The Shack

"What do you think about the The Shack?" friends have asked me. I figured it was time to read the darn thing. William Young's recent page-turner, The Shack, has quickly risen to #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. Such popluarity over what has been characterized as theological fiction is intriguing in a nation where mainline Christianity is dying. Perhaps its popularity is due in large part to its unconventional way of asking and answering some of our most basic questions about God. In the book, Mackenzie Philips is trying to make sense of the brutal death of his innocent daughter Missy. In a shack near the murder scene of his daughter, Mack is given the unique opportunity to spend days with the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Only the Father's name is Papa and wears a dress. The Son's name is Jesus and enjoys skipping rocks. The Holy Spirit's name is Sarayu. Sarayu hums while working in the garden.

This book is certainly helpful in redeveloping our imagination and the way we conceive of God and the Trinitarian relationship. However, I am concerned about the casual way in which the book depicts God and speaks on God's behalf. My worry is rooted in the way we understand scripture. Should "theological fiction" be able to speak for God in such concrete terms? The question is not whether fiction can portray truth. It certainly can. My worry is fiction that speaks on behalf of God will shade the way we read the Bible. Will such books form us to think of the Bible as theological fiction that illumines truth? We worship a risen savior who truly suffered under Pontious Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.

Just the same, the book provokes thought. I was especially intrigued when Mac is asked to judge his own children. He must choose only two of his children to spend eternity with God. Mac simply cannot do it. Finally, he ask, "Could I go instead? If you need someone to torture for eternity, I'll go in their place. Would that work? Could I do that?" Being placed in the seat of God helps Mac begin to understand the depths God will go to show his love for his people. It's a love that says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, son that whosoever believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." Now that's the truth.