A couple of weeks ago I went to a movie with some of my girlfriends. The theater was one that has a restaurant menu and wait-staff so you can order food to eat while you watch the movie. Great concept, right?! Dinner and a movie all at once. I was famished, so I ordered a mozza mushroom burger with fries. I figured it would be one of the easier things to handle since I would be in the dark. Halfway through the movie, with only the light of the movie screen as lighting, our waiter set my plate in front of me and whispered, "Here is your Mozza Mushroom burger."
I could not wait to bite into this big bun of greasy goodness. I picked that baby up and bit in with great gusto. Instantly, my brain and tastebuds came to a screeching halt!! Something was not right. My senses were sending me panicked messages that something was wrong. It was not that the taste in my mouth was bad, whatever it was seemed pleasant enough...but what I was supposed to be eating did not match up with what my brain was trying to figure out was in my mouth. It was definitely not a greasy, beefy mozza mushroom burger. Because we were in the movie, I had no light to see what I was actually eating. I should have turned my phone light on, but I didn't want to upset the other movie patrons around me. So, I sat there chewing trying to identify all the mystery flavors going on inside my mouth. For the record, I did figure it out. It was some kind of chicken sandwich with bacon and some sort of cheese and sauce on it....not sure about the sauce....or the cheese. In the end, the only thing it had in common with the mozza mushroom burger was the bun it was on and the fries served with it.This brings me to The Shack by WM. Paul Young. When this book first came out, so many Christians were reading and falling in love with it. It was being embraced as a wonderful Christian novel. So, I tried to read it. I made it through the first few pages. That was it for me. I felt such a strong check about it, I could not bring myself to read it. When people would ask me what I thought about it, I could not tell them what or why I had such strong feelings about this book. I just knew in my spirit I could not read it. (there are spoilers in this post)
Recently, this book has again become a topic of discussion because of the soon to be released movie based on the book. When it came up this time, something shifted in me. Instead of feeling like I wasn't supposed to read it, I felt like I HAD to read it. So I read it this past weekend.
The story is about a man named Mack who suffers terribly from "the great sadness" which was brought about by the tragic abduction and murder of his little girl. This horrible tragedy challenges his faith in God. One day he receives a note in the mailbox from someone named "Papa." The mystery note asks Mack to come to the shack where his little girl was murdered. When he arrives, he meets three unlikely characters. The first is a woman who tells him to call her Papa. She, it turns out, is meant to be God the Father. The next is a man who introduces himself as Jesus. The third person is another woman by the name of Sarayu who is supposed to be the Holy Spirit. They have brought him to the shack to try to bring him back into relationship with them and forgiveness, which is what the remainder of the book is about.
Reading The Shack, I can now see how so many people came to love this book, making it a best seller with over twenty million copies sold. I can see how the author did a great job weaving his story, painting a picture of a grief stricken father. I can see how his journey to healing and forgiveness could come alive on the pages for the readers. This is a very SPIRITUAL book. What this is NOT is a Christian book. Let me repeat that. THIS IS NOT A CHRISTIAN BOOK!! This is not my personal opinion. When you hold this book up to the Light of the inerrant Word of God, it fails miserably. It does not fail in a few theological points. It fails at the very heart of the truth of God's Word. When viewed through the lens of Scripture, it must be called what it is: a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Yes, in The Shack there is a trinity of a Father, a Son, and a Holy Spirit. Yes, there is "redemption" spoken of and eternal life. But don't forget; just because elements from a truth are in something, this does not automatically make it truth. This book does have truths laced throughout...which is the trademark of the best lies. Just lace a little truth in in. Think of Satan tempting Jesus. Satan used bits and pieces of Scripture misused to tempt Jesus. Keep in mind, many cults have someone named Jesus somewhere in their belief system, but that does not make it true or about the REAL Jesus of the Bible. At its very core, this book is a dangerous spiritual lie.
This book is chock-full of the full of every kind of spiritualism..... it has everything from modalism, to pantheism, humanism, gnosticism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christian mysticism. They are all wrapped up in this best-selling, pretty little package called The Shack. There were so many times as I was reading this book where I just wanted to throw this book in the trash. I wanted to stop reading it, because it was making me so sick to see lies and deception being so smoothly and invitingly woven together as the "truths" of God.
There are many obvious things in The Shack that jump out at the reader. Let's begin with the fact that GOD the Father is being represented as a woman called Papa who loves Funk music and can be seen by the main character Mack. The Holy Spirit is also depicted as a woman.
Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.
Exodus 33:20 , But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"
John 6:46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.
[Isa 6:5 NASB] 5 Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
What's In a Name? "You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the LORD who sanctifies you, Lev 22:32
Names are of the utmost importance to God. His Name is above every name and the names of God teach us of His holiness, His character, and His attributes. We learn His names in Scripture. We have no need of making up "wonderful" names for Him.
Elousia
In The Shack , Papa's name is Elousia. Some will recognize the "El" as the name for God in Hebrew. Ousia is Greek for "being" or "existence". The name Elousia as a name for God actually comes from the writings of a "theologian" by the name of Paul Tillich. To quote from Tillich, "God is not a being. He is not even the highest of all beings. He is being itself, or the ground of being, the internal power or force that causes everything to exist." Tillich taught that God is the ground of all things. Tillich also taught that the "Spiritual Presence" is experienced in all religions. He also taught that there is "universal revelation" in these other religions.
"Elousia," the voice said reverently from the dark next to him. "That is a wonderful name. El is my name as creator God, but ouisa is 'being' to 'that which is truly real,' so the name means the Creator God who is truly real and the ground of all things. Now that is a beautiful name." (pg 113)
"That is why Elousia is such a wonderful name. God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things - ultimately emerging as the real - and any appearance that mask that reality will fall away." (pg 114)
This is the essence of New Age Spirituality and panentheistic.
Sarayu
In The Shack The Holy Spirit is also depicted as a woman. Her name is Sarayu. Interesting fact for you, the name Sarayu is the Hindu name of a river in India that is part of ancient Hindu mythology. Also interesting to note, a name linked to Sarayu and a river interwoven with the spiritual aspect of Sarayu is Saraswati. Saraswati is a goddess - the giver of knowledge. She is known as movement and is a member of a Hindu trinity with the gods Lakshmi and Parvati. This trinity's job is to help the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva to create, take care of, and regenerate the universe. If you have read the book The Shack, you will recognize these elements being represented in the character of Sarayu, and she is referred to as the Gardener. Coincidence? Maybe? I don't think so.
Also, Sarayu's description of herself is one of a New Age Spiritualism with a layer of panantheism. (Panantheism: The belief that the universe is the physical manifestation of God (his/her body so to speak) but not the totality of God. God transcends the physical universe though it is part of him/her. Different from pantheism that states that the universe is God in totality.)
At one point Mack asks her if he will ever see her again:
"Of course. You might see me in a piece of art, or music, or silence, or through people, or in creation, or in your joy and sorrow. My ability to communicate is limitless, living and transforming, and it will always be tuned to Papa's goodness and love. And you will hear and see me in the Bible in different ways."(pg 200)
This may sound well and good, and you may be inclined at first reading to agree, but it is not Truth. Yes, the Holy Spirit may use something to speak to us, but He is not IN that thing. He is not a being verb. He is a Person. He is a NOUN. Yes, He is ACTIVE and constantly at work, but to reduce Him to a "Verb", or something we see or feel that pulls an emotional response out of us is to completely remove the AWESOME holiness and majesty of Who He is. He is fully GOD. He is the third person of the Trinity (not third in rank). He works in us and through us. He convicts us of our sins. He draws us ever closer in relationship. He gives spiritual gifts to the Body of Christ. To minimize the Holy Spirit to an essence or a feeling is false teaching. He is not mood or feeling that manifests Himself through whatever animate or inanimate object is there for our emotional responses and "health." He does not morph into things. God is living and active, but never changing. He won't "be who he will be." He IS who He IS.
Gen 1:2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
1 Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Jas 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
There are a few other things that must be pointed out about The Shack's Holy Spirit and how it compares to Scripture. In The Shack Sarayu likes to talk about herself (and with a bit of pride to boot). On page 134, Sarayu says:
"But when I created it, it was only good, because that is just the way I am." She seemed almost to billow into a curtsy before resuming her task.
And on page 206: "I', she opened her hands to include Jesus and Papa -"I am a verb. I will be who I will be. I am a verb! I am alive, dynamic, ever acting and moving. I am a being verb."
In the Word of God the Holy Spirit does not testify about Himself. However, he does testify about Jesus.
John 15:26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
John 16:13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
Sophia
In the story, you encounter another female spiritual being by the name of Sophia. She is meant to bring Mack to a place of understanding of what judgement is and isn't. Sophia represents wisdom, and the word for wisdom in ancient Greek is "sophia." It is used and translated in the New Testament as "wisdom." What is troubling about the book using a female spiritual being by the name of Sophia is what this name came to represent in the early years of Christianity. Years ago when I was in my rebellious stage, I read a great deal about the feminine Sophia. In ancient times, Sophia aka wisdom came to be known as the feminine aspect of God. She was seen to many as the consort of God or the feminine divine. She was considered to be the feminine aspect of God - His wisdom. In gnosticism she was considered to be these things, and in some sects was seen as the Bride of Jesus or the Holy Spirit. She is considered the goddess of wisdom. Sophia is a part of the system of ancient false worship that still continues today within different groups. She continues to be part of the teachings of Christian Mysticism and gnosticism.
The Word Became Flesh....
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. John 1:1
One of the destructive lies in The Shack is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit ALL became flesh and came to dwell with mankind. The writer takes it even further down this deceptive path. He falsely purports that Jesus was not the only member of the trinity who went to the cross; the Father did too.
"Papa didn't answer, only looked down at their hands. For the first time Mack noticed the scars on her wrists, like the ones he now assumed Jesus also had on his. 'Don't ever think that what my son chose to do didn't cost us dearly. Love always leaves a significant mark,' she stated softly and gently. 'We were there together.'" (pg 97-98)
"When we three spoke ourselves into human existence as the Son of God, we became fully human. We also chose to embrace all the limitations this entailed. Even though we have always been present in this created universe, we now became flesh and blood." (pg 101)
"Papa?" Mack finally said it in a way that felt very awkward, but he was trying.
"Yes, honey?"
Mack struggled for the words to tell her what was in his heart. "I'm sorry that you, that Jesus, had to die." (pg 105)
In this next quote, Mack is speaking to Sophia (aka Wisdom) about Papa/God stopping evil and darkness:
"Then why doesn't she do something about it?"
"She already has..."
"You mean what Jesus did?"
"Haven't you seen the wounds on Papa too?" (pg 166)
In the same conversation Sophia tells Mack:
"Papa has crawled inside your world to be with you...." (pg 167)
Later in the story Papa is speaking to Mack about Jesus:
"He is the very center of our purpose, and in him we are now fully human, so our purpose and your destiny are forever linked." (pg 194)
This goes completely against what the Bible's teaches about the Triune nature of God. This book presents a form of modalism - teaching the three persons of the Godhead are One person in experiences and roles; like the cross. The Bible CLEARLY teaches there is only ONE GOD. HE is GOD in THREE persons. Each Person of the Godhead is fully God, but each Person is fully and distinctly unique. There is a perfect TRI-UNITY between them, but they each have different roles. Jesus was the ONE Who came to be the ultimate gift for any who will accept Him and His gift of eternal life. Jesus was the One Who was born in Bethlehem with the express purpose of being the Perfect Lamb of God. God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit did not do this. They had their own roles to fulfill. Jesus is the One Who was beaten, spit upon, and scourged. Jesus was the One Who hung on the cross and became sin on our behalf. Jesus is the One Who hung on the cross and for the first time in eternity was separated from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus and Jesus alone was the One went to the cross. God the Father sent His Son into the World for us.
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
John 3:13-17 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, [that is], the Son of Man who is in heaven. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 16:28 "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father."
Phl 2:6-8 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
God the Father and God the Holy Spirit NEVER became flesh and dwelt among us. That was not their role within the Godhead. It was uniquely the role of Christ Jesus. Accepting what this book teaches is accepting a different Jesus and a different Gospel.
2Co 11:3-4 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
You Must Be Born Again....
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
There is one more destructive teaching that must be covered before ending this post. It is the ultimate lie that leads to death. It is the falsehood that when Jesus died on the cross EVERYONE was forgiven of their sins, that we are ALL sons of God, and because everyone's sins are forgiven and Jesus fulfilled the law, there is no judgement. God is just trying to restore/redeem relationship with man. Also, God needs us to forgive others so He can redeem that relationship with the other person.
On page 122 Papa tells Mack she does not need to punish sin. It is enough punishment on its own because it devours people from the inside. She says it is her joy to cure it. On page 164 of The Shack Sophia (aka Wisdom) tells Mack God's knows every single person born and knows and loves each one of them according to his knowledge of the being of that son or daughter.
Papa speaking to Mack about Papa needing Mack to forgive the man who murdered Mack's little girl:
"Mack, for you to forgive this man is for you to release him to me and allow me to redeem him."(pg 226)
"....because of Jesus, there is now no law demanding that I bring your sins back to mind. They are gone when it comes to you and me, and they run no interference in our relationship."
Mack replies...
"...but this man...."
Papa interrupts:
"But he too is my son. I want to redeem him."
He then goes on to say:
"......In Jesus, I have forgiven all humans for their sins against me, but only some choose relationship. Mackenzie, don't you see forgiveness is an incredible power - a power you share with us, a power Jesus gives to all He indwells so that reconciliation can grow? When Jesus forgave those who nailed him to the cross, they were no longer in his debt, nor mine. In my relationship with those men I will never bring up what they did or shame or embarrass them.
(pg 226-227)
"When you forgive someone, you release them from judgement, but without true change, no real relationship can be established." (pg 227)
In another conversation, Jesus asks Mack:
"Who said anything about making anyone a Christian?"
Jesus then goes on to tell Mack he has no desire to make anyone Christian. (pg 184)
John 8:42-44 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Rom 5:10 -11 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Luke 13:3 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Act 26:18 NASB] 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'
1Jo 1:8-9 NASB] 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Act 2:38 38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.Rom 3:23 NASB] 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:23 NASB] 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
Rom 10:13 ESV] 13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
1Jo 1:9 ESV] 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jo 2:6 NASB] 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Jesus said:
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Mat 7:13-15
The Narrow Gate....
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. Mat 7:13
There are many other assertions in The Shack that when viewed through the lens of the Word of God are revealed as error in some way or another. To cover them all would take far more than can be covered in this post.
Here are just a few examples:
There is not really a literal heaven or New Jerusalem. It will just be this universe cleaned up a bit (pg 179)
responsibility is not in the Bible (pg 207),
God never forsook Jesus when He was on the Cross (pg 98)
your emotional healing comes from others forgiving you (pg 190),
God has no expectations of us (pg 208) (Ummmm..."Be holy for I am holy....Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength....love your neighbor as yourself...),
God has a great fondness for uncertainty (pg 205)
God limits His knowledge about us out of respect for us (pg 108),
Jesus has NEVER drawn on His nature as God (pg 109)
There is no evil - it does not have an actual existence (pg 138 )
God is submitted to us just like we are submitted to God. (pg 147)
Jesus has no interest in making anyone Christian (pg 184)
and so on.....and so on and so on...
The Shack reminds me of my experience with the mozza mushroom burger. Someone told me what they were serving me to eat was a beefy mozza mushroom burger, and without illuminating it by the light of my phone or a flashlight, I took their word for it and began to eat it. Even after discovering it wasn't what I thought it was, I kept eating it without having an actual picture of what it really was. I didn't bother because the taste was not unpleasant and I was hungry. As followers of the Living God, how careful we must be not to do this with what we read or watch assuming the given label "Christian" is true. We need to test every spirit. We need to make sure we are holding every single thing up to the illuminating light of God's Word. We need to be in constant relationship with the One and Only True God. We need to be seeking Him daily through prayer and His Word. When we are abiding in Him and we hear or read something, we recognize error, even when it sounds good, for what it is....error....not a tasty morsel of food that has no nourishment and could possibly lead to a sickly spiritual life. We serve an AWESOME God Who has made Himself knowable to us thorough His Word. Praise God for His love, His forgiveness, His patience, and His lovingkindness.
1Jo 4:13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
Jhn 14:26-27 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Yes, The Shack is "just a story," but it is a story where the author is using the "truth" of Scripture for his basis of Who God is and His redemptive work through Christ Jesus. Anytime we are handling the Word of God, it must be done with accuracy and reverence, even if it is being used in a fictional story.
2Ti 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
One last thing, if you have read The Shack and liked or loved it, as the case may be, please know I wrote this post in love, not in judgement. I did not write it to be unkind in any way or make you feel defensive or angry. I wrote it because there was so much subtle error and it was woven so beautifully into the story that it could go unnoticed. Frankly, this is not a post I wanted to write, but I knew I had to. It was out of obedience that I wrote. I had to write about what was "under the bun." May God bless you.
Work Cited:
Young, WM Paul. The Shack . Newbury Park: Windblown Media, 2007. Print.
