Finding God in The Shack
by Randal Rauser
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Book Summary Information
Author: Randal RauserEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-02-03
ISBN: 1606570323
Number of pages: 161
Publisher: Authentic
Book Reviews of Finding God in The Shack
Book Review: A powerful book at The Shack
Summary: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (4/09)
Before I begin the review on "Finding God in The Shack," I admit that I am a huge fan of "The Shack." I bought eighteen copies of it and gave them away at Christmastime. I have been very surprised by the mixed reviews and strong reactions that people have had to the book. I was very happy to see the author's response and explanations in this book. Theologian Randal Rauser takes readers through "The Shack" and outlines the areas that are the most complex and controversial. I found the book to be very enlightening and easy to understand.
As I sit down to review this book, I realize that I must have at least thirty post-it note tabs on pages where I highlight excellent points. I will highlight only a few here and encourage you to pick up a copy of this book for your unanswered questions. The author first addresses the reason God is being presented as an African American woman named Papa. In his view, the conceptual idea of who God really is, is so big that it is probably something that humans cannot even begin to understand. The most important aspect of God being presented like this was to show that God does not want to just communicate with us, but desires to have a relationship with us. That point is emphasized over and over again throughout the book.
I also thought that Rauser did an excellent job explaining the Trinity. It always seems to be such a hard concept, but I found it much easier to understand after reading this.
One thing that really helped me was keeping a Bible close by to refer to the biblical references that Rauser makes. You don't need to because he explains them well, but I found it helpful to look at the full context of what he was quoting.
The author best summed up "The Shack" in his chapter on "Why this Theologian is especially fond of the Shack" (page 17). He states "The Shack will not answer all our questions, nor does it aspire to. But we can be thankful this has started a great conversation." And that is really all we can ask for. Hopefully it will get people thinking about our Creator and asking some important questions. If you enjoyed "The Shack" or had a lot of questions after reading it, "Finding God in The Shack" is an excellent resource.
Summary of Finding God in The Shack
What would it be like to lose your youngest child to a serial killer? And then to have God invite you out for a conversation at the very shack where the terrible deed took place? And then imagine that the door to that shack of horrors opened . . . and before you knew it you had been swept up in the motherly embrace of a large African American woman? This most unlikely of stories, as told in William Young?s The Shack, has become a runaway bestseller and it is easy to see why. The book brings us on a redemptive journey through the shacks? of deepest pain and suffering in our lives, guided by the triune God of Christian faith. But even as lives have been transformed through this book, other readers have sternly denounced it as a hodgepodge of serious theological error, even heresy. With one pastor urging his congregation to read it and another forbidding his congregation to, many Christians have simply been left confused. Aware both of the excitement and uncertainty generated by The Shack, theologian Randal Rauser takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the pages of the story. In successive chapters he explores many of the book?s complex and controversial issues. Thus he explains why God the Father is revealed as an African American woman, he defends the book?s theology of the Trinity against charges of heresy and he considers its provocative denial of a Trinitarian hierarchy. But at its heart The Shack is a response to evil and so Rauser spends the final three chapters considering the book?s explanation for why God allows evil, how the atoning work of Christ offers new hope for a suffering world and ultimately how this hope extends to all of creation. Through these chapters Rauser offers an honest and illuminating discussion which opens up a new depth to the conversation while providing the reader with new opportunities for Finding God in The Shack. "If you have ever had a conversation on The Shack, whether with an enthusiast or a critic, you will want to invite this skilled and accessible theologian into the conversation. Before you have read a dozen pages you will know why we need to keep company with theologians. They help us keep our conversations on God intelligent, informed and irenic." Eugene H. Peterson Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.Fiction Books
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