?   And what causes the heavy sadness that pulls down Mack daily, making him even want to commit suicide?  The book is conversation in Mack’s mind with God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to answer these questions and others.

So does the book help bring people to Christ in order to be reconciled with God or does the way that God is depicted as a black woman with good cooking skills in the book offend people of their concept of a “Holy God” and thus dismiss the book as heresy?  Well, it’s my opinion that “The Shack” is an “allegory”, like the story Jesus told of the prodigal son, who squanders his inheritance and then returns in rags to be a slave to his father.  But, in the story the father is also the prodigal one, who knows no bounds in pouring out his love and riches on his returning son.  And guess what … this story was extremely offensive to the pharisee Jews, who like the older son, looked on the return of the younger brother with disdain and did not approve of the father’s acceptance of the son.   

So you see “grace” is offensive word to those who have a high opinion of themselves,  I understand the need for Biblical clarity and purity but when someone is describing an allegory story or a personal testimony, I have to be respectful of their story.  I can ask them questions but I need to listen to their answers.  Take for instance the typed letter that Mack receives from God requesting a visit with him.  “Does God send people letters? and sign them as Pappa?  Not, according to my reading of scripture.  For the most part God either spoke to people in dreams or visions or voices and then his prophets wrote what God said.  God’s books is a love letter to us, not directly penned by God and put in our mail box but penned by people who knew God and wrote what He told them to say about His love for us.  

The point the book is trying to make is not that God is black woman with a type writer but that God is trying to reach each person and be reconciled with each person, even to the extend that God would appear as a black woman to express His love and send a hand written invitation to a dinner.  God is not impressed or disappointing with our performance for Him but God is trying to draw us into a relationship and deepen our devotion to Him.  Mack has a joyless relationship with God because He see’s God judging him for the sins of his past instead of seeing God as someone who is building up a people in love.  I am reminded of David who “messed up” but he never failed to “fess up” and seek God forgiveness and mercy.  David was especially concerned for Saul, God’s anointed, even when Saul was pursuing him unto death.  This is what it means to be a man after God’s own heart, to have concern for others and their relationship with God in spite of their hatred toward you and God. 

And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” – Luke 10:27

The bottom line is that man is without excuse for ignoring God and His love toward him (Romans 1:20).  The Heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1) and His creatures sing His praise (Revelation 5:13)..  God ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and you can be sure that God is doing all that He can to reach each person and save them from their sin.  For example, in the Bible it states that God stands at the door and knocks to come dine with us (Revelation 3:20) … well do you think the Bible is talking about a “real door” on our house and “real food” from our fridge.  No, He is taking about having an intimate relationship with us and our house is our heart and the food is the Spiritual food of fellowship that we crave and truly fulfills us.  And in Revelation 3:20 God is not knocking on the door of our heart to establish an initial “born again” relationship through salvation in Jesus Christ but God is knocking on the door of “believer’s heart” asking to restore fellowship and communion (1 John 1:9).  Yet, even though this scripture is not written to evangelize the lost I have seen it used to reach the unsaved … so for the person who is the scriptural purest … is it wrong to use Revelation 3:10 to evangelize the lost?

Several Christian groups, such as CARM, have issued a warning to avoid the book https://www.carm.org/the-shack but I think the overall message of  the “Shack” is more helpful than harmful.  I’m sure some think that C.S, Lewis shouldn’t have written the Chronicles of Narnia because although Jesus is born through the Tribe of Judah – the lion of power – (Genesis 49:9), Jesus is not an actual lion.  Of course Jesus is not an actual lamb either but He is the Passover lamb that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  The Bible is full of poetry and analogies and parables.  You have to apply some discernment when you read scripture to know when to understand the text “literally” and when to understand it figuratively … but always take it “seriously”!  Like with the following passage … no God does not have chicken wings … because we are made in His image.

“He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” – Psalm 91:4

 

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”  -Genesis 1:27

The CARN review to me is bothersome because the person who wrote the review thinks “The Shack” mocks those who study the depths and doctrine of God’s word but I didn’t find it to say that.  I think the book represents the concepts of scripture fairly and invites you to be a good Berean and look it up for yourself.  CARN claims that the Shack is proposing a “Universal” way to God where man is not sinner in need of God’s forgiveness but the book talks about the garden of Eden where man rebelled against God to act independently.  The book repeats the message that it is our independent nature that destroys us and that apart from Christ we can do nothing.  The book states that God’s main activity now is “redeeming man” so man can live with God as God originally intended. 

I do think the writer of the Shack could have done a better job explaining sin and salvation and living by faith, especially to clarify this for the unsaved person but the book does NOT mislead people into believing there are many ways to God.  The book talks about how Jesus paid the price of redemption for man on the cross but it does add some confusion to this concept when Pappa has scares on His (her) wrists like Jesus but from the Biblical account the Father didn’t die on the cross. The book teaches the Biblical concept of the God head trinity but it does so in an unconventional way, describing three literal people two of them women.  When John sees Heaven, he sees one throne and the Father sitting on throne but he doesn’t really describe a person but more like something glittering like gem stones (crystal, red and green).  

And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance – Revelation 4:3

And we know Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father but there is only one throne in Heaven … so where does Jesus sit?  This is another hard thing to understand about the Throne in Heaven and the Trinity and our place in Heaven as a born again believer of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1: 1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

 

‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. – Revelation 3:21

And when John first sees Jesus in Heaven, he see “a Lamb”.

Revelation 5: 6And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

Yet, later John describes Jesus with eyes of fire and a sword coming out of His mouth, riding on a white horse coming to earth with His saints to rule with a rod of iron.

Revelation 19: 11And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white andclean, were following Him on white horses. 15From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Look, the concept of the trinity and the appearance of the Father Son and Holy Spirit is hard to grasp and explain.  The Shack book is focusing on the love relationship nature of the God-head and that is why the author uses the illustration of three real people who relate beautifully and wonderfully to each other.  As the book states we can’t fully understand the concept of of the trinity or eternity or an un-created entity called the God-head (Father Son and Holy Spirit).  This is part of the reason why we are in “awe” of God and the reason He deserves our praise and worship. 

The CARN reviewer seemed to indicate that Jesus did not pay for all the sins of the world but He did (1 Peter 2:24).  Jesus atonement on the cross for the sin of all mankind is complete.  All we need to do is accept His offer of forgiveness for our sin.  The question is a person willing to be reconciled with God, not’s God’s willingness to accept them.  Many reviews give a warning against the Shack claiming that is misrepresents the God of Bible and His purpose but I hope you will take the time to read it and make your own decision.  http://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2017/shack2017.html 

I write a lot about the “truth” of God’s word and I write a lot about those within the body of Christ that are misleading others about God’s truth but to me, “The Shack” is more helpful than hurtful to understanding God.  Also, I think the people who will benefit the most from this book are those who have a deep love for God’s word but who don’t have a deep personal trust of how God is working for good.   The Shack has generated a lot of discussion about God and I think Pappa would be pleased about that!

http://theshackbook.com/discussion/index.php  Also check out the Shack Revisited Sessions 1 through 12 on YouTube.

To God be the Glory!  – Rogersings

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