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Book Review: The Shack

November 18, 2008 in Christianity, Culture, None, Uncategorized by

The Shack
Several months back, my fellow blogger, Jason Lee wrote, “If you follow Christian fiction at all, you’ve likely heard of The Shack, a novel by Oregon salesman William P. Young.” Today, even if you do not follow Christian fiction, you have likely heard of the book or perhaps will receive it as a gift this Christmas.

In fact, the book is earning huge praise from prominent Christians including Eugene Peterson and Michael W. Smith, one even calling it The Pilgrim’s Progress for today (and by this blog’s title, you can guess the weight of comparing anything to that classic).

Having just finished the work, I estimate otherwise, and believe The Shack could more appropriately be called a pilgrims regression. Why do I say that?

First, while the work paints itself as fiction, it is clearly designed to contain teachings about the nature of God. And it is the author’s (mis)understanding about God—especially the Trinity—that presents the most problems. I do not think it spoils the plot to tell you that, amid a great tragedy, the protagonist meets the Father, Son and Holy Ghost in a remote shack, each of whom is a separate person. The Father (or “Papa” as He is called) manifests Himself as a large, African-American woman with somewhat lacking grammar. The Son, meanwhile, is presented as a sort of fuzzy teddy bear, and the Holy Ghost (also a woman) is nebulous and even apologizes at one point to “Mack,” the main character. There is also a dialogue in which the Holy Spirit is approvingly equated to the legendary American Indian’s Great Spirit.

Next, the book consists of pretty mediocre writing. Now I know William Young may be a good guy, but he is not a good writer (and neither am I, might I add). While his storyline is intriguing, the dialogue is clunky and a wee bit mindless in places. The grammar of the work doesn’t fare any better.

Thirdly, whereas The Pilgrim’s Progress alluded to Scripture at every turn, you really have to dig to find any references in The Shack. So when he makes statements in the book from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the author puts made-up words in Their mouth, which is a huge no-no.

Finally, the book reflects the veneration gap so prevalent in Christianity today. That is to say, “Mack” is too familiar and casual toward the Almighty. Not only does he speak plainly to God, he questions Him in a way that would make Moses and father Abraham shudder. There is no sense of fear of God, or really even awe (think Ecclesiastes, “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few”).

The book, of course, is not all bad. Mr. Young weaves together a compelling story and does a nice job of showing how the Lord can use tragedy to bring about good. There are also lessons about forgiveness that are important to ponder. In the end, trying to eat the meat and spit out the bones, so to speak, with The Shack will provide a lot smaller meal than you might expect. If you’re just looking for some good, Christian entertainment, you’re better off looking elsewhere. May I recommend some C.S. Lewis?