William P. Young, author of The Shack, and Gloria Gaither in Indianapolis at a reading of The Shack. Photo courtesy of The New York Times.
In the picture above, Gloria Gaither, wife of singer/songwriter Bill Gaither (of the Homecoming Series fame) hosts a reading of “The Shack,” with author William P. Young in Indianapolis. Mark Lowry, Christian comedian and former baritone singer for The Gaither Vocal Band, related that Gloria Gaither gave him a copy of the book while he was staying in her home. After reading the book, Lowry gave the book a raving review, and expressed his hope that there would be a sequel.
Referring to “The Shack,” Lowry gushes:
I am only on page 149 but, already, I want there to be a sequel. Part 2, please!
Gloria Gaither handed this book, The Shack, to me while I was staying in their home. I read up to the murder of the little girl and couldn’t read any more. I put the book down, lost it and, a few weeks later, felt compelled to go to Lifeway in Nashville and buy another copy.
Now, I can’t put it down. (Source: Scroll down and read the post from May 1, 2008.)
In his May 10, 2008 post, Lowry states:
Well, I finally finished The Shack by William P. Young. The first five chapters are very hard to read. Very painful. But somewhere around chapter 6, Dorothy lands in Oz and everything becomes technicolor. I really love this book. It confirmed for me a lot of things I’ve been learning about God. (emphasis mine) Source.
This is a very troubling statement. The Shack is not a Christian novel, and does not represent God the FATHER, the God of the Bible. Instead, it is a book filled with New Age mysticism. It feminizes God and perverts and pollutes everything we know to be true about our Heavenly Father. It promotes universalism, denies the need for personal salvation through the substitutionary atonement of Jesus’ finished work at Calvary, and denies God’s holy and righteous judgment against sin. For more information, please click here.
It’s a sad statement, but some people derive their theology from singers and songs instead of the Word of God. Putting a vast amount of faith in gospel singers, people are influenced by their behavior, as well as the people they endorse. After all, if Gloria Gaither thinks The Shack is okay, and is endorsing it by handing it out to her friends, then it must be okay, right?
It’s not always easy to discern a lot about a person’s beliefs by listening to a song or reading a poem they have written. There are wonderful and Spirit-filled singers in the field of gospel music, but there are also those who, not knowing the Scriptures, continually operate in error. Sometimes their aberrant theology will stand out: for example, “Jesus Has a Rocking Chair (google the lyrics),” but sometimes it won’t. When people like Gloria Gaither stand for an obviously unbiblical book like The Shack, it’s like a clarion call in the darkest night. Unfortunately, many are surrounded by the howling din of relevance and entertainment that is preoccupying the church that followers are deaf to its warning.
Therefore, above and beyond all things, we must stand firmly upon the Word of God alone.
A dear friend of the family from our former church told me her Sunday School class passed out “The Shack” as reading material (not sure if it was the curriculum). She thought it was very good. I took a quick look at it and told it was only a novel but dangerous none the less. When I returned home, I found a sound review and sent it to her – have heard nothing in response.
I fear many will be led astray by this (and other books) because they are novels and not tested. The enemy uses any tool available to lead children of the Lord astray – those that look harmless are quite dangerous (“Surely ye will not die!”).
By: sbrogden on September 26, 2008
at 10:08 pm
What is so interesting about the book and possibly one reason it is receiving so much attention is it dares to cross conventional thinking in the way we have understood God in the past.
Our stereotypical concepts for how we see God has stopped us from seeing Him in some instances as a loving, caring person who wants to connect with His kids.
By: Scott Johnson on September 27, 2008
at 12:00 am
[...] Minister Gordon Brown’s grilling by senior MPs on the Commons liaison committee. (300 clicks) Gloria Gaither Endorses “The Shack”William P. Young, author of The Shack, and Gloria Gaither in … Can the NDP Realistically Win?Today’s polling numbers re-confirm the trend that has been emerging [...]
By: DeafPulse.com - the one-stop pulse for all Deaf-related news and blogs. on September 27, 2008
at 3:48 am
Scott,
God is a Holy and just God who constantly interacts with His children. The God of The Shack is a feminine goddess-type god who does not point all mankind towards the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son… she just wants to wrap them in her arms and love their hurt away.
That is not the God of the Bible.
By: Chrystal on September 27, 2008
at 10:10 pm
Oh I’ve read on several discernment sites about the dangers of the The Shack. It’s disturbing that those who are in the “Christian Celebrity” status such as Gloria Gaither and Mark Lowry are falling for such apostate readings. But they have strayed from the pure gospel and have associated with some strange bedfellows (Roman Catholicism) and have endorced their teachings as Christian.
It concerns me not only for their own choices, but because of their celebrity, that sheep will follow their examples. Blindly following blind guides.
I’m thankful for the Lord and His Word that I don’t rely on Christian celebrity or nationally recognized Christian leaders but The Lord Jesus Himself. I’ve seen many prominent leaders and teachers fall by the wayside to false teachings and I don’t want to be mislead by them any longer.
I’m concerned for the babes in Christ who are not aware of the dangerous teachings.
By: Carol on September 30, 2008
at 9:46 pm
I found the book very enjoying and it drew me to a deeper relationship with G-d. The revelation knowledge that I experienced was spirit quickening, as well as, enlightening. If you are grounded and rooted in the word, then you should have no problem with this book, because it is just fiction. If you know the truth, then the truth shall keep you free of all deception. The author never said that this was a replacement to the Bible. It is a Fiction novel, not non-fiction. Additionally, the author never stated that this book was the core of Christianity or any other religion. If you are looking for theology in a fiction noveI, then this book is not for you. However, it is a great read. I found compassion, brokeness, forgiveness, love, grace, and mercy to abound in this novel. I believe that we all need something or someone to challenge us, during our spiritual walk, and draw us closer to Him. The Shack will prompt you to experience an encounter with the “true” living G-d and cry out to Papa. Shalom!
If we are to sound the alarm for everything that was not theologically correct, we need to stop reading the newspaper, magazines, and even listening to the news.
By: CJ on October 12, 2008
at 10:01 pm
Enjoyed your review of “The Shack” Thank you for taking the time to share.
I was not in total agreement with The Shack (I am not in total agreement with several of my favorite authors).Any book that includes conversations with God is bound to receive criticism. How can anyone put words in God’s mouth? But this is one moving book! I smiled, cried, pondered, prayed, and repented as I read ( I have been hurt a lot in churches so I was profoundly impacted.). I read it twice and now listening to the audio. Amazing! Be sure to check out “The Shack Blog and Forum.
I wrote a lengthy review on blog. Please visit.
http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/my-review-of-1-ny-times-best-seller-the-shack/
Blessings,
Robin @ HeartofWisdom
By: robin@heartofwisdom.com on October 13, 2008
at 11:44 am
If I want to know the heart of God, I read His Word, not some new pile of fluff that has come down the proverbial pike of church fads.
It’s ridiculous that churches are handing these things out in churches. People need to get back to the Word of God and not “fiction”.
I’m weary of people who subscribe to these winds of doctrine that will just blow away and another will come.
By: Carol on October 13, 2008
at 6:18 pm
So when was the last time you visited Heaven? Do you know exactly how God will present Himself to you when you die? Do you know how the spiritual dimension really works? Have you been there? The book is not a stand on anything except a Father’s grief in losing a child. Do you know how God heals broken people? How dare any of you presume God cannot and will not appear different than you think HE will. Believing in HIM and HIS LOVE is the only thing you should be discussing. HE condemned the Pharisees for all their rules! So why are you stuck in your rules?
By: Rosann on December 11, 2008
at 10:35 pm
Give me a break.
God’s Word tells us all we need to know. By that authority we know and reject The Shack for the mystical and occultic book that it is.
And, God will not appear in any way contrary to what is written in His Word. God revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.
As for discussing only God and His love, that’s not scriptural. What about discussing the substitutionary atonement? What about discussing sin as the reason for our exile from God’s presence. Why not discuss the wrath of God? Those things too offensive? I hope you don’t think so, for Jesus, God’s Son, drunk that cup of wrath for you as the penalty for sinning against a holy and righteous God. If you fail to discuss those things and the need for repentance, you might as well surgically snip Jesus out of the Scriptures. On second thought, many already have. They want to hear that God is love, while failing to mention the wages of sin.
Think about it.
By: Chrystal on December 12, 2008
at 11:08 am
Rosann,
Why defend a book that is an innacurate description of God or His Word? Why do people waste their time and money on these wasted pages of paper???
Stick to the Word of God rather than bash those who defend adherence to Scripture and Scripture alone. People do NOT need these new age books and ideas of God.
Stuck in the Bible…yes I am. Unstick yourself from this stuff.
By: Carol on December 13, 2008
at 9:38 pm