You Don't Know Me The Shack
Wm. Paul Young
Windblown Media
I was in Minneapolis a few weeks ago having dinner with colleagues and I asked them what they were reading. Both had recently finished The Shack and both mentioned that while the subject matter was quite heavy, they thought the novel to be very uplifting. At the time, I felt like I was in need of some uplifting, so when I got back to the airport, I sought out a copy.
What a mistake! For those of you who haven't heard of it, The Shack is the story of middle-aged man trying to understand how God could let his six year old daughter be abducted and murdered. To work through his anger and his grief, the man returns to the "shack" -- the last known place of his daughter's whereabouts -- to confront God and ask his questions. I probably should have stopped reading once I figured out that God was a black woman named Papa. I kid you not.
When I read the online reviews for this novel, it became evident that the story either really spoke to its audience, or it failed miserably. For me, it certainly didn't answer any questions about why evil exists or even why bad things happen to good people. Then again, maybe I didn't like it because of my "good" Lutheran upbringing. There are some serious doctrinal issues with this text that even I could spot. I think if I'm looking for clear messages about salvation and redemption, I'll stick with my Bible. One faded star out of five.
Wm. Paul Young
Windblown Media
I was in Minneapolis a few weeks ago having dinner with colleagues and I asked them what they were reading. Both had recently finished The Shack and both mentioned that while the subject matter was quite heavy, they thought the novel to be very uplifting. At the time, I felt like I was in need of some uplifting, so when I got back to the airport, I sought out a copy.
What a mistake! For those of you who haven't heard of it, The Shack is the story of middle-aged man trying to understand how God could let his six year old daughter be abducted and murdered. To work through his anger and his grief, the man returns to the "shack" -- the last known place of his daughter's whereabouts -- to confront God and ask his questions. I probably should have stopped reading once I figured out that God was a black woman named Papa. I kid you not.
When I read the online reviews for this novel, it became evident that the story either really spoke to its audience, or it failed miserably. For me, it certainly didn't answer any questions about why evil exists or even why bad things happen to good people. Then again, maybe I didn't like it because of my "good" Lutheran upbringing. There are some serious doctrinal issues with this text that even I could spot. I think if I'm looking for clear messages about salvation and redemption, I'll stick with my Bible. One faded star out of five.
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