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The Shack, Book Review
A new work of Christian fiction entitled, The Shack by author William P. Young has
become quite the phenomenon of late. Being heralded as a book that could change
the face of Christianity, I had considered taking the time to read it; but my distaste
for most Christian doctrines in general made it very difficult for me to do so. Still,
every place I turned I kept running into this book it seemed. When my wife told me
she had recently received a copy as a gift from someone, I relented and began reading
it.
The book was a very easy read even through what I thought might be the most difficult
chapters. In The Shack, William Young tells the story of a man who tragically lost his
daughter, getting an opportunity to question God about it in-person. The answers the
man receives eventually bring healing and transformation to his life.
I must admit that I found it very difficult when confronted with a few traditional ideas
from the author about God and Jesus, especially the view of God being separate from
us and existing in three persons. Even though I disagree with the idea of the Trinity, I
was refreshed to see it at least described in a distinctly different way. After all, our
perception of who God is needs to change and that is the point of this book.
After I was able to overlook some of my minor disagreements, I was refreshed to read
William Young share some very enlightening ideas. Young wisely shares that we need
to learn not to succumb to our fears and that we should learn to live in the present
instead of the past. This is distinctly different from the typical Christian message
which often shackles people to the mistakes of their past while causing them to fear
eternal punishment. Young also alludes to the fact that judgment is something
demanded by man, not God. To William Young, God does not cause suffering; man
does. God simply takes the suffering and uses it for good.
And if those views were not refreshing enough, the author calls out the Christian
church as a whole. He describes it as being a man-made system of religion, having
missed the message of Jesus. In The Shack, Jesus declares himself declares he is not a
Christian (or at least not the church definition of what a Christian should be).
There are many more insights to be gleaned from The Shack and I recommend it for
those who are feeling that the Christian message is lacking. This book just may be a
tool that can be used to wake people up from a dead religion. - Louis Charles
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