Book Review – The Shack

A co-worker insisted that I read “The Shack.” He didn’t give me many details about the book, but said it revealed God’s grace in personal tragedy. After a few false starts, I was finally able to start the book.

Not being a huge fan of Christian novels, I was immediately disappointed, but I made an effort to continue reading. I must confess that I was entertained by Young’s prose as he gave vivid details that helped me visualize the story. His style finally became a distraction when I started to analyze his style and lost focus on his message. However, all authors have their own distinctive style and I must leave it at that. In chapter 7 he became CS “Lewisesque” and transformed the reality of our hero (Mark) into a fantasy land. Ugh…, Lord of the Rings here we come. (I enjoyed the movies, but just couldn’t hang out with the books.)

If you have ever read CS Lewis, “The Chronicles of Narnia” or John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, you will understand how the authors use metaphor to illustrate the character and attributes of God. Young uses a contemporary metaphor to reveal God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. He lets the dynamics of a family relationship describe the trinity. The reader can immediately identify the three persons of the Godhead by the roles that Young has assigned them. I admit that God chose me as an Aunt Jemima in the beginning. However, “God” explained that “She” appeared in the form Mark needed most, namely a caring mother. Jesus was portrayed as a good little handyman fisherman. I never noticed the Holy Spirit.

Entertainment of Young aside, I began to analyze his theology and easily concluded that Young believes in classical Pelagianism. Wikipedia defines Pelagianism as “the belief that original sin did not taint human nature and that the mortal will is still capable of choosing good or evil without divine help. Therefore, Adam’s sin was to give an evil example to his offspring, but his actions did not. they have the other consequences imputed to original sin. Pelagianism sees Jesus’ role as setting a good example for the rest of humanity (thereby counterbalancing Adam’s bad example). In short, humanity has full control and full responsibility for its own salvation in addition to full responsibility for every sin. According to the Pelagian doctrine, because humanity does not require God’s grace for salvation (beyond the creation of the will), the execution of Jesus is devoid of the redemptive quality attributed to it by orthodox Christian theology.”

Unfortunately, Young in his attempt to personalize the Godhead did so at the expense of God’s sovereignty. Young’s god is similar to the one theorized by Pelagius. God created the world and sits and watches life as it unfolds, intervening only occasionally, but doing so so as not to interfere with man’s so-called “free will.” God often resists the temptation to intervene because of his love for his creatures. This is not unlike a watchmaker who winds up a watch, places it on the mantelpiece and watches the time go by. The watchmaker’s only task is to wind it from time to time.

Young’s casual approach to illustrating the sovereign God described in the Bible leads me to think that he was influenced by Harold S. Kushner’s book, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” This little book was published in the early 1980s and was a bestseller. In it, Kushner shattered the omnipotence and omniscience of God. Kushner said, “If God can’t make my illness go away, what good is it? Who needs it? God doesn’t want you to be sick or crippled. He didn’t make you have this problem and He doesn’t want it.” he wants you to keep it, but he can’t make it go away. That is something that is too difficult even for God.” Of course, I have no idea if Young ever read Kushner, but the thought crossed my mind. I will give Young high marks for his depiction of the main character’s encounter with the judge. Young captured the key cause of our character’s ongoing remorse and pondered his personal loss. Our hero blamed God for his loss and was angry with God for not intervening. People who gossip and complain about how life has “dealt them a bad hand of cards” is a stab at God.

In my counseling ministry, most people looking for solutions to their problems are unhappy because God didn’t give them a better rest. Whether it’s a better set of parents or a more loving and responsible spouse, counselees are disappointed in God that he hasn’t given them a trouble-free life. They don’t see the purpose of suffering, and they certainly don’t appreciate Romans 8:28-29: “And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” How can “all things work together for God to those who love God?” I believe that trials and tribulations (“things”) help us become more like Christ in our character and behavior.

I have met several people who have read or are reading The Shack. Young’s talent has captured the minds of many and some are fascinated by her book. It is unfortunate that they are left with an image of God and not of the scriptures. For example, why did God create the pharaoh of Egypt? What was the purpose of the book of Job? How did Judas Iscariot glorify God? What is Romans chapter 9 talking about? The scriptures are full of themes and illustrations that demonstrate the power of God. These events show his attributes and how they interact to create his perfect plan.

For whatever reason, Young seeks to feminize the Godhead by making two of the persons of the trinity female. On page 93, Dad says, “I am neither male nor female.” That’s a gross exaggeration, especially when you consider that of all the appearances of a deity to a human being, or to a divine revelation in the Bible (known as Theophany for the appearance of God and Christophany for Christ), not one is female. If God made man in his own image, why was Adam created a man? Why not something else?

So why did Young want God to appear as a woman? It is possible that by exposing himself as a missionary, Young wanted to introduce diversity; whether in gender, race or culture. It is also possible that he wanted humanity to identify more with God if Young could make God seem more human. If God used Christ’s appearance in the Bible as a Middle Eastern man to build his bridge, why not introduce African and Eastern women to enhance identification? Let’s not fool ourselves. At least when CS Lewis created the lion, Aslan, to personify Christ, Lewis’s reader had no trouble understanding the comparison of a lion to Christ.

My biggest problem is Young’s lack of understanding of sin, salvation, and the Gospel message. Let me quote on page 225, Dad says, “I have forgiven all humans for their sins against me, but only some choose a relationship.” And later, “When you forgive someone, you certainly release him from judgment.”

So what condemns a person to eternal damnation? In context, Young is apparently teaching that it is the lack of a relationship that sends a person to hell. If this is true, then a relationship can only exist when one believes. So if a person does not believe, then it must be the sin of unbelief that condemns the man.

Puritan John Owen (1616-1683) asked the question, “For whom did Christ die?”

1. All the sins of all men. 2. All the sins of some men, or 3. Some of the sins of all men.

In which case it can be said: 1. If the latter is true, all men have some sins to answer for, and thus no one is saved. 2. That if the second is true, then Christ suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the whole world. 3. But if the former is the case, why are not all men free from punishment due to their sins?

Some may reply, “Because of disbelief (or lack of relationship).” I would ask, is this unbelief (that is, the lack of relationship according to Young) a sin, or is it not? If it is, then either Christ suffered the penalty for it, or he didn’t. If he did, why should that sin condemn them more than their other sins for which Christ died? If he didn’t, he didn’t die for all his sins.”

The Bible clearly teaches that grace is what saves and uses faith as a means. Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that even faith is a gift from God so that we cannot boast. Furthermore, Young’s theology leaves no room for the doctrine of Justification by Faith. How is a person declared righteous before God? Young needs a clear reading of the account of Abraham in Romans.

Overall, The Shack is an entertaining read and I’d put it on a shelf next to the Christian romance novel genre my oldest son refers to as “Christian smut.” It certainly doesn’t belong anywhere near Pilgrim’s Progress or anywhere near any good book on the nature of God.

If one is looking for a solid biblically based book on dealing with personal suffering, I highly recommend Jerry Bridges’ book, “Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts.” Bridges shows how we must learn about God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and love if we want to know him better. You won’t be disappointed.