Sacking "The Shack"

After hearing so many glorious reviews on the Shack by WM. Paul Young I was really excited to have the opportunity of reading it for our church book club. In fact, on the recommendation of many good Christians who had read it, I had given several books away as gifts. It sounded perfect and our local PARABLE had a wonderful sale going. I could hardly wait to start my own reading.

Settling down one evening for my first good read I found the plot enticing, indeed. Here we had a disillusioned father, “Mack” coping with the loss of his adorable 6 year old daughter, who had been kidnapped and murdered. I supposed that was why his favorite T.V. program was the avowed atheist Bill Moyer. I could hardly wait to see how God was going to confront, comfort and restore his faith.

Imagine this readers surprise when it turns out that God is meeting Mack in a shack posing as a grammar impaired black goddess.
The BIBLE says in Romans:1: 21-25 Because that, when they knew
God they glorified him not as God…………….and changed the in-
corruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…..
Wow -this was nothing like I expected. I guess the author didn’t know those verses. Well, in no time all I met Jesus, who looked more like one of our fisherman friends and the goddess explained he is no more than a perfected human. Whoops, maybe the author is Mormom or Jehovah’s witness. We believe as the BIBLE says in John 1;1 that In the beginning was the word and the word was God ………..Matt 28:18 “All authority in Heaven and Earth is given to him”, …Hebrews 1;3 ”he reigns at the right hand of The majesty of high” and the list goes on.
Now the holy spirit comes in and she is a nice little Asian lady. I think it‘s important that we diversify and represent as many people as possible when we are going to un deify the trinity don‘t you?

Yes, I finished the book and here is what I learned:
1) God was crucified with Jesus.-Page 96 (She even has scars too!)

The Bible says in Matt 27:46 and Is 53: 4-10 that God turned his eyes and could not look on his Beloved son.

2) God only acts out of love Page 102

The Bible says in Is 61:8 “I the Lord love Judgement”, John 3:18 “He that believeth not is condemned already……………” etc etc. He is both a God of love and a God of judgment.

3) All was forgiven at the cross Page 225 per the goddess,”I will never bring up what they did, whether or not they chose a relationship”

The Bible says in John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life, and no man cometh to the father except by me”

4) Pages 161-164 There is no such thing as eternal punishment because eventually every knee shall bow etc..

The Bible says much on this including that Hell is real/ see Luke 12:5 “But
I will forewarn you whom you should fear: fear him, which after he hath killed hath the power to cast into hell‘…Luke 16;23 “And in hell he lifted up his eyes in torment………” etc etc.

5) page 120 says that God will not punish people for their sin as the sin is it’s own punishment.

The Bible says in Rev 16:2 that the punishment will most certainly come. t Also 1st Cor. 6:9 “those found guilty of sin will not enter his heavenly rest
And many more verses. How about Rev 20;15 “and whosever was not found in the book of life was cast into the fire”,

6) Hierarchy is evil--pages 178 and 179 Jesus did not create institutions.
Freedom for everyone--Do your own thing!!

The Bible speaks much about order. Job says in 25:2 that he is a God of Order. God tells us how to set up a church and how to use the gifts of the spirit I Cor 12:and Timothy 3rd chapter. The Bible also points out a hierarchy in the trinity in 1 Corinthians 11:3. I.e. the “head of every man is Christ and the head of Christ is God” We are even to submit to government authority.

7) Page 145 The goddess explains that we should all submit to each other and even God submits to us. Wow--The God of the universe submits to me.
Can this be right?:

The Bible says, in Exodus 20;18 that God is so powerful, omnipotent and holy that the people could not even touch the mountain from which he spoke for fear of death.

8) No need for rules. Page 203 In Jesus, all things are lawful. Rules only bring about a reason for judging. Rules cannot bring freedom. Liberation for all!

If this is true--Why does the new testament speak so much about how we should conduct ourselves? The Bible says in 1st John 1:6 “ If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.”
Or how about 1 John 3:24 “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in Him….

9) Conspicuously absent from the book is Satan and his demons, I guess that’s because we now know that evil comes from rules and trying to make
Rules to over power others.

The Bible says n Acts 26:18 “ to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God…..

These are just a few of the things that astound me about this book and theology, so I decided to found out who wrote It and why. Well it turns out that W.P. Young has gone through some grief in his own life by being molested as a child, the son of missionaries and later by commiting adultery agains his wife, the mother of his 6 children. (USA today) The first time the book was published, it was only for family and friends but others encouraged him to publish it and his chief apologist, Wayne Jacobson, is also one of his editors. He ,Young, is a former pastor and was among some of the theoligians who used to be part of a seminary think tank in Oregon.

Former colleagues state that he left the think tank because of his views being so outrageously unbiblical such as the fact that he believes in Universal Reconcilliation. That means that everyone will be saved no matter they believe. So much for judgment, hell etc. This view is confirmed by the fact that his editor Wayne Jacobson, states that when the book was published in 2004 he edited out anything about Universal Reconcilliation. (see website) Well, I still spotted it--didn’t you.? Now Jacobson states that while Young believed this when he wrote the book, he has since evolved in his thinking. Could it be that Jacobson, as editor, has much to lose in the Evangelical community if this fact is known? Christian Universalism is also taught by Young I.e. Jesus is not the only way to heaven though he is the best way. Well, that thought didn’t get missed in the book
either.

In doing a research on the book, I was at first amazed at how many people absolutely found nothing but good in it. Some were leaving the church
And enjoying life as they see it I.e. liberation and freedom. At first, I could only find good reviews and I began to wonder how small the remnant of believers was really going to be. Then about my third night of research I stumbled on many many who were as dismayed as I was including Chuck Colson (read Stay out of the Shack on Breakpoint.org), Janet Pashal, Albert Mohler, president of So Baptist Theological Seminary, Eric Barger from Stand Up and the Christian Worldview Network. I even conversed with a Prysbeterian minister in Georgia who has some good thoughts but isn’t being received too well for downing the shack. New Horizon Fellowship in San Diego had a good sermon on it but hear he is being pummeled by a few who like the new theology better. (Less tithes, less church ,less rules and more liberation sounds better there too. ) Anyway, many solid Christians are coming out on this and we should see some good book rebuttals out on it soon.

Go to Heresy on the Shack to find a lot better theological comments than mine. I didn’t have time to read all of them as there are so many from concerned pastors, theologians etc..

Remember
Matt 24--24 “ For there shall arise false Christ’s and false prophet’s who deceive many and shall show great signs and wonder’s ; insomuch that, if it were possible, they will deceive the very elect
And Galatians 1: 9. If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

If you are one of the unlucky ones who received this book from me, I apologize and I will be replacing it so don’t join this new cult yet. God is still on the throne and not in the shack.