The Shack? Whats your Review?

[mont974x4]

Ministry Update - November 22, 2008

a through review of the book and the author.

 

[mregypt]

This was a great read! really inspiring regardless of weather its fact or fiction.
Everyone is accountable to God and its not our job to play judge and jury so stop condemning an uplifting read.

 

[mont974x4]

It is our job to discern good from evil and sound doctrine from bad doctrine. It does not matter how good it makes some people feel if it teaches false things....like Jesus only being A way to God and not THE way to God.

 

[blessedmomof5]

i thought it was a good read, but you take everything for what it is worth....... if it just makes one non believer open up a Bible then it was worth it

 

[mregypt]

i thought it was a good read, but you take everything for what it is worth....... if it just makes one non believer open up a Bible then it was worth it

agreed. and mont974x4 i agree with your statement, however there are two sides to every story, and many people seem to feel expressing a strong criticism supported by bible verses is all thats needed to get their points across.
My grandma used to reprimand me with bible verses which in later days turned me off any knowledge of the word of god due to its association with disipline.

 

[mont974x4]

God disciplines, I was merely pointing out error and why it is error. We are told to defend the faith and prove ourselves able to rightly handle the Word.

I'm a pastor who loves the Word and abhors false teaching, what else would you expect me to do? lol

In this case my goal was to merely show evidence for why "the message" is a perversion of the Word of God. I am not able to force people to see it. I have a lot of experience in debating this particular issue and if a person sees no problem with this work of fiction passed off by Peterson as a Bible there is not a lot that will change their mind. The least I can do is present evidence and hope it protects someone.

I am sorry your past experience had such a bad impact.

 

[mregypt]

God disciplines, I was merely pointing out error and why it is error. We are told to defend the faith and prove ourselves able to rightly handle the Word.

I'm a pastor who loves the Word and abhors false teaching, what else would you expect me to do? lol

In this case my goal was to merely show evidence for why "the message" is a perversion of the Word of God. I am not able to force people to see it. I have a lot of experience in debating this particular issue and if a person sees no problem with this work of fiction passed off by Peterson as a Bible there is not a lot that will change their mind. The least I can do is present evidence and hope it protects someone.

I am sorry your past experience had such a bad impact.

no worries thanks for the response

 

[Paul1965]

Great book! I think it portrays the intimacy and closeness of the relationship we can have with God. I realize it is fiction work. If I want correct theology, I look no other place than the Bible. I don't think the author's intent is for it to be a theological reference book. I would recommend it to my Christian friends. Non Christians may find it rather boring or get bogged down when theology is discussed between Mack and God. I am very glad I read it, and I believe most Christians would agree.

 

[Captivated]

Great book! I think it portrays the intimacy and closeness of the relationship we can have with God. I realize it is fiction work. If I want correct theology, I look no other place than the Bible. I don't think the author's intent is for it to be a theological reference book. I would recommend it to my Christian friends. Non Christians may find it rather boring or get bogged down when theology is discussed between Mack and God. I am very glad I read it, and I believe most Christians would agree.

I concur. It gave me a fresh perspective on the nature of God without compromising any of my orthodox Christian beliefs. I will probably read it again.

 

[sdmsanjose]

Themes

page references are from the paper back addition and may be differnt from the hardback book.
1 Relationships pg 104---125--- and multiple other pages

2 God is good and operates from that precedence
pg 129—155---169--


3 Mankind to deny self independence and perceived rights and trust God
pg 138-139-147

4 Judgments of hell and heaven pg 163--164


5 Mercy triumphs over justice because of love pg166

6 reinforcement of the greater after life. Pg169

7 Spiritual refinement by pain suffering and finally death pg179

8 I came to give you life to the fullest pg182

9 Trust me and grow in loving people round you pg 183

10 Rules responsibilities, and the LAW pg 204-207

11 Forgiveness pg 223-229

12 Redemption pg 129

13 Warnings of some orthodox Christian religions pg181

14 Presenting out-of-the-box unorthodox Christian
symbols and situations.
(eg: Black African American woman as God, Middle eastern man as Jesus, Asian woman as Holy Spirit, Hispanic woman as Wisdom… lots of joking and laughter by the trinity)








Reasons Stan loves the book



1 Brings God closer to you.

The God that I had in my mind most of the time BEFORE The Shack was:

The mighty powerful God that created the world,
The God that you cannot look at face to face,
The God that says “My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts

The Shack reminded me and reinforced other attributes of God. They are:

A God that does not tell you your failings with a stern voice and disappointed look on his face
A God that picks you up, hugs and kisses you, jokes with you, and makes your breakfast
A God that cries with you.

The Shack brought to my attention the more personal and heart warming God. Quite an addition wouldn’t you agree?



2 Brings to mind the greater life in the afterlife that helps to buffet the pain in this world.

3 God accepts me even though I fail Him.

4 God’s predominant attribute is His concern for your betterment

5 God uses pain to bring about something good

6 Reminds and illustrates the freedom, comfort and contentment of trusting in God.

7 Offers a different view of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost that is outside the stereotypes.

8 Reminds you and better clarifies the ultimate goal in Christian maturity

9 Helps to diminish the fear of the unknown (Death)

10 The human character Mac, asked hard questions, and had emotions very similar to what I would have.

CONCLUSION
God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is even better than we can imagine and wants to give us a much better life here on earth and in the afterlife. God will apply love, grace, and mercy over Justice anytime we use our free will to trust Him.

It gives you a strong conviction that the spiritual applications can buffet tragedy and pain
The doctrine is rock solid

 

[blessedmomof5]

You've made some good points about the book, you seemed to have really looked closely at it. Amen
God is Good,and Merciful. and like i said He reaches everyone diffrently.

Themes

page references are from the paper back addition and may be differnt from the hardback book.
1 Relationships pg 104---125--- and multiple other pages

2 God is good and operates from that precedence
pg 129—155---169--


3 Mankind to deny self independence and perceived rights and trust God
pg 138-139-147

4 Judgments of hell and heaven pg 163--164


5 Mercy triumphs over justice because of love pg166

6reinforcement of the greater after life. Pg169

7 Spiritual refinement by pain suffering and finally death pg179

8 I came to give you life to the fullest pg182

9 Trust me and grow in loving people round you pg 183

10Rules responsibilities, and the LAW pg 204-207

11 Forgiveness pg 223-229

12 Redemption pg 129

13 Warnings of some orthodox Christian religions pg181

14 Presenting out-of-the-box unorthodox Christian
symbols and situations.
(eg: Black African American woman as God, Middle eastern man as Jesus, Asian woman as Holy Spirit, Hispanic woman as Wisdom… lots of joking and laughter by the trinity)








Reasons Stan loves the book



1 Brings God closer to you.

The God that I had in my mind most of the time BEFORE The Shack was:

The mighty powerful God that created the world,
The God that you cannot look at face to face,
The God that says “My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts

The Shack reminded me and reinforced other attributes of God. They are:

A God that does not tell you your failings with a stern voice and disappointed look on his face
A God that picks you up, hugs and kisses you, jokes with you, and makes your breakfast
A God that cries with you.

The Shack brought to my attention the more personal and heart warming God. Quite an addition wouldn’t you agree?



2 Brings to mind the greater life in the afterlife that helps to buffet the pain in this world.

3 God accepts me even though I fail Him.

4 God’s predominant attribute is His concern for your betterment

5 God uses pain to bring about something good

6 Reminds and illustrates the freedom, comfort and contentment of trusting in God.

7 Offers a different view of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost that is outside the stereotypes.

8 Reminds you and better clarifies the ultimate goal in Christian maturity

9 Helps to diminish the fear of the unknown (Death)

10 The human character Mac, asked hard questions, and had emotions very similar to what I would have.

CONCLUSION
God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is even better than we can imagine and wants to give us a much better life here on earth and in the afterlife. God will apply love, grace, and mercy over Justice anytime we use our free will to trust Him.

It gives you a strong conviction that the spiritual applications can buffet tragedy and pain
The doctrine is rock solid

 

[mont974x4]

The book is an abomination that twists Scripture and mocks God. For example, the so-called "jesus" character claims Christ is only one way, not The way.

 

[blessedmomof5]

The book is an abomination that twists Scripture and mocks God. For example, the so-called "jesus" character claims Christ is only one way, not The way.

Like i said in a previos post, if it makes 1 person come to Christ then satan did not win.........

 

[IreneAdler]

great book when the author wasn't stuck on trying to explain the trinity (unnecessary IMO)
made me cry and I just plain don't do that with books

 

[brinny]

I've seen alot of posts on The Shack by William Young, But They been really mixed some say the books amazeing lol some say its totally out there. just wanted to get a few christian Opinions

i've read excerpts from it...none of which were particularly compelling. For now, it falls into the "gray" "eh" category. What is it's point, bottom line?

 

[brinny]

The book is an abomination that twists Scripture and mocks God. For example, the so-called "jesus" character claims Christ is only one way, not The way.

that was my take on the excepts i read.

 

[sdmsanjose]

Quote by MONT974 1-17-2010
It is our job to discern good from evil and sound doctrine from bad doctrine. It does not matter how good it makes some people feel if it teaches false things....like Jesus only being A way to God and not THE way to God.

Quote by MONT974 2-26-2010
The book is an abomination that twists Scripture and mocks God. For example, the so-called "jesus" character claims Christ is only one way, not The way.



SDMSANJOSE RESPONDS 2-26-10


MONT974
Is it your job to discern good from evil and sound doctrine from bad doctrine for me?
I am quite capable of doing both.

You seemed compelled to repeat yourself in your opinion about the book The Shack. I noticed that you just give your opinion without much reference and when you quote the book you do not quote it exactly. On your posts I quoted above you changed the word “best” to “A” and “ONE” which would help make your opinion look reasonable.

When you only quote one line and make your changes and then omit the preceding paragraphs it is very easy to twist the meaning. I am listing below a much more complete quotation of the issue you keep claiming is an “abomination”




REF: The Shack----Chapter “God on the Dock”
Page 110 hardback page 112 paperback

MONT974
The exact quote is
“I am the best way any human can relate to Papa or Sarayu”

What you did not mention is the preceding conversations that led up to that quote above.

Here it is:

Mack talks
“….Mack spoke. I feel more comfortable around you. You seem so different from the other two

(Jesus answers)
How do you mean different?

Mack talks
Well….Mack paused as he thought about it. More real or tangible. I don’t know. He struggled with the words…….It is like I have always known you. But Papa is not at all what I expected from God, and Sarayu, she is way out there

Jesus answers
Since I am human we have much more in common.

Mack talks
But I still do not understand


Jesus answers
I am the best way any human can relate to Papa or Sarayu. To see me is to see them…..

Now when you add more of the conversation one can most certainly make the interpretation that Mack feels more comfortable with Jesus and to Mack, Jesus is different from God and the Holy Spirit. Jesus realizes that Mac has more in common with Him than God or the Holy Spirit so Jesus tells Mac

“Since I am human we have much more in common.”
“I am the best way any human can relate to Papa or Sarayu. To see me is to see them…..”

Jesus is helping Mack relate to God and the HS by focusing on Himself. Jesus is also trying to help Mack see that they are one by saying “ To see me is to see them…..”

I can very easily interpret that to mean that Jesus is saying that He is the best way to relate to God and the Holy Spirit because Mac has trouble relating to them. Jesus is saying that because He is also human and that mankind can best relate to God and the HS though Him.

Jesus is not saying that there are others that can be a way to salvation and to God and the HS. He is saying that if you are having trouble understanding and relating to God and the HS I am the best way rather than you try to relate directly to God and HS. Jesus is a better way because Mack sees Jesus as “….more real or tangible”.

Jesus is only talking about Mack relating to the trinity not another way to salvation.



Mont974
If you give your opinion would you mind giving enough references and other information, like direct quotes without changing words, so that your assertions can be better evaluated?

 

[blessedmomof5]

Finally someone who has done his work, and good too i might add.
May Blessing be upon you as you try and deliver this message. Amen Glory to God in the Most High.

 

[sdmsanjose]

Quote by Blessedmomof5
You've made some good points about the book, you seemed to have really looked closely at it.

BlessedMomof5

Thank you for your comments.

I would like to tell you how I came to ‘….really looked closely at it”

My wife is in a book club and after she read The Shack she was encouraged but then she read some criticisms and this bothered her. She asked if I would read the book to see what I thought about it. I said that I was not interested in fiction books then she told me what was bothering her and gave me a list of the criticisms.

I was flattered that my wife asked me to help her with understanding a book as she usually has to explain movies and books to me. You know how we men are we usually cannot keep two things in our head at the same time. Because my wife ask for my help and trusted me with something that was bothering her I tore into the book, not once but twice!

On Valentines Day I took her to a mountain café with snow that is 2 hours away and she read the book to me all the way. That is a treat for us desert dwellers. We discussed the book all the way back home and then over the next few days I read the book again and highlighted some of the main points.

If anything, I was a little predisposed to seeing the book in a negative light before I read it. I just thought that addressing spiritual issues in book of fiction would not have much value. After all, I thought, we have the Bible why do I need a fiction book to give me insight to spiritualism?

Well I was a little bored with the first few chapters and then when Mack met Papa at The shack and she was an African American woman I thought, man o man what is this! Is this book trying to make some kind of political gender or racial statement?

After reading the next few chapters I was hooked. I began getting fed spiritually and after reviewing and thinking about it for days I started getting on the Internet and getting more information about the book, the author, and others involved in the finalizing of the book. My wife asked me to write down my review and thoughts on the book and that is what I posted on this forum.

Blessedmomof5, thank you for your encouragement!

Stan

 

[Captivated]

great book when the author wasn't stuck on trying to explain the trinity (unnecessary IMO)
made me cry and I just plain don't do that with books

Me too. Well, not exactly. I am readily moved to tears and several books have made me cry. But this one had me crying from an early stage just about all the way through. It started when Mack asks Papa (something like) what is truth? And Papa says, he's in the woodshed chopping firewood. Wow, it really hit me with major force (even though I already knew it) that truth is a person -Jesus!

(Apologies, Stan. You quote so accurately but I don't have my copy immediately to hand. Think I got the gist of it though!)