This is by no means a thorough review of the book. I promised my cousin I would read it, for he is friends with the author. The thoughts I posted in an earlier blog have not changed. The following are some current thoughts from a small man with a big God:
The Scary
To build a false image of God is not just sloppy writing, but scary. The author builds this she-male god in a gripping manner, but constructs some subtle falsity into the image: Papa (this is God if you have not read the book) is portrayed as not just peace-loving (which is true), but anti-violent. Papa detests the gun as she holds it out at arms length.
God is a great warrior. Listen to Moses worship God on the shore of the Sea of Reeds after the exodus from Egypt. God, with his creation-power, gives salvation to his new chosen nation with violence that surpasses what any gun could do:
The Lord is a man of war;the Lord is his name. (Exodus 15:3)
Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble. (Exodus 15:6,7)(ESV)
The Shack scares me, for an image of God has been erected that takes God’s glory, his powerful right hand that inflicts violence, and portrays the glorious hand of God falsely.
I am not condoning violence or guns, for I doubt we will see either in God’s ultimate kingdom. More important than societal problems, or my feelings, is the image of God – never add to it and make God into something he is not. Sometimes God deals with this by his right hand.
The Bad
God created man and woman in his image; every race and gender bares a resemblance to their creator. Though God is spirit and is not composed of the mass of biology we live in, he does have an image – Moses is a witness to this and his face fell to the ground when he saw God’s back. God’s image is important - he has one and it is good to be cautious on how one portrays it.
I can identify with the author in desiring to paint a picture of God as an African-American woman: my next door neighbor is one and her love and service to our family will echo into eternity. There are four women I kiss: my wife (of course) my Mom, my Mother-in-law and my neighbor of whom I speak. This African-American woman demonstrates God’s love in a manner that we could all learn from. I have learned much more from her than a love for collard greens.
Nonetheless, I believe it is good to not venture from Jesus’ example of painting the picture of God as anyone other than the Father.
The Good
The author does a great job of answering the age old question, “how could a good God allow evil?” He also gives the reader a grasp of a world existing beyond our myopic view.
I loved the scene were Mack has been introduced to the Trinity. They explain who they all are and in a puzzled manner he looks from one to the other and asks, “Which one of you is God?” They all answer in unison, “I AM”.
Uncharacteristically, I cried as I read a part of this book: Mack was preparing to leave his incredible experience, just before he departed Jesus met him in a room and on the table were bread and a cup of wine. Someday we (if you are a believer) will share bread and wine together with Jesus. The thought of what it represents and anticipation of the future event brought emotion.
If you desire, comment with your thoughts, for I would be interested to hear them.
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3 comments:
I read The Shack twice, and generally loved it. But as my sister said [she hated it], it's only good if it draws you closer to the REAL God, and makes you want to read his REAL Word. If people get excited about The Shack, and substitute it for the Bible, then it's dangerous. But if you can read it as fiction, and understand its limitations, then it paints a wonderful picture of the Trinity - as liquid, solid, and vapor, but all water. I would love to lay on the dock and look at the stars with Jesus. And in my own internal discussions with God, I sometimes think of him as Papa. I also love the idea that God intentionally limits himself for the sake of our relationship - like "forgetting" our sins, even though he's all-knowing. -Chrissie (Tim's cousin)
Thanks Chrissie; well said.
My view of The Shack is entirely colored by my interaction with the author. I met him in February the day after being 20 feet away from listening to our new President (who I voted for) talk about his faith. Frankly, the author of The Shack was unsophisticated, average in appearance and not escorted. However, he was the most transparent, real person I have ever met and as I described to my brother, "one big ball of love." When I think about my trip to DC, I feel like the more transformative talk for me was from Paul Young rather than Barack Obama. For Paul to transcribe his experience with God for his children in the words of the Shack made total sense to me. If this book causes people who would never consider God to reconsider their faith than I can only recommend this book. I understand Tim's concerns but there are more than two sides to this story...
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