The Shack discussion

I have heard there is a lot of controversey surrounding this book. Has anyone read it and what are your thoughts?

I've read it. If I remember correctly, people kept implying it was a true story, when it is clearly fictional.

On a personal note, I found it to be rather poorly written, although I did appreciate the author's attempt to describe the nature of the Trinity. I didn't necessarily agree with him, but I understood what he was trying to convey.

Did you feel it was worth reading?

I`ve read the book,and though i agree with Christine, i thought it was kinda good.I also thought it was really sad :(

I definitely think it is worth reading. It is a pretty short read if I am remembering correctly. I agree with Christine as well- this book is definitely fiction but like most things you can take away from it as much or as little as you choose to. I read this book at a time in my life when the message the author was trying to convey struck a chord with me. Hope you enjoy it!

I do think its worth reading. The message is good. And Christy, it is very sad, but at least it focuses on hope and healing.

Thanks ladies. I will continue to read it.

I just read a fiction called Rooms. It was described a cross between The Screw Tape Letters and The Shack. Rooms was a good Christian novel. It makes you hunger for a closer relationship with God. The ending of the story is beautiful and worth the wait.

Read it. I really liked the different perspective shared in this novel.

The reason people find it controversial is God is portrayed by an African-American woman and the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman. In addition, the story is cloaked as a "true tale" though the author has openly shared (in editorial notes at the end of the book) that it is not a true tale, just his creative musings. Though, I think this book has A LOT of truth in it about humanity and our needs.

the controversy as i understood it was that it was about the abduction of a small child, some people couldnt get past that.

other people were turned off by the implication that jesus wouldnt want you to be a christian, because that meant you were worshipping him and not god. which is blasphemous (but true) of the christian church currently

I have read the book and I liked it very much! The controversy over this book is that since it is about God, and quotes scriptures people expect it to read like the bible. This is a work of fiction. I think that this book is how the author came to grips with God and what he means to him. It is all very personal, people who read it take it to literal. He realized that God is a relationship not a building or a religion.

I will be honest. I went into this book knowing nothing about the religious undertones. I thought it was simply a book about about a father's healing from a horrible tragedy. I did feel a bit betrayed by the back cover at first. I do not feel it is conroversial as it is about one person's view of God and the trinity. As a piece of fiction, I did not feel it was a great book, but as an inspiriational read that makes you think about your faith, I think it is effective.

I read it, an interesting story, not well written. It didn't have any spiritual connotations for me, it's as far removed from christianity as "Twilight", imho. and I hated that it all began with the abduction of a little girl, as though that would ever be okay

Linda wrote: "I will be honest. I went into this book knowing nothing about the religious undertones. I thought it was simply a book about about a father's healing from a horrible tragedy. I did feel a bit be..."
right because a carpenter, and the holy spirit would have *nothing* to do with christianity?

Charles wrote: "Linda wrote: "I will be honest. I went into this book knowing nothing about the religious undertones. I thought it was simply a book about about a father's healing from a horrible tragedy. I did..."
SNIDE!!!! Gonna go ahead and say that Jesus in his Christian spirit would not comment so snidely to a differing opinion.

I read the book and I enjoyed it very much. I think the controversy is from people who don't treat it as fiction, but rather as theology. It is intended to be fiction. It made me think about my relationship with the Lord.

Dana wrote: "I read the book and I enjoyed it very much. I think the controversy is from people who don't treat it as fiction, but rather as theology. It is intended to be fiction. It made me think about my ..."

I agree with you :)

Maureen wrote: "Charles wrote: "Linda wrote: "I will be honest. I went into this book knowing nothing about the religious undertones. I thought it was simply a book about about a father's healing from a horrible..."
and it isnt somehow snide to say it was as removed from christianity as the four part epic about stephanie meyer's 'pleasant' dreams? or, would it be more appropriate if we called that ignorance?

My apologies if I offended everyone. I was just trying to explain that I felt it would be more of a book about a father's healing as opposed to such a concrete divine intervention (for lack of a better way to express). I didn't know what to expect as I did not hear anything about the book prior to picking it up as a back up read for summer.

Linda wrote: "My apologies if I offended everyone. I was just trying to explain that I felt it would be more of a book about a father's healing as opposed to such a concrete divine intervention (for lack of a b..."
Well as you have read in this little discussion you will either love it or hate it but I still think that it is well worth the read and decide for yourself!

Dana wrote: "I read the book and I enjoyed it very much. I think the controversy is from people who don't treat it as fiction, but rather as theology. It is intended to be fiction. It made me think about my ..."

I also agree with you Dana. I too think this is a good read and worth your time. Our two 'tween's(one of each) came to me and asked to read this. I hesitated at first...but hey there is alot of worse things they could have read. Later they each came to me to share how this book got them thinking more about their relationship with God, it also made for good discussions about what we believe. May I also add I didn't tell them to read it, But they asked. Isn't that the purpose of reading books like this.

Judy wrote: "Later they each came to me to share how this book got them thinking more about their relationship with God, it also made for good discussions about what we believe. May I also add I didn't tell the..."

Judy, sorry if I confussed you. We have one boy, one girl. Our son turn teenager now this month, and our daughter is a tween. We try to teach and discuss our beliefs as this is what scripture also teaches us to do.

Christine wrote: "I've read it. If I remember correctly, people kept implying it was a true story, when it is clearly fictional.

On a personal note, I found it to be rather poorly written, although I did appreciat..."

Christine, I completely agree with your assessment on this book! It was a nice short read though.

I just finished the book yesterday and I really did enjoy it. It gives you a lot to think about.

This book made me yearn to understand the trinity for what it really is. Made me dig into scripture and I was pleased with the Biblical answers of who the trinity is! If a book makes you seek more information it is a book worth reading!

Erika wrote: "This book made me yearn to understand the trinity for what it really is. Made me dig into scripture and I was pleased with the Biblical answers of who the trinity is! If a book makes you seek more ..."

Indeed yes!! :)

I read the book when it first came out and I thought nothing bad of it. Later, people started saying things about the portrayal of the trinity being off and I never really understood why they felt that way. It is clearly a fictional account and I have to admit that the portrayal of the relationships between the members of the trinity bothered me. I am not certain why, just an uneasy feeling. I accounted it to my uneasiness with secular writings.

I had no problem with God being a black woman. (The Bible describes God in one place as a woman giving birth and we were made in His image, male and female.) If someone can give a clear and concise reason for the controversy I would like to hear it.

I actually did like the relationship between the trinity. It made God and Jesus more personable (for lack of a better word). The book left me feeling I could have a personal friendship with them.

Rose wrote: "I actually did like the relationship between the trinity. It made God and Jesus more personable (for lack of a better word). The book left me feeling I could have a personal friendship with them."

I do think that might be the reason people are so against the book. To have a personal friendship with God is good after 100 years of walking with Him but contrary to fearing God. Now I understand that fear is in the sense of a feeling of awe and if we could so immediately get over the awe as a result of a portrayal, that might not really be right. There is a factor where we should reverence God. No one when they encounter God in the Bible, just chums up to Him. They fall to their knees or on their faces. Many times they say things like "I have seen God face to face and lived."

good point hadn't thought of this while reading the book.

God is our father. Isn't possible to have a relationship with him and fear him.

Why wouldn't God want to be close to him? We're his children.

This book was recommended to me and I was skeptical about reading it. I'm a Christian but I HATE being preached to--I find that many of my fellow Christians are what Jesus would have called hypocrites. For that reason, I steer clear of books like this one. A great friend was VERY persistent and got me to read it though. I can say this: It is a great idea, poorly executed. Whomever the editor was should be flogged and never allowed to read a book again.

It's an amazingly poorly written book. It will aggravate you if you have a decent grasp on the English language. However, the story is so compelling, the idea is so good that there does come a point where you just push the bad writing aside and enjoy it.

It's not preachy. It's accessible to anyone and everyone--religious or not. In the hands of a gifted writer it could have been a classic. With a little editorial guidance it could have been much better than it was. It's definitely worth reading and while the controversy about whether or not this was a real story will distract some, the point is that it's a great story with a great message and it's important to push beyond any controversy and poor execution to get to the meat of this one.

Albert wrote: "This book was recommended to me and I was skeptical about reading it. I'm a Christian but I HATE being preached to--I find that many of my fellow Christians are what Jesus would have called hypocr..."

I have to agree with everything you said about The Shack...especially the "poorly written" part
I found out that this book was written with a movie in mind, hence all the dialogue...it was almost written as though it were a screenplay. After reading that, I was a bit more forgiving of the bad writing, and I have to admit, it would make a good movie.

Christine wrote: "I've read it. If I remember correctly, people kept implying it was a true story, when it is clearly fictional."

Yeah! In the preface, the author makes it seem like when his friend (Mack) was describing the story to him, it was real, and at times he had to try hard to believe him, but then the book is labelled a fiction, so it's all confusing.

But you're right, it is obviously fiction.

Countless people have read this book, are talking about it and are still thinking about it after they've read it? It was written years ago and is still being translated into other languages. How poorly written can it be? Isn't a good book one that is thought provoking and written a little outside the box?

I found this book so profound that I ordered 10 copies & gave them as Christmas gifts 2 years ago (with very positive feedback). I felt it was an excellent story for anyone on a "religious fence", so to speak.

Sally wrote: "I have read the book and I liked it very much! The controversy over this book is that since it is about God, and quotes scriptures people expect it to read like the bible. This is a work of fiction..."

I totally agree Sally.

Rose wrote: "Thanks ladies. I will continue to read it.

I just read a fiction called Rooms. It was described a cross between The Screw Tape Letters and The Shack. Rooms was a good Christian novel. It mak..."

Are you talking about Rooms by Emma Donogue? Just checking because I liked your description

I thought it was profound - as |Tirhas and Sally wrote it is a work of fiction. I found it personally helpful to read. ALso, it is a really good read.

The controversy surrounding this book is with regard to so much more than already mentioned in these comments. If you are truly interested, I highly recommend the exhaustive review done by Tim Challies, found on his blog. He specifically outlines the issues regarding revelation, salvation, and the Trinity - all essential doctrines of the Christian faith. The review would likely be of more interest to Christians, but Challies includes definitions as needed. Link:
http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/...

It is a great book that really gives a good image of the purpose of the cross, which is, to restore a relationship to God, not to establish a church heirarchy that puts you under a bunch of rules and regulations that no one can truly follow. He came that you might have life and life abundantly.

Erika wrote: "This book made me yearn to understand the trinity for what it really is. Made me dig into scripture and I was pleased with the Biblical answers of who the trinity is! If a book makes you seek more ..."

Erika I totally agree. If a book causes you to think it has definitely done its job. I really enjoyed this book and it did help me to come to a better understanding of the Trinity.

I've read it and I enjoyed it. I think the controversey comes in because people don't like God portrayed in human terms.

certainly, if you are a christian, and you are looking for an answer of the question "where is God during the times of your suffering?" and when your faith is lost because of your unanswered egoistic questions, this book might provide a little, at least little if not great, to help you to long for a relationship with God...

Rose wrote: "I have heard there is a lot of controversey surrounding this book. Has anyone read it and what are your thoughts?"

I loved it. It's a hard book to understand but it is well worth the effort. It's been abt. 2 years since I read the book and it still makes me think abt. everything. It's one of my favorites and I read many books. Yes it is fictional but it is great.

It's on the top of my list books I hate. Poorly written by a condescending author.

Keep in mind I'm not Christian so take this with a fat grain of salt. The writing was horrible. I just couldn't do it. I had heard about what he did in the story in regards to the trinity but the writing is way worse than any of the better parts of the story, which leads me to the other reason to take my opinion with a grain of salt. I didn't finish it. Just couldn't. I thought it would be like "Ismael" by Daniel Quinn but for Christians. I was wrong.

THIS BOOK WAS RECOMMENDED TO BE BY TWO VERY GOOD FRIENDS, WHO ARE READERS, I TRIED VERY HARD TO GET THROUGH THIS BOOK, AND THOUGHT IT WAS POORLY WRITTEN, AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT, AND NEVER FINISHED IT -

Jeannette wrote: "THIS BOOK WAS RECOMMENDED TO BE BY TWO VERY GOOD FRIENDS, WHO ARE READERS, I TRIED VERY HARD TO GET THROUGH THIS BOOK, AND THOUGHT IT WAS POORLY WRITTEN, AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT, AND NEVER FINISHED IT -"

Would you have liked it better if it was all in Caps?

wally wrote: "men to whom god is dead worship one another~ harry crews, the gospel singer

as long a man remains free he strives for nothing so incessantly and so painfully as to find someone to worship. ~fyodor..."

"AYE-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI!" ~Xena Warrior Princess

In other words: what do those quotes have anything to do with anything?

I'll give a chance for Christine to respond, but I agree that it is poorly written. Now, it's been a couple of years since I read it so I can't give any specific examples, but I remember struggling with many poorly structured sentences with mediocre grammar and a lot of amateur writing mistakes and lazy syntax. On top of that, the dialogue was excruciatingly bad, full of cliches and unrealistic banter. I realize this was meant to be a book written for his children (I think), but sure;y they could have edited and fixed all of these mistakes.