Margaret123
2nd May 2009, 06:35 PM
THE SHACK by Wm Paul Young
Where tragedy confronts eternity
‘When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of The Shack. This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good!’
These are the words of Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, BC.
So what is The Shack about?
According to the blurb on the back cover: ‘Mackenzie Allen Philips’s 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, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.’
For me this book took me to the centre of Jesus and placed Jesus in the centre of me. But it’s only a thriller, some of you may be saying. How can a thriller possibly convey God’s love, grace and mercy, how can it possibly show me God’s heart and his all-embracing love in the same way as books by Christian authors such as Joyce Meyer or Joyce Huggett? I’ve read books by both these authors which try to show how to draw closer to God by drawing on their own personal experiences and I’ve empathised with their journey; it’s shown me that there is a way to find perfect peace. But this book gives you an experience.
On the other hand, you might be saying but it’s only a work of fiction. Fiction is the stuff of the imagination. I only read non-fiction. That’s the only route to God. That’s a pity because you’ll be missing out on one of the wonderful ways that God can talk to you. Non-fiction gives you understanding – it teaches, but fiction, if written well, can transport you to another world where you experience. Besides, God, our Creator, who is omnipotent, omnipresent and ubiquitous, surpasses our understanding. So while we are in this life we walk by faith because, as fallible human beings saved by His grace, we can never know God’s true glory until we see Jesus face-to-face in eternity.
Do you understand why there is so much suffering in the world? Where is God in the midst of so much unspeakable pain? Wm Paul Young, with the help of two pastors, has produced a story of incredible beauty that reveals the beauty of Creation by the way it is written. The characterisation is brilliant; you not only empathise with Mack, the main character, but you become him, and, like him, you meet God, our Creator, in the form of Papa, Jesus, the carpenter and Sarayu, the Holy Spirit. You feel Mack’s pain and you feel God’s love as He reaches out to heal you, a wretched and broken soul. You laugh and you cry; and, above all, you can rejoice that God loves you. As he says, both to Mack and to everyone else – and you: ‘I especially love you’. I felt truly loved by God after reading this book.
This book is not just another thriller or work of fiction; it is based on profound biblical truths. It takes you on a journey of forgiveness, redemption and love – a love that enables you to forgive even your worst enemy; it takes away all the rules and regulations created by worldly values and helps you experience a living relationship with Jesus. And freewill. Jesus doesn’t expect anything of us; God is never surprised or disappointed; he knows the choices we will make before we make them. Yes, I’m sure you know that already; many will have felt his love. But don’t miss out on this very special book – it’s a very personal experience that I wouldn’t have missed. Just allow God to meet you in the midst of your suffering – you’ll be better equipped to help others do the same.
So who would I recommend it to? I would recommend it to all Christians, even those who only read the Bible or Christian non-fiction, and I would recommend it to anyone who is searching for meaning and purpose in their life. I believe that this work of fiction is far more accessible to non-believers than Christian non-fiction because they are far more likely to relate to a living relationship with Jesus by reading The Shack because it will transport them through the imagination and enable them to see Jesus in a completely different way.
A team of people who were touched by The Shack have set up The Missy Project because they believe that it offers one of the most poignant views of God and how He relates to humanity that has been written in our time. Film producers have already expressed an interest in making this story into a film, but will only do so after sufficient numbers of books are in circulation. So surely this is a most wonderful and powerful way to let others know that Jesus died that we might have eternal life? A website has been set up as well which gives more up-to-date information about The Missy Project, so, if you have a computer go to http://www.theshackbook.com and find out more. Don’t underestimate the power of this book. Just read it and see if you can become a part of placing God in the forefront of our culture.
Where tragedy confronts eternity
‘When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of The Shack. This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good!’
These are the words of Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, BC.
So what is The Shack about?
According to the blurb on the back cover: ‘Mackenzie Allen Philips’s 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, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.’
For me this book took me to the centre of Jesus and placed Jesus in the centre of me. But it’s only a thriller, some of you may be saying. How can a thriller possibly convey God’s love, grace and mercy, how can it possibly show me God’s heart and his all-embracing love in the same way as books by Christian authors such as Joyce Meyer or Joyce Huggett? I’ve read books by both these authors which try to show how to draw closer to God by drawing on their own personal experiences and I’ve empathised with their journey; it’s shown me that there is a way to find perfect peace. But this book gives you an experience.
On the other hand, you might be saying but it’s only a work of fiction. Fiction is the stuff of the imagination. I only read non-fiction. That’s the only route to God. That’s a pity because you’ll be missing out on one of the wonderful ways that God can talk to you. Non-fiction gives you understanding – it teaches, but fiction, if written well, can transport you to another world where you experience. Besides, God, our Creator, who is omnipotent, omnipresent and ubiquitous, surpasses our understanding. So while we are in this life we walk by faith because, as fallible human beings saved by His grace, we can never know God’s true glory until we see Jesus face-to-face in eternity.
Do you understand why there is so much suffering in the world? Where is God in the midst of so much unspeakable pain? Wm Paul Young, with the help of two pastors, has produced a story of incredible beauty that reveals the beauty of Creation by the way it is written. The characterisation is brilliant; you not only empathise with Mack, the main character, but you become him, and, like him, you meet God, our Creator, in the form of Papa, Jesus, the carpenter and Sarayu, the Holy Spirit. You feel Mack’s pain and you feel God’s love as He reaches out to heal you, a wretched and broken soul. You laugh and you cry; and, above all, you can rejoice that God loves you. As he says, both to Mack and to everyone else – and you: ‘I especially love you’. I felt truly loved by God after reading this book.
This book is not just another thriller or work of fiction; it is based on profound biblical truths. It takes you on a journey of forgiveness, redemption and love – a love that enables you to forgive even your worst enemy; it takes away all the rules and regulations created by worldly values and helps you experience a living relationship with Jesus. And freewill. Jesus doesn’t expect anything of us; God is never surprised or disappointed; he knows the choices we will make before we make them. Yes, I’m sure you know that already; many will have felt his love. But don’t miss out on this very special book – it’s a very personal experience that I wouldn’t have missed. Just allow God to meet you in the midst of your suffering – you’ll be better equipped to help others do the same.
So who would I recommend it to? I would recommend it to all Christians, even those who only read the Bible or Christian non-fiction, and I would recommend it to anyone who is searching for meaning and purpose in their life. I believe that this work of fiction is far more accessible to non-believers than Christian non-fiction because they are far more likely to relate to a living relationship with Jesus by reading The Shack because it will transport them through the imagination and enable them to see Jesus in a completely different way.
A team of people who were touched by The Shack have set up The Missy Project because they believe that it offers one of the most poignant views of God and how He relates to humanity that has been written in our time. Film producers have already expressed an interest in making this story into a film, but will only do so after sufficient numbers of books are in circulation. So surely this is a most wonderful and powerful way to let others know that Jesus died that we might have eternal life? A website has been set up as well which gives more up-to-date information about The Missy Project, so, if you have a computer go to http://www.theshackbook.com and find out more. Don’t underestimate the power of this book. Just read it and see if you can become a part of placing God in the forefront of our culture.