Revisiting 'The Shack'

I recently read C Baxter Kruger’s “The Shack Revisited.” It’s a while now since I read William Paul Young’s “The Shack”, his fascinating ‘story’ of relating to God. This was a timely reminder that it deserves another reading, but also an opportunity to delve into some of the theological themes and ideas that underpin ‘The Shack’, as that is Kruger’s purpose in his volume. In summary, perhaps inevitably, but certainly importantly, ‘The Shack’ is concerned with God’s amazing love. As Kruger says, “We are known, loved and delighted in by the Father, Son, and Spirit, just as we are, whether we believe in God or not. The truth is we have already been embraced by Jesus’ Papa and by the Spirit. That is what the coming of Jesus was all about. The blessed Trinity has already met us in our shacks. In Jesus they have pitched their tents inside our garbage cans. We belong to the Father, Son, and Spirit. We always have, and always will; Jesus has seen to that personally.” The gospel point is that God wants to connect with us. Kruger again – “The stunning truth is that this triune God, in amazing and lavish love, determined to open the circle and share the trinitarian life with others.” How fantastic is that!