Prophecy Update: The Shack
God has been clear from the beginning that false teachers will arise, it is inevitable. Several years ago, I taught my students that the book ‘The Shack’ (Author: William P. young) was heresy. I began to read it and I made it through 90 pages before I was so provoked in my spirit that I put it down. The problem that we face is that Christians have read the book and liked it because it dealt with the problem of pain and loss. A man loses his daughter, due to a violent murder and now has to deal with the pain. He goes to a shack and meets the Trinity. God answers all of the questions and thus is presented to us is a view of God that is not biblical. Discerning the false teaching was made harder because it is a fictional account. William Young said, “Please don’t misunderstand me: The Shack is theology. But it is theology wrapped up in a story, the Word becoming flesh living inside the blood and bones of common human experience.”
There are so many problems with the book that I am going to record some quotes from the critiques and comment on them: From the website: TheShack Heresy.com; “The Shack misrepresents God risking breaking the first two of the Ten Commandments. Instead of describing God as the Majestic Supreme Being that He is, The Shack dumbs Him down and makes him more palatable. God the Father who, according to the Bible, cannot be seen (John 6:46; 1 Tim. 6:16 – see God the Father cannot be seen), appears in the form of an African-American woman named “papa” (p. 86 – talk about gender confusion) who has scars on his wrist (p. 95). Wrong! The Father was not crucified. Jesus is presented as a Middle Easterner wearing a plaid shirt with rolled up sleeves (p. 84). The Holy Spirit appears as an Asian woman (p. 85).” This is not how God chose to reveal himself in the Bible, yet Mr. Young violates what the Bible says and justifies these false representations by saying it is only fiction. Is falsehood about God okay if its only fiction and makes you feel good about God?
In order to teach the universalism gospel, Young wove a story about God that is not true. He did this by picturing God the father as a woman and having her teach the universalism gospel. It is a gospel of love with no truth or judgment. God is going to save everyone, even Satan. The idea that all roads and religions lead to God is not biblical. One critique said this: “The Shack doesn’t square with the Word of God, universalism is the idea that God forgives all of humanity, regardless of whether or not they repent and believe in the redeeming work of Jesus.
The Bible is clear that there is only one way of salvation and it is by the blood of Jesus. Lev.17:11 determines the path of salvation and says, “the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you on the altar for your souls, it is by virtue of the blood that makes atonement for your souls.” No shed blood by a substitute, no salvation. When ‘The Shack’ presents God the Father with scars in His hands as if He died on the cross, this is flat out a rejection of biblical teaching.
On page 225 the heresy of universalism is taught when we find the African American woman who is God the Father say, “In Jesus, I have forgiven all humans for their sins against me, but only some choose relationship.” This contradicts scripture! Young said, “In seminary he had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects. Nobody wanted God in a box, just a book.” Pg.65-66.
Young rejects the teaching of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible. Once you can add to the Bible and bring new revelation to people as Young does with ‘The Shack’ you are a heretic. The character Mack gets a note from the Papa, the blasphemously portrait of God the Father, to meet him in the shack. He tells him on page 93, “Mackenzie I am neither male nor female even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman its because I love you. For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me papa is simply to mix metaphors to help you keep from falling so easily into your religious conditioning.”
Remember what Jesus said, John 1:18 “No man has seen God at any time, the only Begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” God will not reveal Himself in bodily form because He said so. Jesus is the only manifestation of God in human form, anyone else is false god! I was so troubled by the books view of God that I stopped 90 pages in because I really believe that the book was showing great disrespect for God my Savior and LORD. This disregard for the Trinity represented what God said to us through His servant Paul in Romans 1:23, Young ‘exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man.”
We have been warned by God about false teachers since the time Satan deceived Eve.
Jeremiah 23:16 says, Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the LORD.” Young is a false prophet and is speaking of his own imagination, not teaching you from the Word of God!
Jer.23:17 says, “They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD has said, “You will have peace”’; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’ Young gives a false hope and a view of the Love of God that does not exist. Our God will judge and He will bring His wrath on the earth, sending people to hell. Some want to have their ears tickled by false teachers who will give them what their hearts want. I will tell you who to listen to and it is not Young!
Jer.23:18, 28-29 says, “But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened? “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock? Do not trust in words of people who have great imaginations. They are not giving you the Word of God. Reject the Shack—it is guilty of twisting the truth of God for lawlessness. Do not go see the movie, it is more false teaching from the father of lies!
