The Shack: Made for the Glory of God

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Opinions tend to create an effective way to look into one’s beliefs or feeling, and are used well when spoken at the right time. Though they may not always be looked upon as exactly accurate, they seem to explore our old view points and challenge us. This is exactly what Paul Young managed to do in his book The Shack. His creative outlook on issues such as the Trinity creates a unique learning outcome for many people. And though not all issues were entirely Biblically supported, he has many refreshing explanations concerning the inner workings of the Trinity.

In the Bible, there is much said about the triune unit and how it functions. God the Father chooses who will be saved... the Son redeems them... and the Holy Spirit seals them (NIV, Ephesians 1: 4-13). Also, though there are three people, there is only one God who works through the three. This concept was followed loosely in Young’s book, with “Papa” being the creator of ideas, Jesus as the friend-type being and Sarayu being more interested in Mack’s innermost feelings.

Sarayu, the first being in the Trinity, was revealed as a small Asian woman used to represent the Holy Spirit. Sarayu was the one to collect his tears at the beginning of the book, and it was she who eventually helped Mack realize the truth of Jesus’ love for him. She was soft-spoken and very wise, and much like the dove mentioned in Biblical accounts (NIV, Luke 3:21,22). She had good advice and always seemed to know what to say, yet could get straight to the point if she needed to clear up Mack’s thinking. Also, her characteristics to describe her as a human seem to be very close to what people think of when they picture the Holy Spirit. She was shown as “shimmer[ing] in the light” and had a voice like a ...

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...ome parts are questionable, the doors that were kicked wide open in peoples’ hearts are well worth the criticism that Young may be receiving. In fact, one of the collaborators of The Shack said, “We realize folks will disagree. We planned on it” (Jacobsen, “Is The Shack Heresy”). But the fact that they decided to push through the backlash and looked to Christ to be their leader, shows that this book was truly made for the glory of God, a feat that is quite admirable.

Works Cited:

Jacobsen, Wayne. “Is The Shack Heresy?” Windblown Media. 2011

http://windblownmedia.com/about-wbm/is-the-shack-heresy.html

New International Version. Grand Rapids, 1986.

Slick, J. Matthew. “ The Trinity.” Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. 1995-2011

http://carm.org/trinity

Young, Wm. Paul. The Shack. Newbury Park, CA: Windblown Media, 2007.

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