I expected to dislike The Shack. People I knew and trusted had given me such mixed reactions that, although I tried to keep an open mind, I was already bracing myself. I could not have been more wrong.
William P. Young’s novel follows Mack, a father living with grief after the disappearance and apparent murder of his young daughter. A mysterious invitation brings him back to the shack connected with that loss. There, the story opens into conversations about suffering, forgiveness, and the character of God.
The subject matter is painful. What surprised me was the way a story about that pain became, for me, a way into questions I had struggled to understand.
A slow beginning, then line after line
The book starts slowly. Looking back, I think that opening does work the later chapters need: it gives the conversations somewhere to land.
As the story develops, Young begins delivering masterful line after masterful line. He takes on difficult questions about God through relationships and conversation rather than a formal theological argument. Some of his perspectives were unlike anything I had read before.
And, to borrow a line from Genesis, it was good.
The relationships that changed my reading
The most important part for me was Young’s picture of relationship within the Trinity. Christians use that word to describe one God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I had found the idea confusing. Young’s portrayal helped me see the beauty of the relationships Christians are trying to describe.
I came away feeling that I understood the Triune God more clearly. That was no small thing for me. A novel cannot answer every question about a Christian doctrine, but this one helped something that had felt abstract become personal and understandable.
That insight extended into how I thought about husbands and wives, men and women, and parents and children in relation to God and the church. Young’s image of men and women as face-to-face counterparts, both empowered by the Spirit, was especially meaningful to me.
In fact, The Shack became my favorite resource for thinking about the much-debated roles of men and women in the church.
A recommendation I mean
I know some Christians will strongly disagree with this, but I want to say it plainly: I believe The Shack is a theological resource every Christian should own. By “theological resource,” I mean a book that helps us think about God. My reason is the way Young opens up relationships. I do not expect every sentence to settle a question of doctrine.
I understand why a novel taking on these subjects attracts disagreement. My response was not to close the book thinking I had solved every question. It was to recognize that something had become clearer, more beautiful, and more connected to life.
I began expecting to find a book I would reject. I finished grateful that I had read it.
Where Christians read differently
Christians who share belief in the Trinity still disagree about whether Young’s fictional portrayal explains it helpfully. Some welcome the picture of loving relationship; others question its portrayal of the Father, the incarnation, and authority. Read the concrete objections and sympathetic replies →. Explore what the doctrine of the Trinity means → and compare the arguments about Father, Son, and Spirit →.
Christians also disagree about which church leadership roles are open to women. Egalitarian readings support equal access to those roles; complementarian readings reserve some roles for men while affirming equal worth. Compare their biblical arguments →.
Book discussed
William P. Young, The Shack. This is a personal response to the novel, including its portrayal of God and human relationships.
A question in the margin is a good place to begin.