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The Shack - Holy of Holies or Pagan Temple

The Shack - Holy of Holies or Pagan Temple?


Yesterday I started pinging my keyboard. My intention was to write a review of the
runaway publishing success – The Shack by William Paul Young. It’s an astonishing
publishing story. A book , privately published and initially distributed only by word of
mouth, turned into a bestseller, not only in Christian circles but wider afield. It was No 1
in the New York Times bestseller list. However, I had hammered out only a few words
when I hesitated. Was there any point in this review? After all, anyone interested in a
review could surf the web and soon find a few excellent reviews – better than I was
going to write. I hit the delete button.


Today I’m pinging again. Why the change of heart? On reflection, it occurred to me that
The Shack is a prime example of much that concerns me in the morphing evangelical
world. The novel is symptomatic of the way many evangelicals think, or would like to
think about their faith. As a literary work it is a fair stab at pulp fiction but certainly
nothing above average. The key to its popularity lies elsewhere. And it takes little
insight to perceive where that ‘elsewhere’ is located; it lies in its theological message.


And undoubtedly it has a theological message. In fact, theology is its raison d’être. The
novel format is simply a mechanism for theological reflection. It is on its theology the
book stands or falls and must be judged. Ironically, despite the fact that the author is
cynical about seminaries and churches (places where theology is taught) and the Bible
(where theology resides) he confidently presents The Shack (his own theology) which
he considers a cut above the others and will enable us to ‘fly’.

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About John

Hi there - I am a member of Greenview and have been for over 20 years. For a number of these years I functioned as an elder, however, indifferent health forced me to take more of a back seat. I see this as an opportunity to do a little writing, often focussing on issues that are a matter of evangelical debate today. Naturally the views expressed are my own and may not reflect the views of the elders or church at large, though differences are likely to be in the detail and not the substance.

These articles and sermons were written partly to clarify my own thoughts and partly with the intention of provoking thought in others who may read them. If you read one I hope you find it stimulating. Please feel free to give me feedback or discuss my articles in the forums.

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