Book Review: The Shack

I just got done reading, "The Shack" today so I thought I would pass along a few observations. If you haven't heard about the book, it is a fairly popular book written by Christian author, William Young. You can learn more about the book here.

Let me start by saying that this book is not for everyone. There was a part of the story that was really, really hard for me to get through. So if you are faint of heart or disturbing images bother you, this probably isn't the book for you.

Also, if you are new to believing in God or a new Christian this book will probably confuse or frustrate you. Without giving away the story line, the author dwells a lot on the relationship of the Trinity (God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit). Biblically speaking, the William Young really stretches somethings, but I think he does that primarily to tell the story. I don't think he has an anti-biblical agenda...he's just telling a story and he uses his imagination to fill in some gaps. So if you have heard any negative about the book it has probably been from Christians bashing it because it's not biblical. I think if your well aware of what the Bible says about the Trinity and its relationship with each other, the book provides an opportunity to stretch your imagination into what the relationship looks like between The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. That's my take.

So, who should read the book?

• People who enjoy seeing God's Story written through the lives of people. I was constantly reminded throughout the book that God is doing something.
• People who are angry with God. If you are upset about things that have happened in your life and you blame God this book will challenge that thinking.
• People who have had to deal with horrible tragedies in their life.
• People who need to forgive someone. There were two moments that I cried while reading the book and one of those moments was a scene of reconciliation. It was very moving for me.
• People who think God is distant and uninvolved in our lives. This book was a great reminder how personal real God is in our lives.
  

If you have read the book or have observations or questions you are more then welcome to share!