Product Description Mackenzie Allen Philips' 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!
Welcome to The Shack. You won't need that Bible.October 12, 2008 A coworker loaned "The Shack" to me, telling me, "You gotta read this book. It changed my life." I told him I'd read it with an open mind. When I gave the book back, after having read it, I told him, "It was good, but it didn't change my life." He seemed genuinely disappointed, and perhaps a little bitter, when he replied, "I guess it just wasn't the right time for you to read it, then." Frankly, his level of attachment to the book was surprising, considering that I thought he was a sort of hard-line "by the book" Christian.
As a story involving love, loss, family, forgiveness, and spirituality, "The Shack" would go in my top 10% of inspirational books, despite its tendency to be New Age-y. Of course there are major differences in interpretation of the Bible (just look at the sheer number of Christian church denominations), but author Young seems to want to completely dismiss the Bible in favor of a feel-good universal spirituality in which everyone who "loves God"--religious persuasion notwithstanding--goes to Heaven. I can see the appeal, because who wouldn't want to be free to indulge in earthly pleasures, secure in the knowledge that you're going to Heaven because God is so awesome that He wouldn't send his beloved children (of whom He is "especially fond") to eternal damnation?
I'd like to believe that we are all saved because God is good, but if all you have to do to go to Heaven is "love God" (whatever that means), then why did Jesus and the Apostles leave some fairly specific instructions in the New Testament?
It was an entertaining story, but I wouldn't stake my salvation on it.
Touched more than I thought possible!October 12, 2008 When I was given this book to read I thought, "I hope it is entertaining." Was I surprised to find that it went far beyond my expectations and entered the realm of "life-changing". This book took the central premise of Christianity, God's sacrificial and accommodating love for us, and made it real to me in a way that touched me profoundly. I felt God's presence throughout the pages of this book and I have experienced a paradigm shift in my thinking about God. I only hope that you will be touched in a similarly powerful way so that you also will know the power, the purpose, the transformational touch and the complete freedom of His love.
inspiring and intriguing bookOctober 12, 2008 The Shack is an amazing book. I think it is a book everyone should read. It will definitely give you lots to think about.
The Shack-October 12, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this book, it brought a lot of perspective to me and how life should be.. I am amazed that this happened but not at all surprised; You have to Believe to Recieve.
Belief and AmazementOctober 11, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I first heard of "The Shack" from a friend at my grandson's birthday. I agreed it would be a nice book to read and promptly forgot. While looking on Amazon, for another selection, I saw "The Shack" and bought it. After reading the first page I was hooked! I'm an active Christian and over the years have had the usual difficulties understanding the Trinity, turning your life COMPLETELY over to God and many other areas. This book is remarkable in the way it overturns the usual roadblocks we humans put in front of our beliefs. Everything is heightened and made simple at the same time. It's perfect for our global world because the sterotypic images of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit aren't there.
Anyone will appreciate the heart and love for our world the author relates.
