William Paul Young's Book The Shack is available for sale through LifeWay's website LifeWay has posted a Read With Discernment tag on the book. Discernment? The book is a work of fiction. It is an allegory. It is not a theological textbook, nor is it confessional statement like the Baptist Faith and Message. Again, The Shack is Christian FICTION.What seems humorous to me is the feeling by some that it is necessary to place a Read With Discernment tag on the book. Sometimes I feel we Southern Baptists are the equivalent of second graders spiritually. Here you have a book that is Christian fiction. There is no illicit sex, no foul language, and no promotion of immorality in the book. For heaven's sake, it was written for the author's own CHILDREN. But we stamp a Read With Discernment tag on it.
But before we get all over LifeWay for the silly little tag, we must remember that it was placed on the book after a few Texas Southern Baptists went on a campaign to get the book removed as "harmful and dangerous" to the body of Christ. In other words, LifeWay resisted the book banning Baptists and compromised with a discernment tag. Thank the Lord. If we allow Baptist Identity adherents to have their way we will wind up as Southern Baptists having an elite group of all knowing leaders who will tell everyone else what is acceptable to read.
The desire of some to guard the eyes of all Baptists reminds me of what I read on a Jehovah Witness website about the dangers of anybody in the Jehovah's Witness movement thinking independently for himself or herself. The leaders wrote:
"Avoid independent thinking...questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization." (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983 pg. 22)
"Fight against independent thinking." (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983 pg. 27 )
"Let us face the fact that no matter how much Bible reading we have done, we would never have learned the truth on our own." (Watchtower; Dec. 1, 1990; p. 19)
"Stay away from deep Bible study to determine meanings of the scriptures."" (JW Leader Karl Klein, Address to WT, April, 30, 1980)
William Paul Young, author of The Shack, will be at Emmanuel, Enid to speak on Saturday and Sunday, April 4-5, 2009. Our people are mature enough to read for themselves this work of fiction, and they will receive no "warning" that reading it may be harmful. Those present Saturday night will also have the opportunity to ask the author questions about the book and then on Sunday night we will listen to William Paul young recount his own spiritual journey and what led him to write the book. We may end up disovering that the author's theology doesn't line up with our own in all places. It will make us no difference. We are not a cult. We enjoy the feedom of debate. We appreciate differing views. We aren't threatened.
The Holy Spirit does a pretty good job of taking care of us.
So much so, we even don't mind people in our church reading the much more dangerous and bizarre Left Behind Books, which by the way, merit no discernment tag from LifeWay.
Smile.
Wade Burleson
214 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 214 of 214Did it ever occur to anyone that the term "Christian fiction" is an oxymoron ?
Wouldn't it be better to say
'a fiction novel with Christian themes in it' ?
Greg. W.H
I have two separate points on this issue.
1) Wade has always hammered the point that he is for the abused and mistreated in the SBC, especially women. So my question was are you really for the powerless.or just the powerless who you think SBC powerbrokers are against in the SBC.
The correct way to handle this was to say what Louis said....You are right, I did not address child molestation on the mission field. I am against it.
Not this......Your last comment was completely inappropriate. Please refrain from making such allegations about others by name on this blog. If you are a man of passion and principle on this particular subject, then write a post on your own blog with facts to verify your allegation and your own legal team to protect you.
2) I absolutely HATE the book because I think it has very little Christian value. I have made it a personal mission of mine to steer as many people as possible away from this non-christian book. I am not against any secular bookstore selling it just Lifeway.A multitude has been written about its theological or lack of theological content but I think the Kendall Adams radio interview gives the most coherent summation of his aberrant views.
So I fail to see one single reason why Wade would have Paul Young at his Church.
Finally...no I was not abused by Mr Young. Either by his father or himself.
Robert I Masters
From the Southern Baptist Geneva
Were you abused by someone else?
Chris Ryan,
I don't claim to be an expert, but I have grown up in a culture that is moving in this direction. I have also read some on the topic (specifically post-modernism as it relates to Christianity) and discussed it with others who have studied it far more than I.
Yes there are some good things about the postmodern movement (especially in the church). The humanitarian passion, the love, the desire to reach our culture, the flexibility, just to mention a few.
Robert,
You were making allegations against William Paul Young in my opinion. If you now say you were not, then I simply ask.
What the heck are you bringing the other stuff up.
It looks like you are nothing but a troublemaker.
Fred,
How would you even know what I was doing here since Wade kept deleting my posts.
If you have not figured Wade doesnt really read all the comments.
Robert I Masters
From The Southern Baptist Geneva
Anonymous - you should see the response from those who write Christian fiction. :) There are as many opinions on that as there are people. :)
I've seen several debates about what to call it. While "a fiction novel with Christian themes in it" is a good standard definition of what Christian fiction is (for many people), it doesn't roll off the tongue as well :)
Its not really an oxymoron though - since Christian means Christ-like.... so when you say Christian fiction, all you are really saying is Christ-like fiction.
I personally loved the book, would recommend it to anyone, and look forward to seeing it made into a movie.
Excellent post, Wade. I couldn't read through all the comments; it made me sad. I suppose I should just be inspired to pray.
Kevin, Uh, huh. Right.
Well done. Make a stupid statement and hide behind a pseudonym. Come on. Have some courage.
Wade signs his name to everything he writes with his email, his church address, etc . . .
Tell us who you are Kevin.
I dare you
Liar, liar, pants on fire
Andy,
After writing for four years and experiencing every possible attack, I have no problem saying anything and signing my name to it.
wade
Anonymous,
I deleted Kevin's comment - and Andy's comment.
Both the same man.
:)
It is interesting that so many pastor-types are against the content in this book, because of its theological insufficiencies. But as I look back on nearly forty years sitting in the pew of SBC churches, I can think of a lot of crapola being shoveled out by many pastors, in the form of "illustrations." I probably shoveled some of it myself. Okay, not probably. The justification is that a story, even if its a stretch, can help to illuminate the Gospel.
So pastors, before you try to take the splinter out of the eye of The Shack, you might want to check your sermon notes for any planks that exist there.
when i first began to hear the groundswell of people reading this book and talking about it i was pretty sure i would never read it. im not much for the next best thing.
but after hearing all the fuss about it from certain segments of christianity i went out and got a copy today at my local bookseller.
while i was there i had a short but interesting discussion about the book with the two ladies who run the place. without giving anything away they told me that people have been buying this book in quantity to give away.
this intrigued me as i am the kind of person who is apt to do exactly that if i find a book compelling and worth reading. ive done so with several books including donald millers blue like jazz as well as rob bells velvet elvis and don everts jesus with dirty feet.
the booksellers also resell used books and smirked as they told me how often this book makes its way back thru the store. when i noted that it must not be quite the classic its made out to be they just smiled and encouraged me to bring it back when i was done.
im interested to find out whats so polarizing behind the cover.
Well, someone had to say it. Thanks Dr. Galyon: Young correctly represents the Holy Trinity on p. 101 with the affirmation, “We are not three gods, and we are not talking about one God with three attitudes, like a man who is a husband, father, and worker. I am one God and I am three persons, and each of the three is fully and entirely the one.” He goes horribly astray into heresy, however, in several areas regarding the Trinity. I’ll mention three. First, Young asserts on p. 99 that all members of the Godhood took human form at the Incarnation (not just the Lord Jesus) as he writes, “When we three spoke ourself into human existence as the Son of God, we became fully human.” This is why he also asserts that rather than turning away from the Son and pouring out His wrath upon Him at the cross (p. 96), the Father died on the cross with the Son and continues to bear the marks of crucifixion (pp. 95-96, 164). Second, Young nixes any concept of authority and submission within the Godhood (e.g., pp. 122, 145), though verses such as John 6:38, 44; 8:18; 10:36; 1 John 4:14; 1 Corinthians 11:1-3; and 15:27-28 make it plain that such authority and submission do exist within the Godhood. The Son and Holy Spirit have submitted to the Father in the work of redemption. The Spirit labors to apply the work of the Son and bring glory to the Father and Son (John 16:5-15). Third, the essence of divinity is challenged as Young quotes Unitarian-Universalist Buckminster Fuller and declares God is a verb rather than a noun (p. 194, 204). This moves away from the biblical understanding of a personal God to that of a mystical Eastern view advocating pantheism. This pantheism is evident as Jesus tells Mack, “God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things—ultimately emerging as the real—and any appearances that mask that reality will fall away” (p. 112); and as Sarayu mentions to Mack he will see the Spirit “in a piece of art, or music, or silence, or through people, or in creation, or in your joy and sorrow” (p. 198).
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