Have you heard of the book, The Shack? If you haven’t then please come out form under that rock.

I while back I wanted to see what all of the talk about it was so I bought the book, devoured it, and then reviewed it on the blog. I loved it.

Then I started to see all of the negative attention on the net. Mark Driscoll, who I love, describes the book as heretical and that it promotes modalism. Of course there are tons more online who preach against the book as well calling it evil and a non biblical representation of the trinity.

This past weekend my church did a mens retreat with another church form maine. We gave everybody in the groups a copy of the book, let them know it was fiction, it was not theology and more like a parable. They were told to read it and we would discuss it on the retreat.

I bet from the guys who claim it’s evil they would be screaming right now

“Noooooo. you are going to be teaching your men wrong doctrine….”

Well most read it and tore through the book and then God tore through them.

In our discussions we instructed our men to not get hung up on the theology because it is more an allegory and not a theological book. They were to see if they felt like some of the story was their own.

I was floored with what happened.

Did our guys change their minds theologically?

Did our men think  God was a big black woman?

Did they hink the Holy spirit was an asian woman?

No…No….and No….

So what did happen?

Freedom from anger

Freedom from past

freedom from Father issues

bigger view of God

An understanding that God cares.

Our men came face to face with a God that loves them and every one of them, one way or another, walked away understanding that God is bigger than they thought.

Is the Shack Evil? I don’t really care actually, but I am really glad that a simple story made God more real to some hurting and angry men.