The Shack

William Paul Young's "The Shack" (Hodder & Stoughton, 2008) is a fascinating read that, to me, says a lot about life, church, and all sorts of things. It has the sub-title "where tragedy confronts eternity". Confronting eternity may not be the way we would most often put it - but is that not precisely what the church ought to be about? The book is a novel, but it is a novel that deals with truth. It is concerned with relationship, forgiveness and God - and, through the medium of a fascinating story, explores these critical themes. I found it intensely moving and significantly challenging. Again these are descriptions that I would want to use of the church. The church ought to be intensely moving and significantly challenging. The book wrestles with the timeless question of how we deal with unspeakable pain - and, yes, I do think the church ought to be wrestling with timeless questions. I guess we all need our own 'shack' where we can go to find God in a new way.