A number of years ago, after The Shack first came out, I wrote a review of the positives/negatives as I see them. Since the movie is coming out soon, I thought I would at least share my old book review and put in a few quick thoughts.

1.) I’m not excited about the movie, but am not worried about it either. Remember The Davinci Code? Christians tend to make mountains out of mole hills. If you read my review, you’ll see my concerns and as well as what I found helpful in the book. Movies come and movies go. Good and bad. And God’s Word remains, and so does his Church.

2.) If you see the movie, or read the book and it really seemed to minister to you, make sure that you recognize WHY it did so. Creativity is good; I love it! But so is orthodoxy. The faith that has been handed down to us has stood the test of time. So if new images or metaphors or story help you understand suffering, grace, justice, evil, great. Just remember that heresy always includes some truth, yet tries to flatten theological/emotional tension. Do you like something about the God who is, or simply the picture of the God you want Him to be? We all have this tendency; I know I do! But if the book/movie helps encourage you to love, rest, and praise God as He is presented in the scriptures, then I’d say it really did help you.

3.) Most writers today that I benefit from are not doing “new material.” The more I read dead guys, the more I see folks like Tim Keller and John Piper just making what dead dudes wrote more understandable and applicable for today.

If you read the book, or have read the book, and/or plan on seeing the movie, please check out my review. At the very least, you will have another perspective than a simple endorsement or warning. In the end, even when we disagree on The Shack’s helpfulness or hurtfulness, or anything in between, let us allow God’s Word be our guide and standard for discernment. And let us show grace to one another in disagreement, particularly when we arrive at different conclusions after examining the scriptures.

Feel free to let me know what you found helpful/hurtful. I’d love to hear from you.