The Shack, A Review of Sorts

Since I have a little extra time, down on the farm, I thought I'd share some thoughts with you about The Shack by William Young.

A sweet friend dropped by The Shack a while ago on my front porch. The note inside said, "You've got to read this. Let me know what you think!"

I could almost feel the intensity of her words. I'd never heard of the book and right from the start, I knew it wasn't my normal kind of read. At all. But I love my friend and was intrigued.

And so I did it. I read every page of The Shack in 2.5 days. My hubby read it right after me.

Here's the synopsis from the back of the book:

Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, ostensibly from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.
Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever and quite possibly your own.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!

After I closed the last page, I called my friend and we talked about this unusual book. And since we had some questions, we googled it.

Well. That's when I discovered that The Shack was pretty controversial. Some churches were teaching it in Sunday School while others were calling it blatant heresy.

Now, let me just say, I'm not taking sides. I'm not going to give my theological opinion on this work of fiction. I'm just not that smart.

My two cents: I just picked up the book and read it. I'm glad I did, before I was aware of all the controversy surrounding it. First of all, this is a book of fiction. I think if people are looking at it as a Biblical guide, they will find fault. Secondly, the first 5 chapters are VERY hard to read, especially as a mother. Prepare yourself. It won't be easy.

I understand the mystery surrounding it, but it made me really think about what I believe about God. And I'm glad I read it.

Here are two different sides that I thought were very thought-provoking:

Against the book.

For the book.

The bottom line for me is while I didn't agree with every word in The Shack, it did challenge my faith and stir my heart to know God deeper.

And in my book, that's a good thing.