Steve Brown interviews William Paul Young about his book The Shack. Steve says that he initially gave up when the main character got to the shack. After lots of people nagged him, he finished the book. “It got to me.” Apparently he also spoke to the counseling students at RTS. As Steve says, he certainly divided the house.
I feel sorry for Mr. Young. He had a very traumatic childhood as a missionary kid in New Guina. He was sexually abused by those in New Guina, and at the missionary boarding school he attended. Very sad. As a result he struggled with self-loathing and shame. He spent 11 years in his personal (metaphorical) shack.
He wrote it as a parable and the shack is a metaphor for the places you get stuck, the baggage you cling to. He admits it is presented in an outside of the box kind of way. It is great that he has no secrets. But I guess there is a difference between a lie and something you don’t tell everyone. If you don’t tell anyone, a secret will control you. You must bring it out into the light, but those facts of your life are not necessarily for everyone. You can tell people if asked, but sometimes you don’t need to announce it to everyone.
I remember hearing a pastor telling his congregation about his prior problems with pornography and that he was raped in his youth. I can see how sharing the first in that context was helpful. Not so sure about the second one. That is one I’d keep for personal ministry rather than public ministry. There are things I will share with close friends, and in personal ministry. But they are inappropriate for public ministry. Are we actually free if we feel compelled to tell everyone?
Back to Steve and William Young. Steve warns us that you can’t dissect it or you’ll miss what God has for you. I may have to disagree with “the old white guy” on this one. Jesus’ parables didn’t contain untruth. Symbolism and metaphor? Yes. Distortions? Nope.
Steve: “You’ll read the book and think God can’t be that good.”
Erik: “That’s the problem.”
God is good. Calvin believed it! (surprised?) Yes, Calvin often refers to God’s fatherly kindness and God’s goodness. He believed God is just, but also good. Like C.S. Lewis- not safe, but good. So I have no issue with believe God is incredibly good, even to people like me. But I have reservations about a therapeutic view of Christianity where it is about ‘healing’ instead of life transformation. Don’t take that to mean God doesn’t apply the work of Christ to our emotional life and baggage. But that is the minor theme, and often waits until this earthly life is through, rather than the dominant theme. The Bible talks about our greatest problem is our sin, not how we’ve been sinned against (though that is there too). Otherwise Jesus would have sent out counselors instead of pastors.
“The phrase I used to describe the Trinity was one I got from Ravi Zacharas. … Unity and diversity in the community of the Trinity.”
As in many heresies, he is accused of stressing one over the others. It sounds like he stresses unity over diversity in how he tells this parable. Steve Brown disagrees with me, but I still love him. But maybe my underwear is too tight like he says.
You might be interested in Walter Henger’s review in ByFaith Magazine as well.
Brown strikes me as egocentric. As a preacher he seems overly aware of his radio voice and is much more interested in making people laugh than cry.
I take it you don’t know Steve. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and is joking about the voice that made him famous.
Yes, the show is not oriented toward making people cry. I don’t think that makes him ego-centric but someone who understands grace such that the good news produces joy and freedom from guilt, false and true.
Does seem Young reveals again a permeating idolatry that is so deceptively at work in us. He is determined to remake God into the image he wants to form God.
And furthermore, I’m also worried that Eugene Peterson says it could be the next Pilgrim’s Progress. Now, that should concern us. Endorsements are serious business and that is another subject in itself for another time. But what our “big Names” need to be reminded of is they are tempted to not make waves, to not say no to a request, to exaggerate how good something is to not offend.
That’s enough from me…
The Shack is definitely NOT a study in God’s sovereignty (who is neatly excused from having anything to do with the bad things that happen to us. It also borders on universalism. One of the best negative reviews I read about it was that a nonChristian could read it and agree with everything and not come to faith. In other words, the God of The Shack doesn’t as well reflect the God of the Bible as the metaphors Lewis and other more theologically accurate writers use. I hear tell the Peterson is a bit remorseful for his comments. A friend of mine (another Christian bigwig) is a bit sorry he promoted the book because of the theology, but thinks it’s a good story and helpful at the same time.
Here’s what I think. If you have a problem with suffering and want to blame God, the arguments in the cave are pretty good for helping someone out of that hole. Also, if a person grew up in a very legalistic Christian home or have that view of Christianity, the book liberates. I see it as a book for rather immature Christians who need to mature in these ways. I devoured Watchman Nee when I was a young Christian. God used his writings to show me the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in my life. I found out MUCH later that if I read Nee now, I’d vehemently disagree with a great deal of his theology, but when I was young, God used it for my good and protected me from the bad. I think it’s the same with The Shack. The sad thing is, far too many Christians will stay stuck in The Shack, never moving on to a deeper walk with God because they won’t do the hard work of discipleship.