Jack and The Shack

So, this year Rob and I decided to be a little more purposeful about our reading. We are both working on a list of books that we would like to read by the end of 2010. The other part of this, is that we would like to post at least a short review of each on the blog, just to help us consolidate our thoughts as we finish each one (most likely mine will be short and Rob’s....well...not). :)

So my first two this year were The Shack by William Young and Jack’s Life by Douglas Gresham. Most likely you have heard of The Shack as it has caused quite a stir, especially in evangelical circles. If you have not, it is a novel written about a man who lost his daughter and the way he “meets up” with God and works through his grief. Young is a good writer and has put out something that catches your attention quickly. Over all, I enjoyed reading through this book. There are some very controversial things that he does however. He personifies God as a black woman (the Father), a Middle-Eastern man (Jesus), and an oriental woman (the Spirit). This was very odd to me at first. As I read, I realized that he was mostly trying to break down our misconceptions of God. That is fair although I’m wondering if this is a little confusing and also it seems like there might be some issues with his view of the trinity. I don’ t know enough to discuss it, nuy understand the Driscoll has a scathing review on youtube if you’re interested. He also tends to take a lot of pot shots at “conservative” christianity. While I think he has some good points - I think there should be complete respect and love for all those that are brothers and sisters in Christ - and at times it seems like he (and even God) is sneering at these people. I felt that he did a good job though of helping people work through grief especially relating to their view of God and His goodness. There is a lot of food for thought along the way. It seems to me that the most important thing to do with a book like this is to not treat it like the Bible...instead, take your knowledge of scripture and enjoy the things he hits on that are in line, reject the things that are not. I don’t however think there is a need to shun it completely.

Jack’s Life is a short biography of C.S. Lewis. This was such a fun read. Rob is a huge fan of Lewis and therefore, I have been sucked in. I have read a few of his books and enjoyed finding out about his life. I’m sure it is not the best book written about him, but I liked that it was short and to the point - mostly just telling the story...not analyzing his works or anything like that. Gresham is Lewis’ stepson, and he has an immense love and respect for Lewis that I really enjoyed. It makes a difference to hear admiration from someone that actually spent a lot of time with someone. I was struck with the difficulties that Lewis faced, pretty much his whole life time. I was also struck by the true Christianity he lived out on a daily basis. Having read the Chronicles of Narnia, I couldn’t help thinking that even as Lewis faced tremendous difficulty, it seems he kept the “wardrobe” close by in his mind to step out of the harshness that life often presents, and into the beauty of another world...a reminder to me of the need to live in the reality of heaven and not be too settled into this world. I loved discovering his Irish heritage - no wonder he describes such a beautiful place in Narnia. Rob and I would love to visit Ireland some day...it seems a little bit more exciting because of this thought.

Let me know what you think - I can handle criticism...maybe.