The Shack

I recently read the book so many people have been reading, The Shack, by William Young. It was a very interesting read. You need to be able to navigate past the fact that God the Father is a woman, the Holy Spirit is a woman, although, Jesus is a man.

One of the precautions when reading books like The Shack is that need to separate fact from fiction. This is a fictional book, and is Young's depiction of what things might look like. It is similar to Frank Perretti when he wrote, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. Both were thrillers about spiritual warfare, but they were just his perception, not a theology. The same is true for the Left Behind series, as well as books like The Da Vinci Code. They are FICTION.

Now, that being said, I found the images of God (all three) to be very touching and powerful. God can change Himself into a man or woman depending upon what your need is at the moment. We do need to remember the masculine as well as feminine characteristics of God. If we are all created in God's image, then that means God has all these characteristics.

Some of the story did seem a little far-fetched, but it was a story. What captivated me more than anything was thinking about how God relates to God. How does the Father relate to the Son and to the Spirit, etc. One time Jesus drops a bowl of batter, and the Father and Spirit have a great laugh about it. Would we? There were some interesting dynamics at work. It was an easy, yet could b e deep read. When I read books like this, I go in with an open mind knowing it is not a theology book for me to agree with or disagree, but to read for little kernels of truth or inspiration that I can take with me.

I would recommend the book, not as a theology of the Trinity or about God's providence or any other area of theology, just read it with an open mind, allowing God to speak to your heart, spirit, mind and body.