Apostasy & Lies: Will Fans of ‘The Shack’ Care?

When William Paul young wrote The Shack nearly a decade ago, it became the talk of both Christian and secular circles. It was called by many "a great book about God's love and forgiveness." Some of us who read it saw some very concerning ideas and tried warning people that the book misrepresented the nature and character of God. It discounted the whole gospel of confession, repentance, and salvation through the willing sacrifice and shed blood of Jesus Christ. Naturally, in our modern times of biblical illiteracy, we who raised concerns were often called Pharisees, dividers, and haters. We were told we were taking it way to seriously. After all, The Shack is fiction. Some said we were reading things into the book and the author's beliefs that just were not there. So now after the original book, a movie based on the book, and a brand new nonfiction book by Young, we all get to see the theology of The Shack author in his own words. His new book, Lies We Believe about God," will most likely be dismissed by those who loved the movie and his first book. So this morning, we will look deeper into what the author actually says and believes as we critique his new book. Can we at least agree, as Christians, to hold up Young's words and beliefs against the truth of God's Word revealed to us in Scripture? As we approach this program today, we should ask what your thoughts are and do you think Young's description ad understanding of God line up with the Bible or contradict it?