The Shack by William P. Young

[destin139]

"Mackenzie Allen Philip's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

 

Against his better judgement he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. Waht he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

 

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant, The Shack wrestles with the timeless question: Where is God in a world filled with such unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book."

 

 

This has to be the most incredible book I have ever read. I dont even know where to begin to describe it. I laughed, I sobbed my eyes out and I have been changed forever. I wish I could find the words to write but I just can't...

 

If you are a committed Christian, if you don't know where you stand in relation to God, even if you believe that God doesnt exist and that anything or anyone to do with God is a waste of time and space I urge you to read this book.

 

If you have read this book I would love to know your thoughts and opinions on it - whatever your beliefs and wherever you stand with relation to God. I just ask that out of respect for everyone's beliefs and opinions, that we try not to deliberately be provocative, or offensive.

 

Thanks,

Amy

[Snowhite]

no i haven't read it...but i will try in english

[Jacqui]

I haven't read it but it sounds really good. I'll see if I can find it next time I'm in a bookstore. Is it scary, though?

[whineupemily]

I read that book!

i would stay up till 3:00AM reading it, i couldn't put the book down.

 

Glad to know someone else has read it!

Its really great, and it felt so real to read, and i felt every emotion reading this book!

[destin139]

I haven't read it but it sounds really good. I'll see if I can find it next time I'm in a bookstore. Is it scary, though?

 

Not at all - there are a couple of moments in it which arent very nice, but they're definitely not graphic or anything like that - just desperately sad. But the whole book isnt like that at all, just those moments - its incredible!! i cannot recommend it enough!!!

[Jacqui]

Ok, I started reading it yesterday (finally!) I'm up to page 66 and it's so sad, I don't know if I can even read anymore I was crying, and then I couldn't sleep all night, but I couldn't read any more because I kept feeling the need to look around my room and check for serial killers. I'll try to read more later, in daylight with plenty of people around.

[Jacqui]

I finished, so if anyone still wants to talk about it, I can now.

 

I think it was a good book. It wasn't exactly fun to read, but definitely worth reading. I'd suggest everyone read it, with an open mind. Even if it doesn't change your life, or you don't agree, it will make you think.

Personally I agreed with most of the points the book tried to make, and I think they did a fairly good job at answering the question of "where is God, in our suffering." It's a hard one, and what this book offered was probably the best explanation I've read so far.

 

The only part I'm really struggling with is the way God the Father was portrayed as a loving parent, rather than a stern dictator and harsh judge. I'd like to see God in the more loving way he was portrayed here. But after having read most the Old Testament, he just seems angry, to me. I want to know, where are people getting this view from, that we don't have to live up to expectations and rules? I like the theory, I just don't know that it's true?

[destin139]

i know - its such a hard question and one i dont think we will ever fully know the answer to. Jacqui - have you read much of the New Testament? I'm no theologian but God is not so angry because of Jesus. To be honest I don't know the answer so any amount of explaining I try to do will just be me going round in circles!

 

Im glad you enjoyed it!

[Jacqui]

Yeah, I went to Catholic schools for 13 years, so I'm familiar with the New Testament too- a while ago I decided to read the whole Bible though, from cover to cover, because I feel like Churches and schools just pick out the bits that are convenient for them to use, and I wanted to see a bigger picture. Turns out the Old Testament is a lot longer than the new one, though. I'm up to page 1235, somewhere in Maccabees. So hopefully I'll get to the part with Jesus, soon. But I think what you said makes sense, that Jesus made God less angry Thanks.

[destin139]

thats ok! glad I could make a little bit of sense. wow! good on you for trying to read the whole bible from cover to cover! I would say that I am a committed Christian and I havent even tried that! good luck with it - let me know how you get on!!