Tuesday, April 21, 2009

April book: The Shack


I read The Shack for our monthly church Book Club meeting, which will take place later this week. I look forward to the conversation we'll have, as the story and the concepts about God are intriguing. Radical trust and forgiveness; unconventional images of God; a terribly horrific experience that needs to be healed.

That being said, for some reason I didn't find The Shack as compelling as I thought I would. The central metaphor of The Shack -- the place where God meets us as the place of our deepest pain -- is exactly right, I think. But something seemed a little too facile about it, for me. And, in the midst of deep pain, as many people experience God's absence as God's presence, I believe.

As we discuss this book, there will be more conversation, discoveries and deeper insights. I look forward to sharing and hearing them.


Also, this is a reminder that our May book is Plain Truth, by Jodi Picoult. I'll try to get a link up to a reading guide soon.