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The Shack and Postmodernism

The Shack, by William P. Young, is a fictional novel about a man who meets God in the midst of his suffering. I had not heard of the book until a few weeks ago when I ran across a panel discussion on a Bible website (I didn’t listen to the discussion). Coincidentally (perhaps) that same day one of my readers asked me if I had read it. I told her I had not, and she asked me to read it before I read any reviews of the book. I promised I would, and now mission accomplished. And so here is my “unbiased” response. By the way, this is the book I cryptically referred to in last week’s MMM.

First a little history on the book, which I gleaned from various websites (without reading any opinions): Young evidently wrote The Shack as a Christmas gift for his kids, printing 15 copies at Office Depot. At his friends’ urging, he self-published it in 2007, and within a year it had sold over 3.5 million copies! A Google search brings up nearly 5 million hits, and Amazon.com lists over 2600 reviews! How I missed it until now I’m not sure, but this book is having a huge impact.

My opinion on it is mixed. The story is well written and will keep you riveted while arousing your emotions. Sometimes I couldn’t see the pages through my tears, and the constant surprises kept me on my toes. But it is not the fictional story that is selling this book. The Shack is without a doubt a theological statement about the nature of God and religion, written from a postmodernist perspective. And like postmodernism itself, the book is both deeply insightful and doctrinally troubling. That is, there are some insights about God that modernity has missed, or at least has deemphasized, and postmodernism has “discovered.” For example, the main point of the book has to do with finding God in relationship rather than in ritual or religion. Along these lines it contains some powerful insights about our relationship with God, as well as our relationships with one another. It also has some points about law vs. grace that I totally agree with. For example, “rules cannot bring freedom; they only have the power to accuse” (p.203). This is what Paul taught (Rom 3.19-20; 7.7; 11.6; Gal 3.10). Further, being a follower of Jesus is not trying to be like Jesus (asking WWJD), but rather dying to the self and letting the very life of Jesus live in us so that we actually see with his eyes and hear with his ears (p.149). If we add the word “merely” (“not merely trying to be like Jesus, but rather more so letting him live in us”) I would find this statement wholly acceptable. Certainly Jesus came to give us an example to follow (Jn 13.14-15; 1 Jn 2.6), but merely trying to follow Jesus’ example while relying on our own power is the same as trying to keep the law in our own power. We would still be destined to fail. Our only hope for success is in dying to the self and letting the power of Christ live in us through the Spirit (cf. Eph 3.16) – in other words, relationship as opposed to ritual and mere religion.

But if there is truth in this book, there is also some serious cause for concern on several fronts—which, again, can be said of postmodernism in general. Last week I touched on one concern (i.e., its claim that God does not punish sin). Unfortunately, however, I’m out of space, so I’ll have to hold off the rest of my concerns until next week. In the meantime, if you read the book keep an open mind. But, if I might add, don’t let your mind be so open that your brains fall out.