The Shack is promoted as a work “wrapped in creative brilliance…spiritually profound, theologically enlightening and life impacting.” Wow. This is quite an endorsement from a pastor. However, this is not cutting edge stuff. It is one of the most politically correct piles of postmodern scatology written in a long time.
William Young’s bias against religion and Christianity in particular, leaps out in the opening pages of The Shack. The father of the story’s main character is portrayed as an elder in the church, one with a good reputation in the congregation, but a closet drinker and a physically abusive hypocrite. Of course, we have all met people like this. Hypocrisy is rife within Christian circles. However, Young mentions this to set up his assault on traditional Christianity. Given his rearing in a missionary family, I wonder if this is partly autobiographical.
Theology takes a beating in The Shack – maybe because an understanding of theology would ruin an otherwise interesting story. Mack, the main character, was once in seminary until he “had his fill of theology and philosophy.” Later in the book, when Mack arrives at his life changing revelation about the true nature of God, he reflects upon the institutions that provided him with what he had previously believed, those institutions being the church and seminary. Of these, Jesus said, “It’s all false.” Mack then has an epiphany. He says, “I have been told so many lies.”
Postmodern themes of power and control abound in The Shack. All organized structures appear to exist to oppress and control. In one exchange, Mack is told by God that organized religion aka, the church is one of the “man –created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about” (the other 2 being politics and economics). Sounds a little like Marxist propaganda to me!
There is so much more in this book that should cause alarm. I will mention more as the days follow. My concern is how any Christian who knows Scripture can be taken in by such deception. More to follow.
William Young’s bias against religion and Christianity in particular, leaps out in the opening pages of The Shack. The father of the story’s main character is portrayed as an elder in the church, one with a good reputation in the congregation, but a closet drinker and a physically abusive hypocrite. Of course, we have all met people like this. Hypocrisy is rife within Christian circles. However, Young mentions this to set up his assault on traditional Christianity. Given his rearing in a missionary family, I wonder if this is partly autobiographical.
Theology takes a beating in The Shack – maybe because an understanding of theology would ruin an otherwise interesting story. Mack, the main character, was once in seminary until he “had his fill of theology and philosophy.” Later in the book, when Mack arrives at his life changing revelation about the true nature of God, he reflects upon the institutions that provided him with what he had previously believed, those institutions being the church and seminary. Of these, Jesus said, “It’s all false.” Mack then has an epiphany. He says, “I have been told so many lies.”
Postmodern themes of power and control abound in The Shack. All organized structures appear to exist to oppress and control. In one exchange, Mack is told by God that organized religion aka, the church is one of the “man –created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about” (the other 2 being politics and economics). Sounds a little like Marxist propaganda to me!
There is so much more in this book that should cause alarm. I will mention more as the days follow. My concern is how any Christian who knows Scripture can be taken in by such deception. More to follow.
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