Thursday, October 9, 2008

Book Club - The Shack

On October 5, our church book club met to discuss The Shack, by William P. Young. We had a really good turn out this time, so that was awesome! I hope we have that many people again next month. Anyway, this is what the front cover looks like. Just looking at that, I thought it was intriguing.




The description on the back cover made me want to read it even more. Here's what the back says:

Mackenzie Allen Phillips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been
abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have
been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in
the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great
Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God,
inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry
afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he
finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant
The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in
a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets
will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.
You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

I’ve seen on other blogs that people think The Shack is very controversial, and that it’s heresy, and so forth. Come on people, it’s FICTION! It’s not scripture, and it wasn’t intended to be. It’s just one person’s story.

I really enjoyed reading the book and then talking about it, because there was a lot to digest. Our group discussion brought up some points that I hadn’t thought about. For me, reading The Shack was a moving experience. It was one of those books that really sucked me in, and I wanted to read the whole thing without stopping! The book had a great message, and it definitely portrayed a different way of thinking than what I am used to. I think that reading the book helped me in my spiritual journey, and it made me look at my relationship with God from a different angle. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially someone that is struggling in their faith. Again, it is fiction, not scripture, but it paints a picture that people can relate to.

I don’t want to give anything away, so that’s why I haven’t gotten into a whole lot of detail. Let me just say that it didn't turn out like I originally thought it would. If you’re curious, go get a copy! Then read it, and let me know what you think. Even if it doesn't affect you spiritually, I'm sure you'll think it's a good story. You can also check out the website at www.theshackbook.com


2 comments:

Kristin said...

Sounds like you all had some good discussion about the book. You should join in the online chat with the author, William Paul Young, on Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. EDT at Abunga.com/AuthorsAtAbunga. I work with Abunga.com, and the chat is going to be a chance to ask the author questions and hear his thoughts. Should be good!

Annemarie said...

I'm going to check it out!