I have just finished reading The Shack by William Young, a book which has been drawing a lot of attention recently from the Christian and secular world. It is set in America and is the story of a father who has a unique encounter with God following the murder of his young daughter.Firstly, I need to confess that I was probably not in the right frame of mind to read this as I had heard mixed comments about it and I jumped at its faults, with hindsight, a bit too quickly. That said, there are things to criticise about it; the writing style is, at times, clunky and cliched; there is a proponderance on "personal salvation"; some major issues are dealt with too quickly, glossing over them without real depth or emotion. However, its worth the read for a number of reasons.
It is one of the few Christian books which has appeared in the high street books shops like Borders and WH Smiths, ending the year in The Times top 10 paperback bestsellers list. It offers a fresh approach in considering the Trinity beyond the water/ice/steam model, conversing with God, faith being relationship based. Its a story, and people like stories.
Worth the read.
Wendy got a copy from her house group and said it was supposed to be mandatory reading for Christians. So I had a go, and generally hated it. Some nice ideas about God and the Trinity but not a great read, certainly not for a bloke.
ReplyDeleteI really hate it when I am told by proper Christians to do something. "You must go and see The Passion...You must prayer AND read your bible every day...You must look after the poor.."...oops!.
ReplyDeleteI think that this, more than a lot, has motivated my rethinking of the last few years. I am glad that it has been left behind. Now thats a good book...! (lol)