Here is why I’m not into the hype about The Shack. I’m not anti-The Shack. I’m not against it like it’s the devil or something. I know some people have found it helpful to relate to God. I just hope it’s the God of the Bible they are relating to and not the God of William P. Young. But mostly I just don’t like it. Here’s why. I don’t think God is sarcastic and I just don’t think God talks like this. Overall, I feel like William P. Young is a below-average writer that took on a task that Tolkien, Lewis, and Dostoevsky would have found challenging. It’s a scary task to try and be the voice of God. To say, “This is what God would say and this is how God would speak.” I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot-pole. The chances of being wrong and struck by lightning are far too high for me. Now, I read this post by Randy Harris and I have talked to him a lot about this. I read the post a long time ago and I don’t remember exactly what he said and I want to keep it that way while I write this, but I thought I should link to it in full disclosure.

The whole plot-line was a bit disturbing being a father of two daughters, but that’s not why I didn’t like the book.

Here are some of the quotes that I think are weird about this book:

1. After Jesus drops the sauce that Papa (God the Father) cooked we have this exchange. “We were going to have this incredible Japanese sauce, but greasy fingers over there,” Papa nodded toward Jesus, “decided to see if it would bounce.” “C’mon now,” Jesus responded in mock defense. “My hands were slippery. What can I say?” Papa winked at Mack as she passed him the rice. “You just can’t get good help around here.” Everyone laughed.

So this isn’t a huge theological error or something. It’s just cheesy. And I don’t picture the Father and Jesus mocking each other in heaven.

2. “Hmm,” grunted Mack. “Nothing too common about her!” “True, that,” responded Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t say “True, that.” That would make him a dork. He is not a dork.

3. “You seem to be especially fond of a lot of people,” Mack observed with a suspicious look. “Are there any who you are not especially fond of?” She (God the Father) lifted her head and rolled her eyes as if she were mentally going through the catalog of every being ever created. “Nope, I haven’t been able to find any. Guess that’s jes’ the way I is.”

Seriously, God the Father says “jes’ the way I is?” This whole sentence is just so trite and cliche and dumb I can’t even express it enough.

I do admit that there are good things in the book too. The whole concept of Mack having to deal with his own hatred to God for the tragedy and the way he works through it is cool. I guess I just wish that William P. Young whispered his idea into the ear of Anne Rice or Eugene Peterson or Wendell Berry or Frederick Beuchner.