Four church leaders recommend The Shack by William P. Young

This week I noticed three reviews by church leaders who have read The Shack by William P. Young, the latest piece of hot Christian fiction.  From the reviews, it seems to be worth reading.  It asks some hard theological questions and has some suspense and tragedy that keep the casual reader interested.   

I have excerpted from the reviews to give you a quick summary: 

Andrew Jones - Tall Skinny Kiwi - (UK emerging church / missional blogger) - from his blog post The Shack:

It's a good book. . . The Shack reads a little like a Frank Perretti classic but its not as complex or gripping and neither does it produce paranoia in the weak minded . . . Unfortunately, The Shack is also cheapened by well-used Christian cliches and drags horribly in the middle where the story gets stuck in a theological conversation about the Trinity - which i did not struggle with theologically, despite the accusations of modalism from the fundie [fundamentalist] bloggers.

Brad Lomenick - Director of Catalyst Conference from his blog post - Have you read The Shack?

Alright, I have to admit- I am usually a major critic of Christian fiction books. They just usually don’t deliver on expectations. But I recently came across a gem- The Shack by William Paul Young. You have to check it out. Buy it immediately. And then buy it for your family, friends, and co-workers. It will change your perspective and spiritual paradigm, especially as it relates to the Trinity and God’s desire for relationship with us humans.

Mark Batterston - Pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC - from his blog post What I'm Reading

Love it for lots of reasons. First of all, I love books that touch the emotions and inspire the imagination. This book does that. But it also has an amazing storyline that is really gripping.
 

Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.- from the book jacket:

When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of "The Shack." This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" did for his. It's that good!

See also Checking Into "The Shack" by Steve Knight at the Emergent Village blog.  Steve has more links to different opinions.  Mark Driscoll, a conservative Reformed theology megachurch pastor in Seattle, has some problems with it.

Novel about God hits a chord in Nashville area: Self-publishing turns rejected manuscript into a big seller.  By BOB SMIETANA April 3, 2008 in the The Tennessean. H/T Scot McKnight. 

The article by Smietana tells us more about the author. 

[Young] self-published The Shack after no publisher would touch it, and it held Amazon.com's No. 1 spot in fiction for weeks. The book he wrote for his children has now sold close to 400,000 copies . . .

"I'm being asked to speak to thousands of people, and I am as dumb as I was last year," said the 53-year old Young, who until recent weeks had a job as an office manager that also included cleaning toilets at a small sales company in Oregon . . .

Just before Young started on The Shack, they lost their home to foreclosure, and spent several years living with four of their six children in a 900-square-foot rental. "It's nice to know that we can pay the bills," Kim Young said.

See also The Shack Reviewed by conservative Reformed theology writer Justin Taylor which links to a 17 page review by another conservative Reformed theology blogger Tim Challies. Justin includes this quote from Tim:

Despite the book’s popularity among Christians, believers are divided on whether this book is biblically sound. Where Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, says it “has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim Progress did for his,” Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says, “This book includes undiluted heresy.” While singer and songwriter Michael W. Smith says “The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God,” Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, says, “Regarding the Trinity, it’s actually heretical.”

New Articles:
See also "The Shack" Built on Shifting Sands? William Young's surprise bestseller sparks heated response and prompts important questions at Christianity Today's LiveBlog by Derek Keefe

The USA Today article:
'Shack' opens doors, but critics call book 'scripturally incorrect' By Cathy Lynn Grossman
is probably the best short summary to read of the criticisms of the book. 

Regent College theology professor John Stackhouse's The Shack 1: In Defense of Ideological Fiction

The Shack 2: Some Theological Concerns (Part 1)
The Shack 3: Theological Concerns (Part 2)
The Shack 4: Some Celebrations

Greg Boyd, Minnesota pastor and author, Sunday, June 22, 2008 The Shack: A Review

Warning: Do not read this novel on a plane or any other public place where you're trapped around people -- unless you're totally okay with becoming emotionally undone in front of perfect strangers. There are points where this book rips your heart out. At least it did me. The body building dude sitting next to me on the plane must have thought I was a first rate wimp, weeping over a novel. Anyway, to my surprise, I loved this book!

Out of Ur June 16, 2008 Taking The Shack to the Shed Is the hottest new Christian novel an exercise in heresy? by Brandon O'Brien

Young does two things I wouldn’t advise fiction writers to do: 1) depict the Trinity in bodily form and 2) put words in the Trinity’s mouth. My fear would be that such attempts would result in hokey prose—and, to be honest, that happens from time to time in The Shack. But several notable Christian thinkers have more serious charges for Young.

Perry Noble, South Carolina pastor, What I’ve Been Reading

In my opinion this book is an excellent piece of fiction writing that is loaded with some tricky theological issues. I’ve seen both positive and negative reviews on it…but I can say that, for the most part, I enjoyed it. It made me think…and I love books that make me do that. It will definitely cause you to look and God in an entirely different way.

DJ Chuang at Leadership Network, The Shack touted as Pilgrim's Progress

While William Young does intend to challenge our preconceptions of God, the story risks confusing some readers with theological misunderstandings. Is this a risk worth taking? I personally think so, but I know not all would agree.

The Trinity: So What?
The Shack allegorizes a tricky but foundational doctrine.
Collin Hansen | posted 5/30/2008 Christianity Today

Given the doctrine's complexity, it's no surprise that we turn to analogies for help. But every analogy breaks down. "Most analogies drawn from the physical realm tend to be either tritheistic or modalistic in their implications," Millard Erickson writes in Christian Theology. Following Augustine's lead, Erickson therefore opts for analogies drawn from human relationships, though he admits that they, too, fail to convey the deep beauty of this central Christian confession.

Additional reading:

I provided links to good reviews of:
Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club)
at Sermon on Colossians 1:15-23 - The Supremacy of Jesus: Pursuing depth of spirituality the right way

Comments

[Jody Fernando]

Hi Andy,

I'd second the notion that this book is worth a read! I just read it a few weeks back, found it compelling. Thanks for the analysis. I'll be curious to hear your take once you read it.

[Dan Morehead]

Interesting...good to know what the next book I'll get asked about on planes is. Somewhat scary when anything by Frank Perretti is referenced as a classic. Ha.

[Rich]

Andy, here's another piece on The Shack written long before there was a controversy:
http://www.theocentric.com/theology/gospel/the_shack.html