Mudshot Eyes

(Minor spoilers ahead–depending on your definition of a “spoiler”)

William Young is discovering that word of mouth can be a powerful thing. His new book, The Shack, has sold almost 400,000 copies after starting with only a $200 marketing budget. The book is growing in popularity, mostly due to the fact that it simply makes people want to talk about its content, so readers have sold his book for him, one by one.

Without giving away too much, the story is that the main character, Mack, experiences a horrible tragedy in his family which pushes him further away from an active belief in God. Three and a half years later, Mack receives an unusual invitation from someone named “Papa,” and he leaves for a shack in the middle of nowhere that is tied closely to the tragedy. His journey turns into an opportunity to dialogue with God in a way that changes his life forever.

Before I jump into a specific review of The Shack’s content, here are a couple of general observations.

First, Young’s use of analogy will cause many to jump to conclusions before they hear what is actually being said. The Shack is a parable, so any effort to make a direct translation of the story into a systematic theology is going to turn out badly.

For example, Jesus is presented as a homely middle-eastern man (who knew?) who loves to laugh, splash his feet in the water while sitting on the edge of a boat dock, and build stuff. The Holy Spirit is represented by an ethereal and colorful Asian-looking person who can move about effortlessly, appearing here and there without warning.

The author’s representation of God the Father is the most difficult to get past for those who have a hard time with analogy. Through most of the story, “Papa” is presented as a hefty, happy, and candid black woman who can cook up a mean breakfast. Papa talks theology with Mack using a direct but gentle approach, giving him room to think when Mack can’t quite accept an idea as it’s being presented.

Second, what most appealed to me is that Young brings some heavy theological themes down to earth in The Shack. While you should not expect a flawless writing style, his ability to make difficult theology accessible makes this worth the read.

Here are some of the topics that appear throughout the story:

- Why is God presented as Father in the Bible?

- Do we have a morally free will? If so, what does that mean?

- How much can we understand of the nature of God?

- Did God limit himself in the Incarnation?

- How can I understand the triune nature of God?

- Do all roads lead to God?

- Will God protect us from experiencing the effects of evils that we didn’t cause?

In part 2 of this review, I’ll give some examples to show how he addresses some of these things, and why some people are criticizing and others are lauding this compelling and controversial book.

2 years.

Loving.

Growing.

Believing.

Trusting.

Forgiving.

Praying.

Being

One.

Ah, yes… the Holy Bible. The very mention of it stirs up a wide variety of responses. Some think of archaic language and dust-covered black leather, a book for another time. It’s an irrelevant set of religious writings that have some good advice, but no significant value for today.

Others remember their Sunday School classes from their younger days, growing up in church.  Memories involve the great stories of the Bible such as David versus Goliath, Noah’s Ark, and the life of Jesus.

What rarely comes to mind are the stories of betrayal, sex, violence, and intrigue.  It’s a dynamic book, “inspired by God,” as 2 Timothy says.  The Greek word for inspired is theopneustos, or “God-breathed.” Depending on our view of God’s character, it may be surprising that such scandalous topics are breathed-out from God. Doesn’t God want us to avoid stories that involve sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll? Apparently not.

At no point in the Bible do we ever find that a topic is being avoided. No issue is off-limits. The reason? Nothing is off-limits to a God who refuses to be separated from the real experiences and emotions of life.  Whether it be an addiction, strain in a relationship, or worry over a big decision, God is habitually getting his hands dirty to plant transformation and hope within our mess. The first four books of the New Testament chronicle this very characteristic, seen in the life of Jesus.  Those stories were about real people with complex problems who were touched by a loving, interested Savior.

Now that I think of it that way, it’s nice to know that I could have been a Bible story, too.

Today’s post is by guest blogger Krista Barmer, a brilliant writer who happens to be my wife.

“You are the anti-curse. Death going in reverse.” ~ Derek Webb

There’s an Asian woman who walks around our apartment complex when the weather is nice, like it was today, this first full day of Spring. In front of her, she pushes a gadgety black wheelchair that carries her son. I’ve studied them many times from my driver’s seat, slowing to a near stop to respectfully pass them. I studied them today.

His face, as always, was blank with retardation. Drool traced the line of his jaw and had dripped onto his t-shirt. He sat slouched, his tall and robust body curved like an S, his legs dangling just off the footrests. He could be my age, or close to it. And, if he was, he might be a writer or a singer or reader who would cross my path and we would chat for a minute about Steinbeck or Billy Collins or Sting’s Labyrinth at the local bookstore while waiting in line on our tea and coffee. But, we won’t; he only has the mind of an infant.

And she, mom, stands barely five feet tall. With all her petite strength, she pushed this hulking, dead-weight child: her lower back arched, shoulder blades pinched, knuckles white, palms wet. Her leg muscles contracted with definition. But it’s her face that told the stories. Too many stories. Determination has formed her jawline. Courage and constance have carved her cheekbones. Tenacious-ness has lined her brow. And some kind of longing I don’t understand now (and maybe never will) has colored and crowded her eyes.

I watched them today, this holy & good Friday, a day to remember necessary death and imperishable sacrifice, lifesaving atonement and finished work, a broken Saviour, a satisfied Father. I watched this mother and her son and asked, “Why?” knowing full well it was the wrong question. Knowing full well that it was good to grieve this loss because He has wept all our tears with us. Knowing that where there is death and veil and mess, life and fullness and beauty lie in wait. They wait for the third day. And for the anti-curse.

(This article first appeared at Pendrops, Krista’s blog)

From a beam in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

“No one else can paint your portrait from an unobstructed view.”
- J.J. Heller, singer and songwriter

You will never come in contact with anyone who will completely accept you and approve of everything you do. This universal truth seems simple enough, but there is an inner drive within each of us to be accepted by other people and to have them approve of our actions.

A few months ago, I was given the opportunity to share with a person I’ll refer to as “Tom.” I have a lot of respect for Tom, so I mentioned an idea that I was thinking of pursuing, which I thought would be well-aligned with my gifts and strengths. I don’t believe that he meant any harm by his response, but he basically said that I shouldn’t expect much to come from it and that I should not quit my day job.

Picture a balloon losing its air through a poorly tied knot; that was me at that moment.

His intent was probably to help me stay grounded in reality, since I tend to be a dreamer, so to some extent I can understand his comments. However, what I had hoped to hear was the applause of approval from him, saying that I should go for it and that I had what it took to do it.

Every one of us has been in a situation where we were disappointed after sharing an idea or a lifestyle choice with someone we respect, and hearing less than the applause we had hoped for. This doesn’t mean that we never seek advice from others, especially those who have had more years of experience, but there is a vast difference between seeking advice, and seeking approval.

The real issue for me regarding my conversation with Tom was not his comments but how much stock I had put in them. I gave them more value than they were worth. Tom does not have all the the information needed to see my life with an “unobstructed view.” Only God can do that, so it is important that I don’t give divine-like significance to anyone else’s opinion, no matter how good of a person they are.

Does this mean that God won’t use others to speak to us about where he is leading us? Certainly not. But it does mean that we need to know the essential difference between the voice of God, who already approves of us in Christ, and the applause of other people, who can mislead even with the best of intentions.