What Did You Think of "The Shack?"

Posted by Jenny Evans Jun 25, 2009

I'm reading William P. Young's novel The Shack right now (I know, I know - I'm a few years behind on the bestseller list...) Have you read it? What did you think of it?

As coincidence would have it, I did a lot of research on the Trinity for some pieces I was writing just prior to starting The Shack. The book is a Trinitarian novel, and I was pretty impressed at seeing how Young explained such a complicated belief. (The articles, if you're curious, are called "Biblical Arguments Against the Trinity" and "The Mormon Alternative to the Trinity.")

I'm only partway through the novel, but so far I've enjoyed the discussion on free will, where God asks Mack rhetorically, "Just because I know you're too curious to go, does that reduce your freedom to leave?" I also liked God's answer when Mack asks, "Honestly, don't you enjoy punishing those who disappoint you?" God answers, "I am not who you think I am, Mackenzie. I don't need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It's not my purpose to punish it; it's my joy to cure it."

What were your favorite parts of The Shack? What did you dislike?