The Shack: Analysis
A simple textual analysis of “The Shack”
According to “The Shack”, William Paul Young had to confront the issue of theodicy; how a loving god could allow such overwhelming pain, suffering and evil in the world he created. The overall thesis of the book seems to states that forgiveness is desirable. Matthew 6:15 states clearly the requirements of forgiveness, “But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins”. Young takes the time to address forgiveness which will require growth beyond the pain of deep hurt. On page two twenty seven, one can see forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. As when Mack forgives the kidnapper so he can move forward in life and happiness but never forgets what happened that horrible day. “The Shack” is a Christian fiction, a fast growing genre in the contemporary Christian culture. A Christian novel explains and illustrates a Christian world view, plot, and its characters; plus deals with Christian themes in a positive way. It communicates in a casual, easy to read message. The text in “The Shack” comes across as the author preaching his religious believes to the reader, with no other acceptable views. Towards the end of the book, Young seemed to try and force his own point across.
In the last section of the book “The story behind the Shack”, Young reveals that the motivation for this story comes from his own struggle to answer many of the difficult questions of life. Young explains that his seminary training didn’t provided the answers to the questions he pondered. Suddenly one day in 2005, he felt God whisper in his ear that this year was going to be his year of Jubilee and restoration. Out of that experience, he felt God lead him to write the Shack. Young states that much of the book was formed around personal conversations he had with God, family, and friends. He tells the readers that the main character “Mack” is not a real person but a fictional character used to communicate the message in the
According to “The Shack”, William Paul Young had to confront the issue of theodicy; how a loving god could allow such overwhelming pain, suffering and evil in the world he created. The overall thesis of the book seems to states that forgiveness is desirable. Matthew 6:15 states clearly the requirements of forgiveness, “But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins”. Young takes the time to address forgiveness which will require growth beyond the pain of deep hurt. On page two twenty seven, one can see forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. As when Mack forgives the kidnapper so he can move forward in life and happiness but never forgets what happened that horrible day. “The Shack” is a Christian fiction, a fast growing genre in the contemporary Christian culture. A Christian novel explains and illustrates a Christian world view, plot, and its characters; plus deals with Christian themes in a positive way. It communicates in a casual, easy to read message. The text in “The Shack” comes across as the author preaching his religious believes to the reader, with no other acceptable views. Towards the end of the book, Young seemed to try and force his own point across.
In the last section of the book “The story behind the Shack”, Young reveals that the motivation for this story comes from his own struggle to answer many of the difficult questions of life. Young explains that his seminary training didn’t provided the answers to the questions he pondered. Suddenly one day in 2005, he felt God whisper in his ear that this year was going to be his year of Jubilee and restoration. Out of that experience, he felt God lead him to write the Shack. Young states that much of the book was formed around personal conversations he had with God, family, and friends. He tells the readers that the main character “Mack” is not a real person but a fictional character used to communicate the message in the
Citations: 1. Young, William Paul. The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity. Newbury Park, California: Windblown Media, 20 2. www.biblegateway.com 3. Geisler, Norman. The Shack: Helpful or Heretical-A critical review.