The crazy thing about this book is that I have avoided reading it. This is a book that's been out a couple of years and people at church that know I read a lot have come up to me and asked me if I've read "The Shack" yet. I had heard about it and read enough to know its subject. I first passed it off as Pop Christianity because most of "Christian fiction" is not very good. I then dismissed it because it deals with a father coming to grips with the death of his six year old daughter. I have lived that myself. Pass again. Recently I moderated a class at church dealing with human suffering and was surprised when two different people said to me, "You are teaching that class about "the Shack." No. Well, I was between books so I thought, what the heck.
I finished it today. I am supremely glad that I read it. The writer does capture many of the emotions of a parent who has faced such a loss. He goes much further and challenges me to rethink or at least examine EVERY facet of my beliefs. I am still dealing with it. Part of its beauty is the reminder that at the core our spiritual walk is simple. I make it complex with the things that I allow to cloud my life (both personally and in a church setting). There is a spot in the story when Jesus reminds the dad that many of the things we encounter at church are of our making and never mentioned by him. It gave me pause. Many times Jesus has to stand in line to get our attention while some of us busily try to make religion in our image. We question the preacher, the teachers, the leaders, and those that get to church late. We like to be the judge, but we don't want to be judged. When we suffer we like to dwell in our loss, sometimes without looking at who is waiting for us to look up. This probably doesn't make sense. I just say, "Read THE SHACK. Better still, listen to it on audio.
Also, there is an afterword at the end. After it is a message from the author about how the book came about. Don't pass over it.
PS; This is not a book for non-Christians. It will challenge life long Christians.
Also: When I googled to get the book cover, I ran across an article titled: "The thirteen herises of the Shack." Please! Remember this book does NOT replace the Bible and does not claim all truth. It should not challenge your basic beliefs just your commitment to them. It is fiction with a punch.
I finished it today. I am supremely glad that I read it. The writer does capture many of the emotions of a parent who has faced such a loss. He goes much further and challenges me to rethink or at least examine EVERY facet of my beliefs. I am still dealing with it. Part of its beauty is the reminder that at the core our spiritual walk is simple. I make it complex with the things that I allow to cloud my life (both personally and in a church setting). There is a spot in the story when Jesus reminds the dad that many of the things we encounter at church are of our making and never mentioned by him. It gave me pause. Many times Jesus has to stand in line to get our attention while some of us busily try to make religion in our image. We question the preacher, the teachers, the leaders, and those that get to church late. We like to be the judge, but we don't want to be judged. When we suffer we like to dwell in our loss, sometimes without looking at who is waiting for us to look up. This probably doesn't make sense. I just say, "Read THE SHACK. Better still, listen to it on audio.
Also, there is an afterword at the end. After it is a message from the author about how the book came about. Don't pass over it.
PS; This is not a book for non-Christians. It will challenge life long Christians.
Also: When I googled to get the book cover, I ran across an article titled: "The thirteen herises of the Shack." Please! Remember this book does NOT replace the Bible and does not claim all truth. It should not challenge your basic beliefs just your commitment to them. It is fiction with a punch.
No comments:
Post a Comment