The Shack by William Young is a fictional story about Mack: his loss and his subsequent encounter with God.
Well I read it. If you want a detailed review, you can look here or here or even here (with a few disagreements). If you'd really like a deeper look, I have a friend that has corresponded with author about his concerns with the book. Yes it is fiction, but the author is trying to say something true about God. That's why you have people getting all up in arms about this book.
Actually, I didn't really enjoy it, but it is so popular that I felt I should read it. The hype didn't help. The event that precipitated Mack's journey to the 'shack' was so awful and random that it lost a real connection with me. Parts struck me as hokey. Yes, some things were good, but certain notions were just wrong. Others have said this in a much more eloquent and convincing manner.
If you'd like to read fiction, you could do better. If you'd like to read about God, you could do quite a bit better. For some better books on evil, God, and our response, I'd recommend How Long O Lord? and Where is God? (a true account).
1 comment:
Todd, I read "The Shack" today after Janet loaned it to me. I can see why there is controversy over the book, but I found it inspiring and refreshing because of the way I interpreted what the author was trying to get across - that Jesus is not in the institutions that tell about Him, but in the hearts of believers who have formed a relationship with him and let him inspire every aspect of their relationships with others. I especially liked it when the Godhead had "devotions" and spent the time murmuring their encouragement and love for one another. That, to me, is a perfect devotion: giving love and acknowledging the love we have for God/Jesus/HolySpirit and for each other. Also, not that I have ever gone through anything as tragic as Mack has, but many have, and I have read how, through the love of Jesus they are able to forgive those who have committed the unspeakable. The article I forwarded recently from Billy Graham's daughter, Anne, echoes some of what the author of "The Shack" seemed to be trying to get across - less emphasis on "religion" and more emphasis on our relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. I'd like to have more conversation about this book...Donna
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