When the book, The Shack first came out I read it. I had 2 friends tell me how great it was. Ugh! It was anything but!
I did some research on the author and even read his blog. He wrote this book at his wife's bidding. She thought he had such marvel ideas that if he died, his kids wouldn't know what his faith was like. So she encouraged him to write it all down.
So everyday on his way to work and back, he wrote in a pad of paper all the things he believed. And it isn't what we would consider Christianity. That's why he needed to write it down for his kids because they wouldn't have been able to read the bible and come up with the way Paul Young believes.
Many Christians support this book by calling it a piece of fiction. It's not a piece of fiction, it's real, it's Paul's relationship with God - how he sees God.
He's more of a Universalist in his thinking. He was also a part of Wayne Jacobsen's group. I was a part of Wayne's online forum and at first liked some of the things that were said. I remember Paul being on there and thinking at the time that he was off in his theology.
I was also reading some of Wayne's books during that time. One of his books was on one-anothering which I really liked. He had some great insight, but he seemed to be moving more towards a more Universalist type theology after a while as well. So if this is The Shack talking, I'd stay far away from it. Wayne Jacobsen helped Young to write the book because he couldn't get it published. None of the Christian publishing houses wanted to publish this.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.