I just finished reading The Shack by William P. Young. I will not give away any of the plot in my review here, but I do want to say that if I was told that I could only read one book for the rest of my life (other than the Bible) this book would be my choice.
When I was about halfway through the book, I described it to one of my friends by saying - "If you have put God in a box, this book will blow up that box." This past year has been a journey for me to get to know my Creator on a more intimate level. This book has done more to open my eyes to how God really sees us and wants to relate to us than any other book I have read.
I truly believe when this book was written the Lord was giving the inspiration and guiding the keystrokes. It will be a book I read at least once a year.
I had originally heard a little about this book and the story behind how it was published. This intrigued me. Then I had two individuals I respect who do NOT usually read fiction, recommend this book (one is a former pastor of mine and the other is an extremely gifted author). Then my uncle emailed me and told me I needed to read the book. So, I figured I needed to at least check it out. My life will not ever be the same and I will never view my relationship with the Lord the same.
No matter who you are, no matter your current beliefs, no matter what your walk with the Lord is right now (or isn't for that matter) I recommend you take the time to read this book and ask the Lord to open your heart to Him. I truly believe no matter who you are, you will find your life changed in some way.
If you want to check out more about the book you can visit the website - The Shack Book. Once you read it I would love to hear what you think. If you have already read it, please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
4 comments:
Angela, did you know that William P. Young was the keynote speaker at the House2House conference this year? House2House is, of course, a voice in the house church movement. In fact, Windblown Media (publisher of The Shack) is actually owned by a friend of mine, Wayne Jacobsen. What a small world. Although some find the theology of The Shack a bit sketchy, I found the book quite good...as it was intended to be a fictional portrayal. Nonetheless, the book did, as you say, help to blow up many boxes: something I'm pretty in to these days :-)
I struggled with the decision of whether or not to read this book. I had several people tell me how this book "blew their mind" but I knew they were into some postmodernism thought that I don't agree with.
I personally don't enjoy reading Christian fiction because I like to be in the Word (Bible) when I want to learn and expand my mind in regards to God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. I know there are many great fictitious books out there, which God has lead people to write, but as with anything, others could use this Christian label to confuse believers into "new thought".
Call me old fashioned, but I would rather look to God's words for his Truth and not need a new perspective to understand who He is. During my research when I was deciding if I was going to read this book, I found this great resource, http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/shack.htm
I was also shocked to see the book, "Eat Love and Pray" in Christian bookstores. I was given the book as a gift, probably because the word "pray" was in the title. I did read the majority of it because I wanted to know what the buzz was about, and the all-paths-lead-to-heaven mentality of the book saddened me.
Thanks for your honesty Ang! And for hearing my tidbits...
Tanya,
I agree there are many things on the bookshelves in Christian bookstores which are best to be avoided.
Thank you for the link. I've read through the comments and understand the concern. However, many of the comments that the writer is using have been taken out of context by not giving the entire scene or leaving out parts of the conversation that come after.
I do agree God's Word is the final authority and this is a work of fiction that should not be taken on its own merits without also diving into the Word of God.
Growing up I attended a church that was very legalistic in its views. One of my biggest struggles is truly understanding the depth of God's love for me. I have also recently started questioning many things regarding the institutionalized church. I have nothing against the church, but I am starting to dive into God's Word deeper and not just take at face value what "the church" always taught me over the years. I think we have some things down pretty good and we are way off base on other things. I know that I won't ever understand all of these things on this side of heaven, but I am committed to get to know the Lord as intimately as possible prior to that.
In this way this book has given me some good food for thought. That is why I want to read it more. I'm not taking everything it has to say at face value, but it does make you question what you have always been taught.
However, at the same time I highly respect anyone who chooses not to read the book. I can see where it would be controversial. Thanks for sharing! :)
Love,
Ang
Hi Ang, that is a great review. One of the phenomenon concerning this book is the number of people who buy multiple copies to give away. I have give away at least 5 copies. One of the couples I gave a copy to said their neighbor had told them about the book, and was going through his second set of 75 books. I am sure God touched this in a very special way. It is not a replacement for God's word, but it can be a very powerful allegory to help us understand how God works.
Uncle Larry
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