Running with The Shack, Part III

Well, a very long run last Sunday afforded me much time to listen to Mac's dialog with the unusual Trinity. For those just joining the conversation, scroll down and read parts I & II.

I must admit, by the second half of my run, my focus on this audiobook was fading, as most of my thoughts swirled around taking my next step and taking in that next breath.

In the dialog between Mac and "God" many profound theological truths were discussed and I found myself thinking often, "I need to listen to that again." But I know from experience, messing with the controls of an Ipod shuffle with a 9 hour book downloaded on it (with no section breaks-what were they thinking?) would be disastrous. So I'll do the best to recall key thoughts and some of reactions.

First, the book reinforces my opinion that it is very difficult to separate our thoughts of God from the unique angle by which we each approach Him. The presuppositions we have, our gender, life experiences, religious upbringing, etc., sculpt our view of God. Mac is able to accept the "Jesus" figure rather easily but struggles with "God" because of his abusive, hypocritical father and strict religious upbringing.

Some might point to this as a reason to focus solely upon Scripture to understand God's character and nature. But this is difficult. I think there are 4 "God is..." statements found in Scripture: God is love; God is light; God is Spirit; and God is a consuming fire. These illustrate how diverse and difficult an analysis of God's character is from Scripture. While I feel that the Scriptures must be our primary means of learning about God and His nature, we must not limit God's ability to speak and reveal Himself in whatever why He chooses. "We can't put God in a box" seems to be a central theme.

It's important to remember the "The Shack" is a work of fiction and we shouldn't suspect every large, black woman of being God. But it is interesting to remember that Hebrews tells us, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." And Jacob wrestled with God (and won!). These examples sure throw a curve at our theological comfort zone.

This brings me to my second issue. The idea of God speaking to individuals does seem reckless, risky and messy, especially when it seems to violate Scripture (or our interpretation of Scripture). I fear that someone will tell me God said this or that and we should all follow it-like a Jim Jones or David Koresh figure. But God anticipates these issues and addresses them.

I John 4 tells us we should "test the spirits" to see if they are from God. John gives two tests-1. A person must recognize and communicate that Jesus is God manifested in human flesh (verse 2) and 2. We must accept the apostle's teachings (verse 6). Anyone who claims to hear from God must not communicate "revelation" which goes against the teachings of the apostles.

I was meeting with an engaged couple for a series of premarital counseling sessions. I did not know the couple prior to these meetings, but they wanted to use our church for their wedding and ask one of the pastors on staff at our church to preform the ceremony. During the course of one of our meetings I told them that it was God's plan to wait until marriage to have sex. It was still about a month out from the wedding and I told them that it would be healthy for their marriage if they abstained until the wedding. The guy got a funny look on his face, informed me that they were already living together and told me that "God led them this way and it was okay for them to be sexually active." Will God speak and lead contrary to His revealed Word? Clearly "God" didn't communicate that.

But to go to the other extreme because of fear is just as damaging to our ability to know God, enjoy Him, and love others. We can fall into the trap of living by the book without ever really communicating with the author.

In his book, "Surprised by the Voice of God" Jack Deere writes, " When we make the goal of our lives to know the Bible, we exalt knowledge over experience. When we think the key to life is how much of the Bible we know, it becomes more important to us to know than to experience. The truths of Scripture can only be fully know through experience." He continues, " Our biblical interpretations don't give us power. Only a Person can do that. But the Person requires us to put our confidence in him, not in our knowledge, before he give us power. This explains why sometimes there is such a gulf between what we preach and the reality of our daily experience. Why is it that on Sunday morning we confidently proclaim that 'the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus' (Phil. 4:7), but on Monday we fill the psychiatrists' offices and stand in line for Prozac like the rest of the world?
(Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God, page 153-154).

Wow! That stings. During that long, cold run last Sunday, The Shack prompted me to remember that God does still speak-maybe even in ways which I never expect. I need to know Him, hear Him, and respond to Him!

Running with The Shack, Part II.

I was reading book reviews of The Shack on Amazon and one guy who wrote in was so distraught. Not because of his reaction to the theological suggestions made in the book but because he was expecting a book about the life of NBA star Shaquille O'Neal. So for those of you who stumble upon this blog because you think I spend my mornings running with Shaq, sorry to disappoint you.

Well, this morning during a quick five mile run and also ran into some of the issues which have apparently stirred-up controversy with this book. Mack, allured by the note, is unable to resist the urge to return to the shack where his daughter was apparently murdered. After an emotional screaming, cursing, and yelling session with God and brief thoughts of suicide, Mack begins to walk away from the shack and away from any hope of an encounter with God. He is suddenly drawn back, as the shack is transformed into a blissful, radiant home, alive with activity. Inside the house, he finds "God" portrayed as an affectionate African-American woman, referred to as "Papa," Jesus, as a laborer of Jewish descent, and the Holy Spirit as an ethereal woman-like person with Asian features.

My run with The Shack ended at this point. I'm looking forward to wrestling with these portrayals and the dialog between Mack and William P. Young's trinity. Maybe my next run will take me through Penuel?

Running with The Shack

It's very early on a Sunday morning-5:45 am. The neighborhood streets of my small, south Georgia town are deserted, but for the erratic, abstracted driver delivering the Sunday newspaper. There is a dense fog that hangs in the air, limiting visibility to 20 or so feet. I carefully watch the small car erratically move from mailbox to mailbox, hoping my reflective clothing will catch his attention. A dog barks as my feet land on the damp pavement with a constant rhythm, beneath the mossy oak trees that line the neighborhood.

As if this morning isn't eerie enough, I have a heightened sense of anxiety and anticipation because of what is playing on my iPod. It's an audiobook, chosen at random from the "most popular" selection of iTunes, titled The Shack.

The Shack is about a man, Mackenzie Philips, who feels extremely blessed with his life until his youngest daughter, Missy, is abducted during a family vacation and evidence suggests that she was brutally murdered in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, Mack receives a suspicious note, signed by "God" inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Since my Sunday morning run I've read that there is controversy surrounding this book, that it slams "legalistic" religions, denominations and doctrines. There is nothing like a little Theological controversy to get the juices moving for those early morning runs.

Last Sunday morning's run afforded me two hours of listening pleasure. With nearly seven hours of this intriguing novel left (or about 50 miles) I look forward to the journey!