OK…So, I gave in and read Young’s The Shack. It’s a lot like voting in the upcoming presidential election, I typically vote for the candidate with the least amount of celeb indorsements. After reading the pull-quotes from Smitty, Winona Judd, and Kathie Lee Gifford, I almost walked away. Nevertheless, I finished it over the weekend and, with all the hubub surrounding it, figured I’d nail some thoughts to the Missional Living door. Good, bad, or indifferent, I do not pose this to be an academic or hermeneutic dissection of this phenemenon, just some humble thoughts after reading it. So take it for what it is. (WARNING: contains spoilers)
Literary aspects. Although The Shack has been hailed as having the potential to be the Pilgrim’s Progress for our generation, I’m certainly not ready to jump on that bandwagon. Since Pilgrim’s Progress was first published in 1678, I’m pretty sure the jury will be out for at least another 338 years on that. Nevertheless, it’s a very well-written work of modern fiction. Slow at the start (in setting up the history and environment for the rest of the story), but moves along well after the first few chapters. It was even hard to put down in a couple of places.
The Shack is about Mack who loses his daughter to a serial killer, then gets a suspicious note to meet Papa (God) at a shack in the mountains. Mack is met by Papa (as an African-American woman—think of The Oracle from The Matrix), Jesus (the stereotypical Jewish carpenter), and Sarayu (the Holy Sprit manifested as an artsy, flowing, petite Asian woman. Each of the representations are to help Mack overcome his ‘preconcieved expectations’ of the Trinity. At the end of the story, Papa reveals himself to Mack as a Father figure, evidently because he is now ready for a Father-God figure. As he overcomes The Great Sadness, Mack learns to give and receive forgiveness and grace. Remember, all metaphors eventually breakdown. I repeat: ALL metaphors eventually breakdown. That said…
Theological aspects. Give me a verb over a noun anytime. The Shack doesn’t fit into Greudem’s systematic theology easily. There are several issues that raise spiritual/theological questions you’ll need to be prepared to wrestle with. For example, Papa suggests that ‘heirarchy only exists where sin is present’. That there is no heirarchy among the Trinity (only ‘mutual submission), which was the perfect plan for humanity all along. Only after The Fall was there a need for an heirarchal order. (Be ready to answer the ‘what about the heirarchy of angels?’ question.) Also, Jesus claims that "those who love me come from every (religious) system that exists" including Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims. (Um…no.) Mack then asks, "Does that mean all roads lead to You?". Jesus responds, "Not at all…(but) I will travel any road to find you." (OK…yes!) Also, there is a great line concerning suffering in which Papa says, "Just because I work incredible good out of tragedies doesnt mean I orchestrate the tragedies…Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist." There’s also hole in the plot that leaves the question "Did this occur in real-time or was it a dream?" as a ripcord for the theological problems in the story.
Should you read it? Remember the main thing: it is FICTION. A story told by an author to communicate a difficult-to-communicate truth or experience. Think of it as reading the paper and noticing the following note:
Monday, September 15.
Sunrise: 6:23 a.m.
Sunset: 7:42 p.m.
No one actually believes there’s a literal ‘rising’ or ‘setting’ of a sun that moves across the sky, do they? We all interpret that to mean the sun, while motionless, will become visible (or invisible) as the earth moves in it’s rotation. Consider The Shack as a blip from the newspaper. It’s a fictional story of one man’s journey and struggle with a trinitarian God towards grace, not a watertight exegesis of the Trinity. It’s no Pilgrim’s Progress or Narnia, but if it causes you to search the scriptures for answers and to have meaningful conversations with the non-churched or de-churched in your community, then read it and be missional with it.
Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 tacos. Add salsa to taste.
Your thoughs below.
