Moderately helpful for proper discernment, but mostly like critiquing the ‘imperfections’ in a Monet landscape because the edges are blurry when you get too close.
The beauty of impressionism is not in exacting replication of reality on canvas, but rather in creating the impression of moments as dynamic and fluid.
Perhaps I’m naïve, but my feeling is that Young wrote this book in the spirit of ‘Impressionistic Theology’. It is not meant to be a literal blueprint for our understanding of proper theology. Rather it is helpful as a refreshing, beautiful and dynamic challenge to the pinhole perspective we often have of God’s character.
Don’t build your ‘theology house’ on the Shack, but try painting a few walls with it. The color will do you some good.
Humbly,
Aaron
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3 comments:
Thank you Aaron and Mauro for your responses. I too loved reading this book for the same reasons you both mentioned. While reading The Shack, I had to pull away several times to just talk with God. At one point in the book, God asks a question and it stopped me in my tracks. I was so convicted of a habit of mine that I just cracked open my heart to God, crying and asking forgiveness. God was so tender with me in return. That moment of personal confession was well worth the read.
My wife is reading it right now; heard some good things. May read it after all the others in line to be read on my night table. This is mostly a test.
Dirk
I first met Paul Young years ago at East Hill. Paul loves to get people to think and will pose things to force you to wrestle with what you believe. I believe he did this with his book. I saw him over the summer and he said his original intent was to write his kids a story and it went from there.
There are some things in the book which resonate with me. One is the the Holy Spirit and who He is in my life. Many Christians are afraid of the Spirit and yet He is very much God - it is where we get our power from and through our relationship with Christ, the Spirit brings us into the community of the Trinity. A good ploy of the devil is to get us to not engage this part of God because it might get too "weird." Yet it is the Spirit who is our guide, comforter, opens up the scriptures to us.
The Trinity is also something I am trying to grab a hold of - the relationship they have with one another - God being one but each member having distinct roles and responsibilities - hierarchy yes- but they inter-relate as One. Something God has been stretching me in is what truly is the gospel? Is it just Jesus dying on the cross or is it more? Jesus gives us the opportunity to have eternal life through our acceptance of Him, but I believe there is more Good News than just salvation and one day going to Heaven. Our acceptance of Jesus Christ allows for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives who then brings us into the relationship that already exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To me, it is amazing that I can be part of that relationship and have God live His life in me and through me. Jesus said it would be better for us if he left, because then the Spirit could come and be in us. No longer is it Emmanuel - God WITH us through Jesus - it is now God IN us through the Holy Spirit. I believe Paul is trying to get us to understand the community that already exists within God and for us to become part of that.
okay - enough for now!
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