I hope you have enjoyed November’s Christian Book Club book of the the month “The Shack”. By now you should have completed all 18 chapters. As we started reading this book I told you about how controversial it was. People seemed to love the book or be really upset with it.

Personally, I really enjoyed the book. It was well written and kept my attention. I generally have a lot of stuff going on and there are some book that I really struggle to read over the course of a month. The Shack really got my attention and I found myself making time to read it. I enjoyed the interaction between Mack and the representations of the trinity. I don’t feel like I need to defend the theological aspects of the book becasue it is not a book on theology. It is a story. There is tremendous power in story and I think it is very possible for God to be able to use a story like to help people embrace a walk with Jesus.

I also felt the forgiveness parts of the story were really well done. One of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, used the power of story to teach on forgiveness. In his book, Prince Caspian, Lewis uses the power of story to present the impotance of forgiveness. Working the Mack character through forgiveness to help lift the great sadness was a wonderful use of story.

I am including a comment by Amanda on this post in case you didn’t read the comment section on week 2.

Comment by Amanda on 15 November 2008:

I love that Mac expresses his anger toward Papa, Jesus and Sarayu. I think too often we feel as Christians we feel that we have to be thankful and righteous and proper all the time. God is our friend, and when we are upset, we tell our friends, we don’t hold back. We let them know how we feel. I really feel that this is the type of relationship that God wants from us, we are just hesitant to give it to Him.

I am going to leave the “Shack” comments open for a while as I would like to hear from all of you on your thoughts of the book.

I will also include a link here in case you need to order a copy of the book.

The Shack

This month on the Christian Book Club we are going to be reading The Shack by William P. Young. The Shack has created a lot of controversy. People either seem to love or hate the book. Here are the ten latest reviews from Christian Book Distributors:

• 5 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by Joan Wilson (Lacey, WA), October 30, 2008

  This short book was a great suprise to me inasmuch as it approached God described as a woman. Mack’s struggle to deal with the loss of his daughter was very real to me. The location meant an added delight to find it local in Oregon and now I want to travel and visit Wallowa in Oregon, and Joseph. I’ve lived in a shack but to think that God could come to me in this way I would love. It seemed to follow doctrine closely but held to the story line as in “Pilgrims Progress”, but for today’s readers. I am not bothered by it, and would recommend it to others to read. This is the God I know, but I do prefer him to be male and a father figure - Jesus said to call him “Father” as in his prayers for us. I would rather it be sent to my pastor and not Oprah (she is not the final authority). Now, my husband is reading it and we’ll talk about it along the way.

• 0 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by Nathan Hutchinson (Sierra Vista, Arizona), October 31, 2008

  It is appalling when a 17 year old has to correct adults on theology. This book is no allegory; it is a deceptively written New Age story presented as Christian Fiction. The parallels between this book and some denominations of Hinduism are unbelievable. Not only do I not recommend this book, it should not be on this site at all; it is so far from being Christian that it scares me. This is the most heretical book I’ve read in a long time, yet so many people praise it regardless. I pray for Young’s soul after reading this book.

• 0 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by blessedX10 (Helena, MT), October 30, 2008

  This book makes me physically sick to my stomach (threw it away half way through), and I am so disappointed to see it sold as a ‘christian’ book. Full of heresy; the author has no respect for or fear of God. I don’t serve a god of crude remarks and immature behavior, and my God is definitely not a woman (I am). Emotions deceive - if you are looking to know God better, read your bible! You won’t find the God of the Bible here, just lots of new age paganism working towards a one world, feel-good religion. Terribly sorry that I wasted the money (and therefore supported such slander of my God).

• 4.5 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by Suzanne Murchison (Trenton, On,), October 30, 2008

  I really enjoyed the book, the different description of how God presents itself was unexpected and interesting. It made me want to dig deeper in scripture just to remind me that God will never fit in our confining “boxes”. It is a sad story, the lost of a child always is, but there is hope for all,and sometimes the issues go way further back then we think.

• 5 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by Beva (Montevideo,MN), October 30, 2008

  This is a must read!! It took a brilliant mind to make the Trinity seem so down to earth. The chapter on the Judge really hit home with me. We all judge others, but the way he related it to how God still loves us when we mess up was really something. Just like we still love our children when they mess up. I would highly recommend this book!

• 5 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by myra (lexington, nc), October 30, 2008

  I think this is one of the best books ever written about understanding the Trinity and they way the work together in the life of a believer. It reveals the depth of love God has for man in redeeming him from his sins and redeeming the unjust issues of life.

• 0 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by Kandy (Arkansas), October 30, 2008

  This book is very dangerous! Christians are being deceived into this kind of thinking. There are many heresies in this book. It appeals to so many because it is an easy, feel-good read. I wish it were not sold as a Christian book. Maybe Oprah could sell it instead.

• 5 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by Shirley Samuel (Greensboro, North Carolina), October 30, 2008

  This book was the door that took me through a crossroad in my life. I found that I could relate to anger and disappointment in God, whom, I felt, had set me up to fail because all of my experiences led me to painful existence. I saw a real way to deal with it by actually telling God, “You made me mad, You disappointed me, you sacrificed me, you won’t let me out of the mud I have been made to lie in.” I have been able to talk to Him as “Papa.” I have been able to openly acknowledge my own selfish sinful ways and tell Him, “I am sorry.” I now see that He was always there protecting me and keeping me safe from destructive harm. I now know He really loves me. I found the true living God. I was given a loving image of Momma, Daddy, sister, and brother in the Shack. I had not known that before. Family did not represent love. It has been a source of pain and suffering. Now I know what family really means, and Paul Young made that possible for me. I thank him for the courage it took to write this book.

• 0 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by Carlyn Benns (Trona, CA), October 30, 2008

  Young’s work is secular and sensationalzed to the max. I could not have been more disappointed and wonder why it’s considered a Christian novel.

• 2.5 out of 5 stars
  Reviewed by Grace (Canada), October 30, 2008

  It provides good understanding on human suffering, remarkable answers to age-old questions and a fresh look on the heart and the nature of God, but the Triune God portrayed was not entirely Biblical. It’d be erroneous to conclude God’s Personhood only from this book.

Like I said, people love it or hate it. I think it will be an interesting book for us to discuss. There is a Forward, 18 chapters, and an After words section in the book. Let’s break it down like this:

Week 1 - Forward and Chapters 1-4
Week 2 - Chapters 5 - 9
Week 3 - Chapters 10 - 14
Week 4 - Chapters 15 - 18 and After words

As you begin reading, please know that this book is fiction. The author refers to it as a parable. There is no real “Mack”. Even though the Forward seems to set up the story as true, the Forward is just part of the story.

I am including a video of an interview with the author of The Shack on the 700 Club.

I will also include a link here in case you need to order a copy of the book.

The Shack

This week at the Christian Book Club we will be finishing The Numbers of Hope. Our reading and discussion will focus on chapters 10 through 12 and the daily devotional at the end of the book. I think this will be enjoyable reading for you. Max does a good job of talking about Heaven and Hell. He also talks about living with the promise of John 3:16. I look forward to your comments as always.

If you don’t have C.S. Lewis “The Weight of Glory” yet, make sure you order it soon. We will start reading it July 1st. I love Lewis and I think you will enjoy these “sermons” that he delivered during World War II.

The Weight of Glory: And Other Addresses By C.S. Lewis

I will be praying for all of you and hope that you are enjoying the Christian Book Club Online. I was just given a copy of a book called The Shack. It looks like an interesting book. I checked out the reviews and people seem to love it or hate it. I will probably be adding it to a future book club. Anyone with any insight on the book?