So, I Finally Read "The Shack"

If someone tells me I should read a book I usually don't. Maybe this is because I think too much of myself. If I have not heard of it first, it must not be that great since I keep up with the world. Well, I missed this one. Over the course of a couple of weeks, it seemed like so many people were asking me if I had read William Young's The Shack. I had not, and when people explained it to me, I was horrified and was completely unsure why anyone would like this book. Then a friend read me portions of the book (my cell phone bill this month was higher than normal, thank you very much) and I decided I needed to hunt down a copy. I borrowed one from a friend at church and read it in a couple of days. It was amazing in a way that I do not frequently admit.

This book deals with some very sensitive issues, about how God the three-in-one loves each member of the Trinity and how that love should be lived out in us. It talks about forgiveness, how to forgive those who have done terrible things to us and those we love, how to forgive ourselves, and, maybe most importantly, how to forgive God for things we really do not understand but still blame him for. The ideas of relationship, and how we should know God and how He wants to be known by us are at the forefront of this narrative. Most of the book is a conversation with God. How great it is to think that God is "especially fond" of all of us.

There are many in the evangelical community that have been extremely critical of this book for teaching some new ideas about God. Remember, this is a novel and not a theology book. There are things about the book that are weird and pleasantly off-putting, but it so thought provoking and sincere that I think it is worth a read. I think I will have to buy myself a copy so I can read it again. It is definitely a more post-modern take on how God communicates with us and how we share in God's life, and many who think in a more modernist manner will have significant problems with this, especially how the members of the Trinity are represented. Just remember, it is a novel, a work of fiction.

But, it is striking to me that right before I read this book, I found this quote on a blog called Rude Armchair Theology:

Good theology, when codified, legislated, and ossified, can very easily shackle, choke, or smother the gospel. This is idolatry, and the devil finds it delightful.

I think The Shack is really interesting and gives us some old ideas in new ways. If for no other reason, it was worth reading because it reminded me there are still things I need to forgive myself and God for. I have to be willing to give God that one last thing that hinders me.