The Shack is “anti-church”?

 

I sent a couple of links from Christianity Today to EasyGoing daughter about “How to read The Shack”.  I had not, nor of the moment have I yet, read the articles.  Here is what daughter ask me after reading articles;

 

 

 

“Tom,

Thanks for the link! I’m afraid I must have missed the anti-church aspect of The Shack…or even anything that could be considered anti-church. The article mentioned it a couple times and I can’t even remember the novel talking about church at all…is the article saying The Shack is anti-church just because the novel challenges ideas “the church” in general has hold? Or does Young actually suggest that the church is not important or does more harm then good, or is more responsible for “wounded” Christians?”

 

Here’s my response;

I haven’t read the articles that I sent you the links for.  So, I’m not sure to what degree or in what way they say that Paul Young is “anti-church”.

 I did read The Shack with your mom (actually, I listened to her read…you know how we do that when we have a lot of windshield time on the interstate), so I can comment on my understanding of “church” as it played out in the story.

Mack is depicted as a person who was raised in a very religious family and under a high level of legalism, especially from his father–who was an abusive drunk who liked to beat his wife and Mack when under the influence.  That is a very plausible scenario.  So, Mack’s experience of church and his relationship with God was tainted by his up-bringing.  When Mack was older and married he settled into a religious life that was leery of God and His church (“church” meaning the usual expressions and experiences that are most common in our culture, what I’d refer to as RBC’s (Religious Business Clubs) or “basilica/institutional” church).  Then, the over-arching incident of the narrative is the abduction and murder of Mack’s youngest daughter.  Mack’s great question becomes something of, “If God can’t or wouldn’t keep my lovely, innocent little girl safe, then really what kind of god is he and what is he really good for?”  It’s the old question of theodicy–how can a good God be squared with so much evil in the world?

So, with that little bit of story line reminder you can fill in the rest.

 My impression is that Young doesn’t spend much (if any) time on ecclesiology, rather the whole story revolves around people and relationships.

 Is Paul Young “anti-church”?  No.  But, if you define “church” in terms of RBC’s/basilica/institutional, then I would conclude that PY doesn’t have much love lost for such.  Young was raised in a very religious family who were missionaries, was educated in ways that equipped him to do “ministry/staff” work and spent considerable time doing the church thing.  (BTW, you should download this interview and hear what he has to say himself about his life [ http://www.drewmarshall.ca/listen2008.html  scroll down to the April 26^th program and click on the download icon].) 

 

I suspect that if the author of the article is saying that Paul Young is “anti-church” the author is using the term “church” to refer to all the structural stuff that has been baptized in Jesus syrup and sacralized and has come to be known as Church.  The church is the people of God in face to face koinonia/fellowship with each other who are following the Leadership of Jesus–church isn’t the structure or container which may provide the environment for that function and way of living/relating. 

 

I get the impression that Young thinks and acts about church in relational terms.

 

Paul Young sounds to me to be a man who loves Jesus and all of our Elder Brother’s people.

 

 

T