Book Review (by me): The Shack

I finally finished The Shack last night and it truly was revolutionary. I feel like most of the stuff that I read didn't even sink into my brain because there is just so much packed into the book. I want to read it again! Andrew's Bible study is going to use it so I felt a little pressure to read through it and not stop and study it line by line like I wanted to do.

The positives: This book's main theme addresses what I feel is wrong with "religion" in the US today. William (Willie) Young so wonderfully and lovingly points out that God is not interested in our "rules" (go to church, tithe, be responsible, etc) but is instead wanting a relationship with us. He wants to be our whole life, instead of just a part of our lives. It was eye opening and challenging. It's not that those things I listed above are bad or even wrong to emphasize but they should come out of love and close relationship with Christ, and not as an obligation or to put on a good front for others around you. In my opinion, this book's greatest attribute (and there are many) is the fact that is so strongly emphasizes God's love for us and His perfect goodness in the face of an imperfect and sinful world. It does a wonderful job of explaining why bad things happen to good people, which is a difficult question to answer. It also shatters many of the preconceived notions that we hold about God. For me this meant that I realized that the Savior I thought I knew was what I thought, but He is also SO much more and able to do much more than my limited mind can conceive!

Another strong theme that struck a chord with me was trust. This is a difficult one for me. I'm a go-getter. I like to just work hard for what I want and typically I don't enjoy relying on others around me (unless they are very close to me, like husband or parents). Many times I struggle with letting go of control and putting my trust in others. I was definitely convicted of the lie I was believing . . . . that I was the one in control. This book is just so loving, it's hard to describe any other way, and it really touched my heart and convicted me to place ALL my trust in God for everything, not just my salvation or the spiritual aspects of my life. He deeply cares about it all!

The Negatives: I did see a little theological discrepancy from Scripture (which, I suppose, could be called heretics) but it didn't seem to take away from the overall themes of the book, which were wonderful. The way the book portrays the Trinity is interesting and makes you think, but I don't think it is Biblical. The book claims that the Trinity does not have a hierarchy but Scripture plainly claims that there is God the Father (the Godhead) who tends to be the"leader of the pack" for lack of a better way to describe it! I never thought about the love that the Trinity has for each other so the book was great in that regard. There are a few other things, but like I said, just treat it like an inspiring fiction book (like it is) and not as Scripture, and I think it will serve everyone well!

At times I found it hard to cut through some of the fanciful parts to get the real meat of what he was saying. There were times I didn't understand how the character, Mack, came to be behind a waterfall, or how the shack transformed, or some of the other "action" parts of the book. My imagination, at times, really does need to see someone else's interpretation to really picture things like that. Still, it did not detract from the message of the book.

The book starts out fairly slow and a little bit cheesy. I was beginning to think, as we started the book, that this was going to be another hokey Christian novel about meeting Jesus. I think those have their place but good writing is a must to capture my attention (most of the time). This book got progressively better as it went along. The end of the book was a little abrupt for me but I'm not sure where else the author would have taken the story. I guess I was used to the pages and pages of dialogue between Mack and one or all of the Trinity (which, amazingly, still held your attention) and then jumped to action sequences (which are easier to follow) in which things were continually happening. I don't want to give away the ending.

I would highly recommend that everyone read this book. If you have read it (or not and just want to comment) please feel free to comment about your experience. I truly think that different things will stand out to different people from this book. It is challenging and truly loving at the same time. I enjoyed it and have been transformed by its challenge to those who have and want to make Christ their life!