[SuperJon]

Has anyone here read it?

Liked it?

Hated it?

Opinions?

[Cider Jim]

Read it; loved it. It gave me a whole new perspective on God. I'd highly recommend it for those who don't mind "thinking outside the box." Super, did you get a copy as a Christmas present?

[Sly Fox]

My Father-in-law got it as a gift yesterday and I doubt he wants to read it. So I have feeling I'll finally be reading it shortly.

[SuperJon]

Read it; loved it. It gave me a whole new perspective on God. I'd highly recommend it for those who don't mind "thinking outside the box." Super, did you get a copy as a Christmas present?

Wasn't a Christmas present but while we were at my grandma's she mentioned it and gave me her copy to read. I read three chapters last night. Started reading on chapter four around seven or so. I've got less than 80 pages left and will probably finish it up tonight before I go to bed. I've been reading two chapters then taking a small break.

All of this is coming from someone who didn't read a total of 170 pages (where I'm at right now) in four years of undergrad.

[SumItUp]

My wife read it and she liked it. I know a number of others that also liked it.

I don't like it. I only read one chapter. I read a number of reviews on the book. Theologically it is weak. The hyperbole used to make this a modern day Pilgrim's Progress is a far stretch. I do not have an issue with reading fiction books that are not Biblically accurate, but when the author and publisher are trying to make it into a modern Christian must read, the details must be evaluated. I'm too tired to get into it now, but I may continue in the conversation later.

[flamesfan30]

a good freind of mine who lives down the hall from me absolutely loves it saying it compeletly changed the way he thought about God and really made his faith grow, while my roommate thinks its wrong and has horrible theology and I should never ever read it.

what makes people so divided about this book?

[Cider Jim]

Sum, it's really hard to have an objective opinion about a book after only reading one chapter. If you only read the first section of Paradise Lost, for example, you would think that Satan is the hero rather than Christ.

I'm not comparing The Shack to Pilgrim's Progress or Paradise Lost in literary merit, but it's made a lot of people re-evaluate how they view God, as much more of a loving God and Heavenly Father who truly is omniscient and loves you unconditionally rather than as someone who is always there to punish you. It's also a book about Godly forgiveness, which everyone needs to learn.

Why is it controversial? Well, let's start with the fact that God is pictured as a big black woman. If you can get past that part, you can really learn a lot from the book.

[Ed Dantes]

The message from the book, if I'm not mistaken, is that salvation can be found from within. I'm pretty sure that jives with Christian doctrine.

[SuperJon]

The message from the book, if I'm not mistaken, is that salvation can be found from within. I'm pretty sure that jives with Christian doctrine.

I haven't gotten that vibe at all. The vibe I've gotten is that salvation is only through Jesus.

[Cider Jim]

Ed, have you read the book? Because I don't recall "salvation...from within" being referenced anywhere in the novel. In fact, the book provides a pretty traditional salvation message:

"When Jesus forgave those who nailed him to the cross they were no longer in his debt" (225).

"You asked me what Jesus accomplished on the cross...through his death and resurrection, I am now fulling reconciled" (192).

And the character of Jesus says this in the novel: "I came to give you life, real life, my life" (149)..."Mack, I don't want to be first among a set of values: I want to be at the center of everything" (207).

[LCA&LU Mom]

My dad gave me this book to read while I was in the hospital last week. I loved it and cannot wait to share it with others. It's definitely an outside-the-box book. Also because of pain meds I kept having to go back and re-read pages over and over One of my favorite lines was the one Jim quoted:

)..."Mack, I don't want to be first among a set of values: I want to be at the center of everything" (207).

I have one friend in particular who BLAMES God for every bad thing in her life, that He allows all these "bad" things to happen to her, despite years of talking to her I haven't been able to break through, I'm hoping she can read this book and find something in it that will help her.

[BrysOn_G]

I got it for mom for Christmas. She's deep into it now. I'll ask her what she thought when she finishes later today.

[SuperJon]

I haven't had a chance to finish it today and I went to sleep without finishing it last night.

So far, my favorite line has been:

When all you can see is your pain perhaps then you lose sight of me.

[horrez]

I read it a couple of weeks ago. I loved it. It was an easy read and it made me think. What more could you ask for in a book?

[El Scorcho]

My pastor (Jon Dupin at brentwood church) did a sermon series based around some themes from the book. He made it very clear that the church was not endorsing the book and that his series was not an attempt to weigh in on the theology presented in the book. However, he noted that the book was very popular in Christian circles right now and he thought the church would be remiss not talk about it.

So, if you've read the book and/or you're interested, have a listen:

<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/brentwoodchurch ... 1.mp3">The Shack: Part 1</a>

<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/brentwoodchurch ... 2.mp3">The Shack: Part 2</a>

<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/brentwoodchurch ... 3.mp3">The Shack: Part 3</a>

[SuperJon]

I missed two of the three services he did in that series. Having read the book now, I bet they'd make a lot more sense than if I would've been there originally.

[phoenix]

Haven't read it, and probably won't, just because of a lack of time (I'm way behind on my reading right now). Tim Challies did a fairly in-depth review of the book, and does a decent job of expressing and explaining the concerns that people have had about it --> http://www.challies.com/archives/book-r ... -young.php

Like I said, I haven't read it, so I'm not offering a critique of it. Just offering a point of view from someone else who has.

[Sly Fox]

I'm riding shotgun on a trip to the Rio Grande Valley the next couple of days. So I hope to polish off most if not all of it. I've heard the concerns since it came out and much like the issues with Peretti two decades ago I take them into consideration but appreciate literature that forces me to think.

[SumItUp]

Haven't read it, and probably won't, just because of a lack of time (I'm way behind on my reading right now). Tim Challies did a fairly in-depth review of the book, and does a decent job of expressing and explaining the concerns that people have had about it --> http://www.challies.com/archives/book-r ... -young.php

Like I said, I haven't read it, so I'm not offering a critique of it. Just offering a point of view from someone else who has.

Phoenix, thanks for sharing this. I have recently read and am currently re-reading "The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment" by Tim Challies. It is a book that I would highly recommend. He did an good job in his review of "the Shack". There is one area of his review with which I have questions, but it does not take away from his overall review. Challies had positive and negative things to say about the book, but ultimately, this was his conclusion in his review:

Because of the sheer volume of error and because of the importance of the doctrines reinvented by the author, I would encourage Christians, and especially young Christians, to decline this invitation to meet with God in The Shack. It is not worth reading for the story and certainly not worth reading for the theology.

[phoenix]

I started blogging about the same time as Tim did; his success shames me

Haven't read his book yet (too busy not writing my own), but it's on my list. I don't always agree with him, but he's got to be one of the most eloquent Godbloggers out there.