The Joy of the Truth

This book review will is published in parts on the blog. Click here to see the entire review

Criticisms of The Shack

Apparently there has been quite a bit of fire even from Evangelicals about the way that William Young portrays God in this book. My guess is that most of the fire comes from the fact that Young portrays "Papa" (God the Father) and the Holy Spirit as women.

Windblown Press has responded to some of the criticisms his book has received. He seems pretty defensive, but his explanations are worth reading.

• The book seems to promote Universalism (all roads lead to Heaven).
  Jesus is an integral part of the Trinity, but there are some passages that indicate that He may not be necessary for salvation. The brush with the Universalist error may be more due to the author’s intense rejection of "religion." It is worth an examination.

• The book devalues scripture.
  This criticism comes from a Sola Scriptura culture that is used to scripture references being explicit. Young uses subtle Biblical allusions that are actually a sign of a more mature writing style than I gave him credit for in my literary analysis.

• The book portrays God as ‘too nice.’
  The publisher’s description of this criticism pulls out two quotations that didn’t really strike me as problematic. I do share this criticism, but in a more general sense. I’ll explain more below.

• The book distorts or demeans the Trinity.
  I actually think Young’s portrayal of the Trinity is the most theologically sound parts of the book. The criticism described by the publisher has to do with the absence of hierarchy in the Trinity. I do take issue with the author’s understanding of Hierarchy in the Church, but I think he portrays the Trinity according to Catholic Tradition.

• The book leaves out the church and salvation.
  This criticism most likely comes from an Evangelical expectation of the Sinner’s Prayer leading to an instant conversion. I actually like the way that Young approaches the conversion of Young’s mind and heart together. The only thing that leaves Mack’s conversion ringing a little false is the way in which the plot is structured (see my literary criticism of the book for more detail).

• The book promotes Ultimate Reconciliation
  Ultimate Reconciliation is the belief that everyone will ultimately be reconciled to God and be saved, therefore nobody goes to Hell. While I cringed at some of the passages in the book that seemed to hint at this belief, I did not conclude that The Shack was ultimately teaching universal salvation. While there are indications that God will meet people wherever they are at, there are no indications that everyone is saved.

• The book promotes New Age, Hinduism, the Emerging Church Movement
  The publisher strongly rejects claims that The Shack promotes any of these movements. However, the rejection of a Magisterium by Evangelicals naturally leads to being open to these errors. If anyone can interpret the faith for himself, then what is to stop him from embracing post-modern spirituality (which makes exactly that claim)?

Let’s take a closer look at the way The Shack portrays God.

Related posts:

1. Catholic Book Review: The Shack (Part 3: Portrayal of God – What The Shack Got Right) This book review will is published in parts on the...
2. Catholic Book Review: The Shack (Part 1: Literary Review) This book review will is published in parts on the...
3. Catholic Book Review: The Shack (Part 4: Theological Problem with God as Father) This book review will is published in parts on the...
4. Catholic Book Review: The Shack (Part 5: Theological Problem – Understanding of the Incarnation) The Shack does fall into major theological error in its...
5. Catholic Book Review: The Shack (Part 6 – Rejection of Religion & Final Recommendations) Rejection of Religion The largest problem with The Shack lies...

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