Jul 25, 2009
The Shack and My Experiment
I recently finished William Young’s The Shack and decided to share a few of my thoughts about it. This is not an exhaustive review, but more of a quick chat and a platform to launch my “Shack Experiment.”
This title, although not meant to be some deep theological discussion, really caused me to question my views on God and how I’m to think of Him and interact with Him. This is not some replacement for bible reading or church, but it challenges you to consider why you think what you do about God through an easy to connect with, fictional story. This is not some God-ordained, wonderfully written story that will stand the test of time. It’s simply a man’s attempt to inspire the rest of man-kind.
I have major issues with people who judge something, based on someone else’s opinion, without experiencing it themselves. That was one of my main reasons for even picking up The Shack and reading it: I had heard so many people ‘judge’ it and say it was hypocritical, but when I asked why, their answer was that someone told them that God is portrayed in an objectionable way, etc. So, you judge it based on someone else’s opinion of it? How does that make any sense at all?
Although you may not agree 100% with the theology the book is built on, you cannot deny that it causes you to think or examine how you view God and interact with him. Although I have not experienced anything close to the “great sadness” that Mack did, I realize that the moral can be stored away and applied later in life.
I’d like to use this post as the launch pad of my new Shack Experiment. I recently purchased 10 copies of The Shack and decided to pass them around to people that could be helped or might be able to help others with the book. Inside, I wrote a little note that asks the reader to simply enjoy and immerse themselves in the book, to pass it along to a friend that might benefit from it, then come to my blog and let me know what they thought of the book. My hope is that these books would continue to get passed around and that many might be helped, encouraged, or even inspired by the book.
Please leave your comments or brief review and let me know what you think. Even if your thought is simply a ‘thank you’ to the person that passed it to you. I’d love to know how many lives have been touched by such a simple story…
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Purchase the audiobook from christianaudio.com
Posted by Nathaniel Keifer
do i get one..? heheh jk i think i am gonna read it though i think…i've been thinking about it for a while
Yeah, I have one I can give to you if you want to meet for lunch or dinner or something this week. It's a great book!
WOW this is a great book. I couldn't sit it down. A friend of my encouraged me to read it, and i am glad i did. God is so powerful, He could speak to you in many ways, if we choose to open our hearts and listen. The Shack is a must read!
We recently lost our son and brother to alcoholism and my sister in law gave some or our family members this book to read. Fantastic book but I believe it makes a bigger impression on someone that has maybe forgotten God or hasn't been introduced to him. I am Catholic so my own faith is helping me thru this awful time but I highly recommend the book to anyone to read and take from it the meaning you receive, not mine nor anyone else's, just your own.
Well, I have heard extreme reviews from both corners – either the next best thing to the Bible or absolute sacrilege. I picked it up awhile ago, mostly because of the endorsements on the book which compared it to Pilgrim's Progress. I would agree with your assessment that this book would not come close to standing the test of time like Bunyan's classic. Nor did it challenge my mind and faith as Pilgrim's Progress did. I do agree with Darlene, however, that it might help one who has wandered from God and is struggling through a difficult circumstance. Not the worst, not the best but maybe a little light to point someone to the Light of the World.