The Shack

So have you read it yet?  The Shack seems to be the latest novel rippling through Christian circles.  As with most works of this sort, it seems to be getting equal doses of adoring praise and harsh criticism.  The latter always puzzles me.  It is always curious to me when reviewers rip a fictional work for its theology.  It feels a little insulting that they assume I will base my faith and core beliefs on a novel written by some guy from Oregon.  But I guess it's equally as strange that some of the adoring reviewers sound like they are doing just that.  I think narratives like "The Shack" get us thinking and talking...and in my book that is always a good thing.

So what did I think?  I enjoyed it.  I can't say it was a "can't put it down" read for me.  I honestly was a little disappointed by the quality of the writing, but I did enjoy the author's attempt to describe the relational nature of God through some unusual and creative imagery.  The novel challenges you to think about your own perceptions of God.  And it also challenges you to consider ways you try to live independent of him.  I was especially struck to consider ways I act as "judge."  It is a story that left me feeling grateful for grace and encouraged to remember that I am loved by an ever-present God...whether he looks like a large African American woman or not.

Comments

[Steve Tanner]

Not a fan of the "Aunt Jemima as God" motif, but beyond that obvious shock ploy, found the overall experience so-so and not 'earth shattering'.