The Shack

[marcelle19]

You have to download the PDF, since it was done a while ago.

A Review of The Shack (Download it Here) :: books, reviews :: A Reformed, Christian Blog

In Christ,

Bill

[Onesiphorus]

Dear marcelle19 ,all I have to say is that I agree 100% in your opening thread.There seems to be today a belief that we can live a Christian life without the Word of God , oh Its given lip service to ,but saints would sooner read a book about what the author thinks about Christianity than what the Word of God actually says .

Its a teaching that I cannot comprehend ,and it is becoming more and more evident ,that beliefs are based on a personal God ,and a faith that fits in with an individuals idea and not a God and a faith founded on scripture .

Enjoying a work of fiction or film is not a problem ( and I am certainly not referring to the Shack here) ,but to promote that the Holy Ghost works anywhere other than from the Word of God is error and once again is personal and not scriptural

I wonder if anyone here reading this would read the first 3 Chapters of 2 Timothy (I suggest from either the KJV or the Geneva bible ) and see why the Bible is enough for all or anything .

and Matthew 23 WE have the prophets and the wise men and scribes and the writings of these prophets ,wise men and scribes are not to be found outside of HIS WORD .

And his word should not be added to or taken away from

[Lily]

but to promote that the Holy Ghost works anywhere other than from the Word of God is error and once again is personal and not scriptural

I really can't believe you said that. Oh I know you did, and you are entitled to your opinion but you speak like your opinion is fact. I just can't believe you are saying that the Holy Spirit doesn't work in peoples lives unless they read a Bible.
It is also not Scriptural that the Holy Spirit works through Scripture alone.


Are you seriously saying that the thousands upon thousands of people there must be in the world who say that they were converted by something that happened in their lives without even picking up a Bible are all in error ? That this wasn't the Holy Spirit at work ?
Because if you are, thats some statement you are making there for rather a lot of people and you are calling an awful lot of people's testamonies into question without even knowing them.
I know of 3 such men over a 10yr period I worked in an operating theatre who were converted through a personal experience.
All 3 men, who were male nurses, before the conversion were leading questionable life styles in one way or another.
1 is now a Catholic priest, 1 is now a Minister in the Church in Wales ( Canny, you will no doubt know him ) and the 3rd is now a Baptist Minister.
The one who is now a Baptist Minister was laying in his own vomit in the gutter after a drinking binge, wallowing in self pity, thinking to himself " No one wants me " when this voice said, " I do ".
By your statement that it is error, you are calling that mans testamony into question. He speaks his testamony everyday now by his changed lifestyle and preaching the word of God to his flock.

The Holy Spirit can do anything, anytime, anywhere and in any way he likes and personally, I would be very cautious about calling that mans testamony into question because to do so, I would not only be putting limits on his ( Holy Spirit ) capabilities, I would be boarding on blasphemy if I questioned him and because that experience led to good I am not about to deny the Holy Spirit was at work there.

I made another dear friend with a Lady that I met in a christian chat room. She was then a moderator. Same sort of gutter testamony, but this Lady was in the gutter on heroin wondering where her next fix was coming from. Wondering who she could rob next to get that next fix.
Again no Bible in sight but " something " told her to go knock on a Pastors door.

"This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4 ( doesn't say how )
John 16:12-15 ( doesn't say how )

I have been asked many times by unbelievers " proove God exists ". It's a loaded question because they know I can't physically do that but they can't proove he doesn't exist either.
But I always say to them for you to finally believe, God has to be personally experienced because our own walk with God IS personal. My walk is not your walk and vice versa.

Many years ago when Gibsons Passion was released the only person in my circle that I could find wanted to come with me was a confirmed atheist. Her words were,,, " Oooo I like Mel Gibson and the bloke who plays Christ is a bit of all right. Yeah I'll come with you, after all it's only a film but I warn you, I know the ending but don't worry, I won't spoil it for you "

So, her only reasons for going were, she liked Mel Gibson ( even though he wasn't in it ), the " bloke " who played Christ was a bit of all right and a little feeling sorry for me because no one else would come with me.
Her agenda was, humour me, go and drool over the bloke who played Christ, dinner after the film and a few drinks afterward. Basically a night of pure entertainment.

So, off we went for a matinee performance of the Passion.

I watched her throughout the film. Watched her several times wipe tears from her eyes as she turned away from me or made an excuse once that she had something in her eye.
Then we came to the scourging scene. VERY graphic and she could hide it no longer but at that stage she didn't care if anyone saw her emotion. I watched that Lady change as that film went on, actually watched her change !
She was quite audible when she bolted up in her seat and said loud enough to make people turn and look at her,,,, " LEAVE HIM ALONE ! "
She was actually distraught. I put my arm round her as she said,, " Jayne, how could they do that ? " I quietly said,,, " because it HAD to be done "

I kid you not, she was no longer seeing this " bloke " who she considered was a bit of all right, she was seeing Christ !
And no, by that I don't mean she was seeing Christ in the form of the actor.

At the end of the film, I kid you not, there were people sat in their seats like they were glued to them. Just sat there staring, some were still weeping.
My friend was sat with tears streaming down her face and when I asked her were we going, she turned to me and said,,, " Jayne, he did THAT for ME ? "
We walked out of that cinema like she was in a trance.

The dinner she wanted after the film ? The drinks she wanted after the film ? The good night she wanted after the film ?
Know where she asked me to take her ? To the Cathedral !

We must have sat in that quiet Cathedral for hours while she sat with her own personal thoughts.
I literally watched that Lady change that afternoon and the lady I came out of that cinema with was a different one that I walked in with.

That Lady who never owned a copy of the word of God, let alone read it before seeing that film now attends Keswick every year, wouldn't miss Spring harvest and is now a lay preacher.

Would you care to look this Lady in the eye and tell her,,,

but to promote that the Holy Ghost works anywhere other than from the Word of God is error

??

I saw it happen Onesie, I saw it happen before my own eyes. I saw that Lady change from a Lady who's only goal in life was to see how quickly she could get drunk, how many men she could pick up and fool herself into thinking happiness was in a joint to a Lady who can't tell enough people how the only way they can find happiness is through Jesus.
And yet, it wasn't a Bible, it was a film that " he " worked through on her.

I saw it happen onsie, I saw it happen. She didn't know the ending after all For her, the ending was just the beginning.

Nevertheless, why do I suspect you will be thinking, " but that can be classed as the word of God "
If you aren't please forgive the presumption but if you are, bear in mind Mel Gibson is a Catholic

[laterunner]

My last words?? on the subject of the Shack for those who might wan't to give it as a gift, an encouragement or because it stired you.

Having done much thinking & reading on web sites & conversing with other Christians I have come to the conclusion that it is not a ''Good'' book to give new Christians. They would need to see all they could of the controvecy surrounding this book. eg below etc etc etc.

We are told to be wise & our wisdom is God given, through those who love us & the Holy Spirit at work in us.
Many Artists have tried to portray the meaning, the escence & the stories in the bible but than can only do this from their worldly understanding.

LIVING WELL: The Shack - My Thoughts and Others - Donna Edwards

The Shack: Uncovered (Full Sermon) - Michael Youssef on Vimeo

YouTube - The Shack

& ==>Thirteen heresies in ''The Shack''.

Thirteen Heresies in The Shack-By Dr. Michael Youssef Worth the Wait

[laterunner]

M88k A8888888nder (A brother in the Lord.)
hich I think it book contains flashes of insight into some key aspects of spiritual reality/truth not often recognized by even the best of Christians, yet crucial to them and to this generation generally.

Most Christians, if they think back along thei...r spiritual journey, will see that God has communicated with them through a very wide variety of ways and means far beyond the confines of church buildings, Christian meetings and ‘spiritually correct’ Christian literature. And, if they think back to the time before they would even consider calling themselves Christian, they will see that God has communicated with them in a similarly wide range of contexts. So, how can any Christian be so resistant to the possibility that the one true God can communicate to people through The Shack?

A minority of Christians will try reading it but find they don’t get along with the style or the subject matter of the first few chapters. This is understandable. For the vast majority of Christians who read it though – if they do so with a heart open to the God who spoke through Balaam’s donkey – it will be inspirational and enlightening. The Shack will bring to many people a new understanding of man’s predicament - how even as Christians we are prone to continue eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, judging matters independently of God, when we should instead be grafted into He who is the tree of life, He who can throw light on any subject.

“You’ll like this book, dear,” said an old lady in a hospital bed as she proffered her copy of The Shack to my mother during one of her hospital visits to boost the morale of patients. The lady knew my mother was a Christian, you see. The lady herself was not. This book is stirring fresh thoughts about God amongst non-Christians as well as Christians.

God is mighty enough to do whatever He wants through this book. Referring to a line in a recent U2 song, we should stop helping God across the road as if He’s a little old lady.
Read More

[Lily]

Words from an ex atheist,,,,

Most of the explanations I heard rested on the Bible's authority. "The Bible says... the Bible says... the Bible says." Who cared what the Bible said? I certainly didn't. "It's all a bunch of made up, superstitious baloney. Can't you see?" and I would then go into pagan origins, etc., and try to demonstrate that Jesus was a manufactured myth. I ended up knowing the Bible inside and out just to be able to debate against it.

But you know what made him think ?

One night, I was very tired and alone in my study. I didn't reach, as I usually did, for a book of religious argument. I grabbed Lewis Carroll's "Through The Looking Glass", plopped myself down in a comfy chair and sleepily began reading. I skimmed through the pages and stopped at Humpty Dumpty's explanation of 'Jabberwocky' to Alice. A thought occurred to me that if I were to read 'Jabberwocky' the same way I read the bible, it wouldn't make any sense at all. I put Carroll's book aside, folded my hands and stared at the wall, lost in thought.

Would you believe it, Alice through the looking glass

[Onesiphorus]

Lily ,what I am saying is and you beieve what you want ,the role of the Holy Ghost is to teach the things of Christ and the things of Christ cannot be found in Alice through the looking glass or in The Shack .

I am not speaking of the Holy Ghost working in someones life ,I am speaking of gaining absolutely nothing from such books .

REad what the bible says about these things instead of forming opinions on heresay and anecdotes .

Theses are not my ideas these are actual truths of scripture

Have you read 2 Timothy before answering my post

[Lily]

things of Christ cannot be found in Alice through the looking glass or in The Shack .

I don't actually ever remember saying they were.
What I actually said was, sometimes things can make us think enough to make us want to search out the word of God. Sometimes they can be the catalyst that leads to Gods word and leads to good. I'm sure that then atheist is intelligent enough to know that Alice through the looking glass isn't Divinly inspired but something sure made him think that night when he read it and it led to good.

I am speaking of gaining absolutely nothing from such books .

Who is anyone to suggest what anyone gets out of anything ? You aren't in their heads. Again that atheist who turned to God would turn that around on you and ask, " well, if you know what was in my head you tell me what made me think then " The man by his own admission says he started to think by something he read in that book and is now a commited Christian. I wouldn't say becoming a Christian by being made to think by reading a harmless book is gaining nothing.
Who are you to suggest to me when I say that a paragraph I read in angels and demons, that it didn't help me understand Gods word a little better on the subject of suffering and I gained nothing from it ? You aren't in my head. I'm not talking about sitting there thinking, oh Dan Brown must have Divine inspiration because it's a work of fiction, that's why it's on the " fiction " shelf in the book shop. I'm talking about reading something, taking it in then referring to Scripture. And NO, not to compare it to Scripture but to see if it contradicts it. If it does, then I dismiss what I read. You really do need to stop assuming that people are daft enough to believe that a work of fiction must be Divinly inspired.

Have you read 2 Timothy before answering my post

Any part in particular ? If you want me to read the whole thing, you will have to wait for my response a little longer.

[inquisitive]

And his word should not be added to or taken away from

The book of Revelation, yes you are correct.

Enjoying a work of fiction or film is not a problem ( and I am certainly not referring to the Shack here) ,but to promote that the Holy Ghost works anywhere other than from the Word of God is error and once again is personal and not scriptural

I disagree...ive often found inspiration through music aswell....then again talents are God sent.

One day you will look to your own salvation instead of judging others.

Just like you are not to forsake gathering together...there are many people that do just that, prefer the 'Holy Spirit's Personal Revelation' to understanding.

Who are people to dictate to God and place Him in parameters and boxes really, He can use anything anywhere anytime anyhow anyone, for His good and purpose, His ways and thoughts are above ours, His foolishness our wisdom, so when we have finished telling God what He can and cant do...Gods gonna go right on and do it anyway....because He is God.

Ya know, i sit here sometimes and wonder, when will people take their noses out of the bible and make it their reality, i wonder at what point all this theologing becomes a reality in their lives, i most certainly dont often see it applied.

I was once given a breakdown of the bible....Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

Instructions to what....live?

Shouldnt make the bible into a god

[Lily]

REad what the bible says about these things instead of forming opinions on heresay and anecdotes .

I don't need you to tell me what the Bible says on such things. This is why I have no desire the read the shack because I know enough by what others have said about it that it contradicts Scripture on the subject of the Trinity.
So, forming an opinion on heresy ? If you had read an earlier post of mine in this thread you would know that I haven't read the shack so I think it's you who needs to stop forming opinions about what opinions i'm forming without reading what I actually said.
Quote from post 26,

What I mean is, I haven't read this book myself but I know people who have and I've discussed it with them

But if others chose to read it, that is most certainly not my place to tell them they shouldn't because they won't gain anything from it because I haven't got a clue what they will gain from it and neither do you. They have their own brains, they don't need me to control them.
But at the end of the day, people seem to be forgetting this is a work of fiction.
The Holy Spirit's got it covered, he doesn't need me to watch his back.