I picked up the book “The Shack” by William P. Young after several people told me about it. I read the reviews on the back of the book and got excited because of the claim about it being a modern “Pilgrim’s Progress.” I started the book and got a little ways in and then saw the audiobook was on iTunes for a great price. So I purchased it and started listening to it (not getting as far in as what I had read). Young writes a compelling story and draw you in and I was excited to see what happened next. But I read some of the reviews on iTunes and Amazon.com. I then did a search out on the web was floored. I read several reviews: Challies.com, Charles Swindoll, Albert Mohler, and others. I just had to thank the Lord I had not read or listened to more. The book has some major theological issues. I would challenge you to read this review before reading “The Shack.” I just threw the book out and deleted the audiobook. Here is a quick summary from a reviewer on amazon.com:
This is THE book for you, IF…,
To the many 5 star reviewers, may I respectfully ask you to step back, take a deep breath, and then give this book a second look, viewing it only through the prism of Scripture? Upon sober reflection, perhaps you will discern that this IS an amazing book and THE book for you if, and only if…
You want to recreate God in your own image;
You find Isaiah’s portrayal of a holy God seated upon His throne to be a disturbing image;
You would prefer to metaphorically cast God the Father as a loving and large black woman named “Papa,” Jesus as a laid back and friendly Middle Eastern man, and the Holy Spirit as a calm and cool Asian woman;
You want a God so small that you and she/he/she can just hang out together as best buddies;
You regard the Bible as an extremely biased, narrow-minded, and insufficient revelation of God in leather binding with “guilt edges” (page 65);
You therefore believe that God talks to people today, and that whatever she or he says to people trumps biblical truth (page 66);
You believe that God is never to be feared (page 90);
You believe that Jesus’ miracles do not affirm Him as God, but prove only “that Jesus is truly human” (page 99);
You want a God who does not hold people accountable for, nor punishes sin (page 119);
You want a God who does not demand that you submit to him or her, but one who submits to YOU (page 145);
You want a God who accepts everyone — “Buddhists…Muslims, bankers and bookies” — as his or her children no matter what their beliefs or behavior, and that Jesus has “no desire to make them Christian” (page 223);
You believe that Jesus lied when He warned, “Broad is the road that leads to destruction” (Matthew 7:13), because in The Shack Jesus says, “Most roads don’t lead anywhere” (page 182).
Make no mistake… 90% of this book is spot on. But isn’t that exactly what makes its 10% error so insidiously deadly? Look, we can allegorize many things, but we don’t mess with the Trinity. This book is a Trojan horse subtly infiltrating the Christian community — one that makes our God extremely small and completely manageable, a God who, in the final analysis, is no God at all.
Thanks for this warning, Geoff. Michael Burton’s review is great!
Geoff,
So sorry!!!! I was one who thought the book was great. Maybe I’m just simple minded. I took it as FICTION! It in no way shook my theology. I did’nt look to it for theology but just great entertainment. I did not see any of the things Michael Burton did. Sorry if you wasted your money. Don’t look to me for a book suggestion again huh?