Don't Go to the Shack

January, 2009

by: Mike McCune

I have been given the task of reading and reviewing the book called The Shack. It describes a disheartened father meeting face-to-face with God. The book seeks to provide the answer to the question: where is God in the midst of suffering? The author’s perspective is that he is portraying that this is the God of the Bible. However, he grossly misrepresents the God of the Bible. It was an interesting read in order to gain insight into what some Christians as well as unbelievers perceive as a religious book. The story line prior to the meeting with God is engaging and it is written in such a way that as you read, it brings pictures into your mind, giving you an idea what the characters look like and what emotions they feel at any particular moment in the story. As you read, you can almost feel the heartbeat of the characters.

Certainly, it is not sin to read a fictional book. However, this book is not just a fictional book, but rather it is a theology book since most of the book speaks of God and His character (or at least what Young perceives of God and His character).

How should the Bible believing Christian feel about this theology book? Personally, as I read, it only made me sick to my stomach and made me grieve over the fact that so many people have read it and have had some sort of “religious experience” due to the contents. This book caters to the notion that a believer needs to have “experiences” to experience God. We live in a day and age when it is common for a Christian to look for God to speak to them, either with a loud booming voice or with a “still small voice.” The book seeks to find a “fresh” approach to the God of the Bible (as if the approach already provided by God was inadequate), but fails miserably.

The book seems to purposely undermine orthodox, biblical Christianity. It often disregards adherence to well known biblical doctrines and that knowing God through Scripture is almost irrelevant. Obedience to God’s word is pushed aside for a fresh revelation from God.

In place of accurate information concerning the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, the author serves up emotions: This book presses emotional buttons all throughout, featuring funny moments, heart wrenching episodes, pain, anguish and thoughts that I could relate to. But our faith is not based on emotions; emotions cannot substitute for the truth which God has conveyed.

Unfortunately, a great deal of what passes for “authentic Christianity” consists of just such emotional sensations and a desire for more sensation. A quick review of the Amazon reader reviews of The Shack will show you that the book has been widely accepted by those who call themselves Christians. Some people respond with praise by saying that it has changed their perspective on God. Readers come away with a feeling that they can better relate to God now after reading the book. One response is of a man who attended seminary and he wondered why learning systematic theology was never that good. Well known Christian artist, Michael W. Smith says, “The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God.” However, some others respond by saying that this book is utter heresy and misrepresents the God of the Bible. Let me briefly explain to you the contents of the book and then we will look in detail at some of the doctrinal errors that The Shack promotes.

In a nutshell, the story is about a man named Mack, whose daughter was brutally murdered and all that could be found of her is her dress that she was wearing the day she disappeared and a pool of blood in a shack out in the wilderness (this is the same Shack where God meets with Mack). Mack, who had been living in the shadow of The Great Sadness, which was his guilt, shame and burdens he had felt after losing his daughter, was invited by God to the Shack, where his daughter had been murdered. It was during this weekend visit, that Mack met God. God is portrayed as an African American woman, who later becomes an older man, after he learns to forgive his dad who beat him as a child. But for much of the book, God is a woman, Jesus is a normal looking middle-aged man who wears jeans and a t-shirt and the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman. At the Shack, as Mack talks with God, he learns from God things he had never learned before. Although, when he was younger, he had attended seminary. But at the Shack, he had a transforming experience with God that forever changed his view and relationship with God.

There are many theological points made in the book that are contrary to the Bible.

Firstly, the book has a wrong perception of the Scriptures and supernatural revelation in general

As pointed out before, the book seeks to find a fresh “voice” from God. In the book itself, there are very few appeals to the Bible as the only source for revelation from God. Actually, in a few places, it devalues the Bible. When Mack received a letter in the mail from God to come visit him in the shack, he begins to wonder who it could possibly be from. As he is pondering this, he thinks, “God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects. It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerner’s access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia” (p. 65-66). Young does not promote Scripture but relegates it to old revelation. The Bible is no longer sufficient to meet man’s needs. But rather, it is necessary for God to visit his distraught creation on earth.

Is this what a believer should expect from God? Where should the believer turn when pain, suffering and despair happen in life? They should turn to the Bible. Not expect God to write them a letter inviting them for a face-to-face meeting. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us of the sufficiency and authority of the Bible, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Peter reminds us where it originated when he said, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:20-21).

This is a good lesson for us to learn. We need to be reminded that God has already revealed Himself to us. God gave us the Bible. But we tend to rely more upon our own authority than the word of God. Or we expect some great “experience” with God to occur that might help our pain and sorrow to go away. Do you read the Bible? Do you only look to God’s authority for your daily needs rather than your own sufficiency, strength, emotions or an experience? Some might say it limits God and His power to say that He cannot reveal Himself to us in a new and fresh way. True, God is powerful and can do anything within His own perfect will. But, God has already revealed Himself in Christ and it is recorded in Scripture. Everything that God wants us to know about Him is found in the Bible.

Secondly, the book has a wrong perception of the triune Godhead

Surely, the doctrine of the Trinity is not easy to grasp or understand, but it is clear from Scripture that God is One God, made up of three persons, each fully God. Yet, The Shack misrepresents the Godhead in many ways. For the sake of space, only a few will be mentioned. In the book, there is no hierarchy in the Godhead, no distinction made between the three persons and the identity of God is skewed. Young makes it clear (or at least as God speaks in the book) that submission is inherently sinful and submission is only possible where sin exists. According to the book, the Godhead is a circular relationship rather than a “chain of command.” It is due to sinful mankind that man must submit to higher authorities. However, the Bible does not represent God in this way. 1 Corinthians 15:28 says, “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” There is a so-called “chain of command,” the Son submits Himself to the Father, while the Spirit submits Himself to both the Father and the Son. The Trinity is also misrepresented by the blurring of the three persons. According to Young, the Godhead took on human flesh, not just Jesus. The Bible never says that God the Father or the Holy Spirit spoke Himself into human existence. Throughout most of the book, God is an African-American woman. Then after Mack forgives his dad (whom he gets to hug and make up for lost time in heaven; a whole other issue we do not have time to discuss), God appears as an older man with gray hair tied in a pony tail. The Holy Spirit is an Asian woman. Jesus is a middle-aged Middle Eastern man wearing jeans and a t-shirt. This is completely contrary to how God is described in the Bible. (The description of Jesus misrepresents how He appears in heaven now, see Revelation 1:12-16; the other two descriptions are heretical). It is not easy to read this book without squirming and thinking about how far off Young really is. It is frightening to think that anyone would think of the God of the Bible in this manner, when Scripture is clear on this issue. There are many other disturbing things about the character of God in this book that made me want to throw the book off my balcony onto the alley way and allow cars to run over it. But I feared that someone else would pick it up and read it!

Thirdly, the book gives a poor rendering of salvation in Christ alone

It is hard to have sanctifying thoughts of a book or a person who thinks lowly of the death and resurrection of Christ. Christ’s work and the salvation that He provides is precious. The Shack contains very little salvation talk. It is impossible to take from this book a biblical understanding of the cross and salvation. According to Young, God did not pour out His wrath and punishment upon Christ for our sins. Rather, punishment is sin itself and it is enough for people. God does not punish, but rather has forgiven everyone and waits for people to come to Him. He does not desire to shame people or bring up guilty thoughts, but only wants a relationship.

The lines are blurred as to who actually can be reconciled to God. Young comes dangerously close to believing that all people will be saved (Universalism). In The Shack, Jesus does not say that He is the only way to God (John 14:6), but merely the best way. The true way to salvation is never really stated and without Christ there is no salvation. There is only condemnation. There are a few times in the book that Mack asks God why his daughter had to die so brutally and at such a young age. In the book, God never really answers but only points to His love and plan that He has for Mack. At one point, God tells Mack that He was not disappointed with his lack of love for Him and never had been disappointed with anyone. The Scripture that immediately came to my mind while reading this dialogue was John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” The God of the Bible is disappointed with humans, they have rebelled against Him and God’s wrath remains upon them until they repent.

There is so much more that I could have included in this book review. But this at least gives you the flavor of the book. We, as Christians, need to be reading good books that speak rightly of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Use this as an opportunity to ask the pastors and elders of Calvary Bible Church what good books you can be reading on a particular area of interest, if you do not know already. People often run away from a book that has theology or is theological in nature. That should not be the case. Books that speak rightly about God should excite us. The Shack is a theology book, just not a very good one. The Shack is not a book I would recommend for reading, especially for those who are new Christians. Read the Bible cover to cover on a consistent basis. This is the best place to learn about who God really is. Then pick up a good systematic theology or book about the attributes of God (e.g. Knowing God, by J. I. Packer or The Moody Handbook of Theology, by Paul Enns). You may have a friend who is raving about this book. I have found that this book is a good entrance to share the Gospel. As my wife and I traveled over the Thanksgiving break, I would take it with me to read. At times I would try to cover it up so that people did not think that I liked the book or that I was reading it because it was good. To my shame, the Lord used the book a few times as an entrance to the truth. We, at Calvary Bible Church, should be instruments of the truth and beware of poor theology, such as The Shack. We cannot rightly know God if we subject ourselves to poor theology and teaching.