The Shack: A Review

The following review is from Beth Kelley, one of the members of Western Hills:

When I picked up this book last Sunday, I was prepared for good story that would leave me feeling content. I had no idea where this story would actually take me. As a walked through the story with the main character, Mack, I also found myself face to face with God.

In this novel, Mack, who is cloaked in grief, goes to meet God at an old shack that is tethered to his grief. However, Mack does not meet the God he has perceived for so long. He comes face to face with the true God, as well as His Son and His Spirit in a way that is not the stereotypically religious way we usually envision them. God seeks to unravel Mack’s despair and draw him into a relationship with Him. He consistently shows Mack the love relationship among Himself, His Son, and His Spirit. The reader sees “the Trinity” in a new light. Their relationship is a source of confusion and joy for Mack that helps bring him closer to God. The author also shows how God seeks each of His children and loves each of us uniquely. Through this, Mack comes to understand the importance and beauty of true forgiveness, which forces him to let go of his own anger toward the one who caused his pain. Throughout the book, God continually seeks Mack and draws him back to Himself.

This book was perception shattering! The author took God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit out of categories and revealed them as they are. It made me take another look at my own relationship with God and the perceptions I had of Him. God is taken out of the hierarchy we’ve placed Him and moved to the center of our lives, touching everything within them. He exposes our perceptions and religious stereotypes for what they are and he used a story to unravel the true importance of a deep, personal relationship with God. This book goes deeper than the story told on the surface. It delves into the depths of our own grief and separation from the God who cares so deeply for us.

Beth Kelley is a follower of Jesus and an "everyday" missionary. Her current mission field is the 3rd grade classroom at Thornton Elementary in Temple.