Monday, July 14, 2008

Book Review - The Shack by William P. Young

My mom bought me a copy of this book and said I just had to read it. As usual, Mom was right! This book is amazing, and it is right up there with Randy Alcorn's books on the same theme. I was drawn to Randy Alcorn's books after my first reading of Deadline. Randy is a Christian author who takes what I have found to be a somewhat unique perspective on Heaven. None of us knows for sure what Heaven will be like, but how many of us have really considered what it may be like? Revelation reveals to us what the end of this Earth will be like, but does it really explain what Heaven will be like before the end times? After the end times? I can't answer that, but I have learned from Randy that challenging preconceived ideas of Heaven can be a rewarding exercise that usually brings me to a deeper appreciation for the God of the universe. Like Randy Alcorn did with Heaven, William P. Young has also encouraged me to go back to scripture to check out his assumptions, and mine, about who God is and what he expects.

So while I may not agree with every idea William P. Young puts forth in his book, I think that it is a very good book for adults to read. I think that people who will read this book, and then go back to scripture and look for answers to questions that it will raise will really enjoy it and get a lot out of it. I am even going to encourage my DD to read this book, as I think she has a deep enough theological basis to read it from. But be warned, some of the ideas in this book are not traditional. I believe that the main point of the book is very scripturally sound and is therefore good for instruction and has redemptive value.

One more word of caution; have plenty of tissue handy.

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