Review of The Shack
The following is a book review written by my pastor, Mike Barnard, on the book The Shack. I am posting it here with his permission and at his request. I did not reformat the version below to include original formatting. To view the document with this formatting, please check out the PDF version here.
Update: I had originally posted an older version of this document by mistake. The updated version has now been uploaded and posted. The PDF has been revised as well.
The Shack
Reviewed by Michael J. Barnard
September 9, 2009
People are talking and many are raving about William Paul Young’s popular book “The Shack” published by Windblown Media – Copyright © 2007. Well known Christians have made such comments as:
“When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of The Shack. The 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 – Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., author of “The Message”
“The Shack is the most absorbing work of fiction I’ve read in many years. My wife and I laughed, cried and repented of our own lack of faith along the way. The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God.” ~ Michael W. Smith, Recording Artist
“Riveting, with twists that defy your expectations while teaching powerful theological lessons without patronizing. ~ Gayle E. Erwin, author of The Jesus Style
Others are raving mad about the book and say “The Shack” consists of outright heresy. How should we as Christians respond to this book that is sweeping the church, our nation and the world? Here are my thoughts in reviewing the book:
“The Shack” is a captivating book that hooks the reader right from the start. The story is about a man, “Mackenzie Allen Phillips” who was raised by an abusive, alcoholic father. His early childhood experiences were terrible, including those experiences in the church. As a result he had no desire for any relationship with God. This will be resolved before the end of the book. Read more
