So, What’s with The Shack?

It seems there is a lot of hype out there about this fictional book calledThe Shackby William Young. And from what I can tell so far, people tend to be falling into one of two categories: love it or hate it. The Love Its are all saying “mind blowing” and the Hate Its are all saying “warped theology!”

So which is it?

I think it will be what you make it. If you want to read a fictional story for your theology, be my guest. I don’t particularly think that is the wisest choice, but you know…it’s a free country. Not being a trained and true theologian, I can’t particularly say that anything about what the story presents radically opposes my understanding of God right now. I’m not sure that is an entirely accurate thing to say, though, because I know how I read, especially a work of fiction. And if I did come across something that was a stretch for me, doctrinally speaking, I most likely would’ve glossed over that and moved right on to what resonated with me instead.

Because it’s fiction. And with fiction, I have the luxury of picking and choosing what I keep. Unlike the Word of God, which is not an ala carte deal.

So what resonated with me?

Ever so simply, the idea that God would meet Mack at the place of his greatest pain. At the widening maw of his own personal pit. God not only meets Mack there, GOD CALLS MACK THERE. And the purpose of that call is to resolve the issues. Isn’t that how it works with us? The harder we run from what hurts, the harder we try to hide it or ignore it or just live with it, the more it takes us over. And we would never ever face it on our own, it seems. Even if we wanted to, could we truly face it without Him? For me, Mack’s summons to the shack and his deliberation about going…that whole element rang true when I thought of my own call to Deal With My Junk.

Mack gets a note, I got a “load of bricks dropping on my head” revelation. Mack debates the note…is it genuine, does God even write notes? Was Mack insane? I debated my revelation…does God actually speak that way? Was I going crazy? Was it just my drunken imagination? Mack tries to keep his trip back to the shack hidden from his family. I kept my recovery process hidden from mine…for a time anyway. Mack didn’t want to be judged, or stir up pain in his family, and neither did I. Also, what if this journey ended up being some sort of a joke? What if I couldn’t get recovery to stick? Mack arrives at the shack expecting one thing, what he experiences is totally different. I arrived at my first meeting expecting one thing, what I received was NO WHERE NEAR WHAT I EXPECTED. It was so much better.

Although our Great Sadnesses were initiated through entirely different ways, Mack and I carried them with the same mannerisms. Just like all of the walking wounded out there. And Mack presents the same questions, arguments and limited understanding that we all have to move through in order to heal. And maybe that is what irritated me a bit about Mack, the fact that at times his questions revealed just how dense he was…just how messed up his thinking was. That is to say, I got irritated with him the way I do my kids when they display MY FAULTS so perfectly in their own behavior.

From his arrival at the shack onward, God works on Mack. He brings revelation. He brings grace and restoration. He demands that Mack forgive. He emphasizes how“especially fond”He is of Mack. And as Mack is in God’s presence…he is changed. How can we be there with Him andnotbe moved by Him?

Is The Shack a worthy read? Yes, I think so. Would I read it again? Most definitely, I am already planning to do that. Do I base my understanding of God on this book? Not really…But if we are going to take any spiritual truth from this work of fiction it should be the desire to experience God for ourselves. We should allow Him to summon us back to our broken places for healing. We should embrace the unexpected ways He will work out that healing.

And we should appropriate the phrase “he isespeciallyfond of me” into our everyday experience.