Christian Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Focus on the Family

    Strengthening families through biblical principles.

    Focus on the Family addresses the use of biblical principles in parenting and marriage to strengthen the family.

  • Guest, Join Papa Zoom today for some uplifting biblical encouragement! --> Daily Verses
  • The Gospel of Jesus Christ

    Heard of "The Gospel"? Want to know more?

    There is salvation in no other, for there is not another name under heaven having been given among men, by which it behooves us to be saved."

The Shack

2024 Website Hosting Fees

Total amount
$905.00
Goal
$1,038.00
Page 99 - Although Jesus is fully God, He has never drawn upon His nature as God to do anything.

Page 104 - Jesus was helping Papa (the Aunt Jemima portrayal of the Father) in the kitchen, when He dropped and spilled a bowl of sauce. This portrays our Lord, the One Who went to the cross for us as a clumsy oaf.

Page 162 - Indicates from the text that most people won't be lost, when Scripture clearly states otherwise.

Page 167 - Refers to contact with the dead, which is clearly forbidden in Scripture. (If I remember, this was where Mack is allowed to contact his deceased daughter)

I agree, TG. The hardest part I had to get over was when it was implied that Jesus depended on God for the ability to perform miracles. Like He had no power on his own. I didn't mind "Poppa" being portrayed as a large black woman. I don't think the purpose of the author was to force any racial peg into the hole. The story had it that the Lord wanted to dismiss any preconceived notions he had of God all his life, so He presented Himself in a completely unexpected way.

I really didn't like the universalism presented in the book. There was little of righteous anger or the hate of sin, or that many would be denied salvation. It was like 1/2 of the Gospel was left out.
 
Mike, I understand what you mean, and I have no problem with God as any one race as opposed to another, but we both know He doesn't belong to any race. Still though, all the references to Him in Scripture are in the masculine. I did have a problem with that, because that's not how He refers to Himself.

Like you, I also rejected the part where it stated that Jesus had never used His power as God to do anything. And also, you're right about the Universalism that is put forth in this book.

I watched the video of Paul Young being interviewed on a TV program which was posted earlier by one of the contributors to this thread, and at about 7:30 minutes into the video, Mr. Young was asked directly if he was a Christian. He replied, "Tell me what one is, and I'll tell you if I am one." Enough said about William Paul Young. That told me everything I needed to know.

Mike, I didn't like the episode of what happened to the girl either, and I know that was troublesome for a lot of people. But the misrepresentation of God in all three of His Persons is what troubled me most.

TG
 
William P. Young's best selling book The Shack is considered by many solid Bible-based ministries to contain New Age, pagan teachings, and even occult overtones. Heresy and false teaching of any kind should never be permitted in any Christian Church [or Christian bookstore] regardless of whether or not it is fiction.

It is the responsibility of pastors, teachers and church elders,
to not only nurture and feed God's flock, but to expose heresy, aberrant teachings, false teachers and false prophets - in order to faithfully and lovingly WARN God's flock. Those that fail to do so not only disqualify themselves from serving in a position of biblical Eldership and leadership, but they end up lead others astray!

A falling away of the Christian faith is certainly happening across the world. Sadly, many of those who are a part of it are wholeheartedly embracing the counterfeit universal reconciliation Jesus that William Paul Young has ever-so-craftily created in The Shack.

QUOTES FROM THE SHACK:

"This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress' did for his. It's that good!"
-----Eugene Peterson, author of The Message (Front cover endorsement)
"God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things....” [panentheism]
-----The Shack's "Jesus." [1,p.112]

"Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims.... I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation into sons and daughters of my Papa, into my brothers and sisters.”
-----The Shack's "Jesus." [1,p.182]

"The esoteric spiritual traditions -- whether Christian mystics, Hebrew Kabbalists, Zen Buddhists, Islamic Sufis, or Hindu yogis -- all have specific practices to help individuals overcome this great 'illusion of separation' and to experience the One True Self, which is in us all." [2,p.149]

To see more: "Shocked by the Shack"
Shocked by the Shack
 
Just finished reading "The Shack". Picked it up for a buck at a local thrift store, it looked brand new and maybe was unread. I only finished it to say that I did. I was not offended at all, but found the book and most of the dialogue unrealistic.
 
I have previously defended "THE SHACK" here on this site. I found it to be very helpful to get me to see that I, too, have "A great sadness" in my life - and that it must be dealt with.

HOWEVER, in the weeks since I read it (and it IS an addictive read, the portrayal of the man's horrible experience of losing his little girl really hit home), my opinion has changed.

"The esoteric spiritual traditions -- whether Christian mystics, Hebrew Kabbalists, Zen Buddhists, Islamic Sufis, or Hindu yogis -- all have specific practices to help individuals overcome this great 'illusion of separation' and to experience the One True Self, which is in us all." [2,p.149]

"Illusion" of separation? We ARE separated from God, until we accept Chirst's work on the cross!


Like I said, my attitude towards the book has indeed changed.
 
I watched the video of Paul Young being interviewed on a TV program which was posted earlier by one of the contributors to this thread, and at about 7:30 minutes into the video, Mr. Young was asked directly if he was a Christian. He replied, "Tell me what one is, and I'll tell you if I am one." Enough said about William Paul Young. That told me everything I needed to know.

TG
Well, that, and the universalism in the book told me a lot, too.
 
Mark, as with "The DaVinci Code", "Avatar" and other works, "The Shack" might be harmless to someone who is anchored in Christ, but I feel it's dangerous to the millions who are not and have been caught up with it. I'm not sure how you can suggest it wasn't theological. I felt it was very theological from the moment he opens the door to meet Papa.
 
Back
Top