Shackin' Up!

So, I'm reading The Shack. Usually I try to avoid the "in" book, preferring to wait a few years, see if it lasts, and then dive in. I mean, heck, I only read The Great Gatsby for the first time about five years ago! But, my roommate has been reading and talking about how amazing the book is, and since I'm always looking for ways to connect with him, and since I know that a lot of other folks are reading it, I decided to dive in. When I told a few people that I was about to start it, they mostly reacted with, "You're gonna hate it. The theology is so bad, and you're not gonna like it." It's funny that no one says that when I talk about liking the TV show Friends or any number of movies. Maybe watching bad theology played out in the midst of great storytelling is different than reading it. Interesting to me how we pick and choose. Anyway. . . they were right about one thing, there is much bad theology in The Shack, at least if you read it from a Protestant, Reformed perspective. And there are times when I underline, circle, etc. and just put the letters "BS" out to the side, but man oh man, how I'm really enjoying this book!

I really identify with the main character, "Mack." He's a guy with a heart that's broken, lots and lots of questions about God and needing desperately to hear and experience the love that God has for him. See, here's the thing: I'm a guy with a heart that's pretty broken right now too, and I've got plenty of questions about God and I desperately need to hear that God hasn't forgotten about me and still loves me.

For everything that Young (the author) gets wrong about theology, there's a lot that he gets right about the heart of God, and that's where The Shack is ministering to me. I've decided to show where the book shines brightest, in its language, with some of my favorite quotes so far. Actually I could list several dozen, but here are just a few:

• "There is something joyful about storms that interrupt routine."
• "Sometimes honesty can be incredibly messy."
• God talking to Mack: "For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to hep you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning. . .and this weekend is not about reinforcing your religious stereotypes."
• God talking to Mack: "You, on the other hand, were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation, not the other way around."
• God talking to Mack: "As much as you are able, rest in what trust you have in me, no matter how small, okay?"
• "Jesus?" he whispered as his voice chocked. "I feel so lost." A hand reached out and squeezed his, and didn't let go. "I know, Mack. But it's not true. I am with you and I'm not lost. I'm sorry it feels that way, but hear me clearly. You are not lost."

Okay, I could go on and on, and I plan to do a series of blogs about this book. I also intend to recommend it to everyone I know who's like me and hurting, and right now, that just about includes everyone I know! Maybe I'm connecting with it because, like Mack, God is shattering some of my preconceived notions about who he is and how he operates. Maybe I'm connecting with it because, like Mack, I think to myself, "if God [were] really here, why [hasn't] he taken [my] nightmares away." Maybe, just maybe, I'm connecting with it, because I'm really connecting with God. I'm not giving up on the truth, but could it be that I'm learning what it means to let my emotions run wild within the boundaries of my theology?