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Book Review Sunday-The Shack

As I suspected, this book generated a lot of discussion with my book club on Monday evening. Topics from individualism, organized religion, converts, He v She God, agnostism, submission, forgiveness, and theology. We always enjoy each others thoughts and ideas and this night was no exception!

Book cover:

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

I don't feel "transformed" but I did think about some of the conventions about religion that I have. I did think more about some of the major topics such as forgiveness and fundamentalism, but I don't think I gained any insights into my religious beliefs.


Would you like to comment?

  1. Anonymous7:16 AM

    Good Morning, I have heard bits and pieces about this book but am grateful to see your thoughts on it.
    Enjoy your day.

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  2. I'm still in the process of reading this book and I'm actually enjoying it. Gary and Joy gave it to me for Christmas. David keeps asking why I can't finish it. I keep telling him because everytime I sit down to read it he comes and interupts me! But I do like some of the ways the author explains things. I think it would make things a little easier on kids. Like when he explained God as 3 in 1. Like a Man can be a father, husband, and worker. And lots of others I thought were just neat ways to explain. Hopefully I'll finish soon!

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  3. Anonymous8:35 AM

    I plan to read this book. Your blog is the second one that has posted about it. My question is: IS this a depressing sort of book? I just cant read anything that is going to bring me down.
    Lorri

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  4. I asked for this book for my birthday and am hoping to get it. Not sure why, I never get what I ask for. Anyway, I've heard great things about it. My cousin is a youth minister I asked his opinion, he thought it was just okay. Not superb, but good. You may be on target here.

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  5. I read this last summer after a lot of friends raved about it. I couldn't IMAGINE how it would all tie in....a murdered daughter, spending the weekend with GOD!?!?!? Anyway, I woldn't say the book transformed me either but I DID enjoy it. It certainly made me look at things in a new light and gave me a lot of things to ponder. I wold recommend it to most friends but I think you need a pretty good background of religion or you might be "lost" or "misguided". Plus....a lot of people are reading this novel and taking it as GOSPEL....but its really just one man's opinion.

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  6. I will put this on my list of books to read.

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  7. I read this book. My own thoughts were that it was a very "simple" book. It would give new Christians an introduction to the concept of the Holy Trinity. I couldn't recommend this book to anyone and yet I have referred to it several times in discussion - so maybe it's a good book and maybe not. It does bring out discussion so it might be a good book club book. I'm still not recommending it though. PAM

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  8. I really LOVED the book, thought it to be a great read. I think it sheds a bit of light to a person who may be seeking and even questioning what God does. I don't think the author wrote trying to convert people to a certain religion, at least I didn't get that.
    Thanks, Terri, for you input. I loved hearing what you thought of it.

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  9. I found it to be a conversation starter...which may be its strongest point. I also loved the visualization of spending time with Jesus on the Dock looking up into the starry skies. Just a very neat scene...I thought.

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  10. Can't wait to read this one. Hopefully, I'll be able to after the little one goes back home.

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