Am I the only Christian who has some misgivings about "The Shack"?

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sonofjay817

Guest
#1
Don't get me wrong. I'm not overreacting and saying its blasphemous and should be burned. I think there was some good reminders in there about certain things like God's personableness (if that's a word), His love for us, etc.. Its cool in the way it helps us realize that God doesn't conform to our boxes. He is not steeples, musty hymnbooks, and stained glass windows, but He is fresh, and vibrant, and adventurous, passionate, fun, and dangerous. I think the book helps remind of those things.

I guess the thing is, people have just fallen head over heels in love with this book with no reservation. I wonder if people have just gotten so excited because its the first time they have thought of God at all outside the boxes we've built from forms and rituals, and they just swallowed the whole thing hook, line, and sinker. I hear people talking about how its changed their life forever and so forth.

Like I said, some good things can be taken away from the book, but it would serve us well to take it with a grain of salt. The "God" in the shack seemed to wax a little too philosophical at times. I think the writer advances his own idea of the nature of the trinity a little too much. When creating dialogue for God in a work of fiction, a very great responsibility is taken on; one I'm not sure I'd want. But if you're gonna do it, I would think it best to stay with dialogue that is directly gotten from scripture or could be easily formulated from scripture which is not always the case in the shack.

I agree that God is probably actually beyond male and female or perhaps a composite of both, since woman was taken out of man, but for whatever reason, He has chosen to reveal Himself to us in the male gender and to change that, even for a flight of fancy, is not a small thing. Its more liberty than I would want to take. But anyway, I hope I don't get too much hate because I know there's a LOT of fans of this book, but I just wanted to see if there was anyone else that feels like I do. God bless!
 
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1still_waters

Guest
#2
I have misgivings just because I'm leery of trendy, popular, Christian things.
 
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soccerboo

Guest
#3
Ohh ok so thats the shack, id never heard of it but yeah, trendy popular things isnt the way to go, they attract the wrong corwds i guess
 
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4given30

Guest
#4
It took me a long time to read this book as i heard heaps about it and finally took the plunge and adore the story. Yes people who disagree with books will alaways be out there for whatever reason and if a book doesnt cause a stir then whats the point i say.
The charecter is on a journey and the writer wants us who read it to go on a journey.simple
We always put god in a box, we are right, we know best blah bah and so on so when something like this or anything similar comes along people freak cause it doesnt fit in with there picture.
Yes god is presented in a way we wouldnt expect but im pretty sure muslims experiance god in a way many non muslims would and we would be soo suprised so no different really
If you read the book dont get caught up in your own picture of god which is most likley is distorted instead focus on the main charecter, what is revealed about him and his life and the amazing journey that he is on in the midst of his pain and anger
 
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4given30

Guest
#6
thats the thing every1 whom i have come across who refuse to read it say that on the basis of some other resource or website-read it, wats the worst that could happen. at least then if you come across a non christian who starts a convo about it with you and asks your opinion your reply wouldnt be something like " well i refuse to read it, cause i heard this and heard that so i dont recomed u to read it." It could allow for some very interesting dialogue and seed planting.
 
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NazariteNation

Guest
#7
thats the thing every1 whom i have come across who refuse to read it say that on the basis of some other resource or website-read it, wats the worst that could happen. at least then if you come across a non christian who starts a convo about it with you and asks your opinion your reply wouldnt be something like " well i refuse to read it, cause i heard this and heard that so i dont recomed u to read it." It could allow for some very interesting dialogue and seed planting.

Often times I wonder about those who tend to be closed minded... Are they really afraid that they might be deceived -OR- are they afraid they might discover that their current position could be wrong?

Personally, I haven't read the shack and don't plan on it anytime soon. Not because I'm closed minded or insecure but because the Holy Spirit keeps me pretty busy researching other areas of interest, namely studying scripture and reading commentaries.
 
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sonofjay817

Guest
#8
Often times I wonder about those who tend to be closed minded... Are they really afraid that they might be deceived -OR- are they afraid they might discover that their current position could be wrong?

Personally, I haven't read the shack and don't plan on it anytime soon. Not because I'm closed minded or insecure but because the Holy Spirit keeps me pretty busy researching other areas of interest, namely studying scripture and reading commentaries.

Yes, I know what you mean. This is the very reason I usually don't read fiction. There's a bottomless well of nonfiction to plumb and seems to me to be a better use of my time although I don't fault anyone for reading fiction.
 
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Baptistrw

Guest
#9
I agree with you sonofjay.
 
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lil-rush

Guest
#10
I've only heard good reviews of The Shack, actually. It's not on the top of my list, since I'm not a huge inspirational fiction fanatic, but I'll probably get around to reading it sooner or later. Right now, however, I am more focused on getting my hands on some Dekker.

And the idea that the book is bad just because it is popular is a bit absurd. If one should abstain from reading popular books, what exactly would you suggest we allow students to read in English courses? For the record, Pilgrim's Progress, Ben Hur, Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, and the list could go on and on... all popular Christian novels. Perhaps we should stop reading them. I don't know, they are probably just corrupt interpretations of what one Christian thinks and can't be trusted.
 
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Kyra

Guest
#13
I read the book, it provided some new ways to look at old questions. But let's be honest, the author is perfectly clear he is not trying to mess with theology. The book is pure fiction, a work of art, and should be treated as such.
 
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Kyra

Guest
#14
P.S. If you are concerned about how people view each other and God, think about shows like Family Guy, Desperate House Wives and Grey's Anatomy.
Yeah I said it.
 
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oneholyfire

Guest
#15
I am not a big fan of fiction, but I did read the Shack because several of my friends spoke so highly about it. I did not do cartwheels over the book, but I did find that it challenged my perception of God and the trinity, and for that I'm grateful. It simply taught me to look at our Father in a different light. However, many of my friends were greatly impacted by it, and you can't argue with the positive change it brought to their lives !!! This is the way I see it, we all have different interests and different things appeal to us. There are many popular Christian speakers out there, but none of us are in love with ALL of them. There are those that speak to the place where we are at in our walk with the Lord, and others that don't do anything for us. That doesn't make one right and the other wrong. They are simply different. We receive from some, and not from others. Gee, I think that's by design.
 

jjkg

Senior Member
May 25, 2005
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#16
People tend to focus mainly on how God is portrayed in the book. When I read it, I began to do the same and that didn't really sit right with me, but as I continued to read more of it I realized it was less about the portrayal of God and more about our relationship to Him and how that relationship impacts and overflows into our relationships with others. I loved the ideas of forgiveness that the book offers as well as the beauty in the ultimate plans that God has for those who love Him. How many Christians hold onto such things as anger and hatred, unforgiveness and bitterness? All this stems from our pride whether we admit it or not. The book is about how God gets a hold of such a person and walks Him through such things to heal him from what ultimately is keeping this person from experiencing God and having the kind of relationship with his Father that God desires for all of us. I was hesitant to read it at first, but I'm very glad I ended up doing so. If anything, it opened my eyes a bit more to the heart of God toward us. Not such a bad thing. Take care and God bless to all
 
Aug 27, 2005
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#17
I read the book, it provided some new ways to look at old questions. But let's be honest, the author is perfectly clear he is not trying to mess with theology. The book is pure fiction, a work of art, and should be treated as such.
Exactly!! People have come to me and said...the beginning is the intro into some man's life...it must not be fiction!! but it is! it's fiction people.

I have read The Shack and it was a really well written book. However, there are some misleading ideas in there! I'm not talking about the gender of God and yadda yadda. I mean the part about The Bible not being a book of instruction, but rather just a story of Jesus. and also! How it says that we don't need to follow the 10 Commandments because those were just laws to give an example of how perfect Jesus really was. After reading it I spent the whole day confused and angry. The second day I just shrugged it off because I knew it was fiction and I shouldn't let it get to me.
 
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lil-rush

Guest
#18
Okay, now I'm confused. You guys think that just because something is fiction that some(if not all) of the ideas and philosophies presented in the book are not reflections of the author's personal beliefs?

Review of Literature:
Pilgrim's Progress -fiction -reflection of author's personal view
The Scarlet Letter -fiction -reflection of author's personal view
Wuthering Heights -fiction -reflection of author's personal view
The Jungle -fiction -reflection of author's personal view
To Kill a Mockingbird -fiction -reflection of author's personal view
Farhenheit 451 -fiction -reflection of author's personal view

I am pretty sure that the author of The Shack believes what he wrote about God, otherwise he would have protrayed God and his views on Christianity differently. Granted, there are some situations where authors will write in beliefs that they do not personally believe, but one can usually tell when this is the case.

Just because a book is fiction does not mean you should disregard the philosophies and beliefs presented in the book. One should research them to see how one might end up believing such things. This does not mean you should accept all the beliefs presented in books and take them as your own, but as an educated reader it is your responsibilty to research any point of confusion you come across.
 
Aug 27, 2005
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#19
He could believe that stuff all he wants. But The Shack is NOT another Bible. We do not have to believe what is said in there. That's how people are taking it....as pure fact. This is how they should believe.
 
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dodolah

Guest
#20
very interesting. Just for this, i might actually get the book and read it.
My way of seeing things is before you disregard a book, try to read it first with some filters in mind of course.
Judge for yourself whether the content is correct or not.
Didn't God told us to test ALL spirit whether it comes from the Lord or not.

I would not be confident and have the authority to say one book is bad but never actually read it.
To me it's ridiculous.
I for one is always curious.
I have read Koran, Tripitaka, and Book of Tao until I came to conclusions that Bible is the absolute truth.
(but, oddly I never have the chance to read RG Veda -hinduism).

Why would you believe someone else's bias opinion toward something than your own?
Read it, compare it with God from the bible, and see for yourself if the book is not to your likings.
It's funny to me that the other day I just talked to a guy who believe that chronicles of narnia is satanic due to the usage of "magic" in the story.

Also, just because the book says it's non fiction, it does not mean we can swallow everything in.
The truth also applies to fiction works.
Test All the spirits! that's my final answer :p
 
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