The Shack (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Shack is a Christian novel
by Canadian author William P. Young
, a former office manager and hotel night clerk, published in 2007. The novel was self-published but became a USA Today
bestseller
, having sold 1 million copies as of June 8, 2008. It was the #1 Paperback trade fiction seller on the New York Times best sellers list from June 2008 to early 2010.
The title of the book is a metaphor for “the house you build out of your own pain”, as Young explained in a telephone interview. He also states to radio host talk show Drew Marshall
that The Shack "is a metaphor for the places you get stuck, you get hurt, you get damaged...the thing where shame or hurt is centered."
Four years prior to the main events of the story, Mack takes his three children on a camping
trip to Wallowa Lake
near Joseph, Oregon
stopping at Multnomah Falls
on the way. Two of his children are playing in a canoe
when it flips and almost drowns Mack's son. Mack is able to save his son by rushing to the water and freeing him from the canoes webbing, but unintentionally leaves his youngest daughter Missy alone at their campsite. After Mack returns, he sees that Missy is missing. The police are called, and the family discovers that Missy has been abducted and murdered by a serial killer known as the "Little Ladykiller." The police find an abandoned shack in the woods where Missy was taken, her bloodied clothing is found, but her body is never located. Mack's life sinks into what he calls "The Great Sadness."
At the beginning of the book, Mack receives a note in his mailbox from "Papa," saying that he would like to meet with Mack on that coming weekend at the shack. Mack is puzzled by the note - he has no relationship with his abusive father after Mack leaves home at age 13. He suspects that the note may be from God
, whom his wife Nan refers to as "Papa."
Mack's family leaves to visit relatives and he goes alone to the shack, unsure of what he will see there. He arrives and finds nothing, but as he is leaving, the shack and its surroundings are supernaturally transformed into a lush and inviting scene. He enters the shack and encounters manifestations of the three persons of the Trinity
. God the Father
takes the form of an African American
woman who calls herself Elouisa and Papa, Jesus Christ is a Middle-Eastern carpenter
, and the Holy Spirit
physically manifests itself as an Asian
woman named Sarayu.
The bulk of the book narrates Mack's conversations with Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu as he comes to terms with Missy's death and his relationships with the three of them. Mack also has various experiences with each of them. Mack walks across a lake
with Jesus, sees an image of his father in heaven with Sarayu, and has a conversation with Sophia, the personification of God's wisdom. At the end of his visit, Mack goes on a hike with Papa, who shows him where Missy's body was left in a cave.
After spending the weekend at the shack, Mack leaves and is so preoccupied with his thoughts that he is nearly killed in an automobile accident. After his recovery, he realizes that he did not in fact spend the weekend at the shack, but that his accident occurred on the same day that he arrived at the shack. He also leads the police to the cave which Papa revealed, and they find Missy's body still lying there. With the help of forensic evidence discovered at the scene, the Little Ladykiller is arrested and put on trial.
, Brad Cummings (both former pastors from Los Angeles
) and Bobby Downes
(filmmaker) to bring the book to publication. They had no success with either religious or secular publishers, so they formed Wind Blown Media for the sole purpose of publishing this one book. The Shack achieved its #1 best selling success via word-of-mouth and with the help of a USD
$300.00 website; it is often reported that nothing else had been spent on marketing up to September 2007. Additional startup funds were supplied by Brad Cummings, president of Windblown Media, who spent the maximum credit limit
on 12 personal credit card
s in order to publish the book.
promotion in churches and Christian-themed radio, websites, and blogs.
As of May 2010, The Shack had over 10 million copies in print, and had been at number 1 on the New York Times best seller list for 70 weeks. The Shack was also released in hardcover, and translated into Spanish as La Cabaña. In June 2009 a German translation with the title Die Hütte – ein Wochenende mit Gott (… a Weekend with God) was released. it was also translated into Croatian as "Koliba" and it became very popular in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In his "Doctrine" series, Mars Hill Church
pastor Mark Driscoll
criticized The Shack for presenting a non-Biblical
view of the Trinity
including the use of graven imagery, goddess
worship, and modalism. Evangelical author Chuck Colson wrote a review called "Stay Out of The Shack," in which he criticizes the attribution of "silly lines" to characters representing the three Persons of the Trinity, and the author's low view of scripture.
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
called The Shack "deeply troubling" on his radio show, saying that it "includes undiluted heresy". Apologist Norman Geisler
has also weighed in with a critique outlining 14 theological "problems" with the book.
Theologian Randal Rauser has written a generally sympathetic guide to The Shack in his companion volume Finding God in the Shack (Paternoster, 2009). In the book Rauser responds to many of the objections raised by critics like Colson and Mohler.
Wayne Jacobsen
, one of Young's early collaborators, wrote a detailed response to several common points of criticism. His column "Is the Shack Heresy?" was published online by Windblown Media.
reported that The Shack had "spawned a tangle of lawsuits over royalties and even the book's authorship." Young claimed that he was owed $8million in royalties, Jacobsen and Cummings filed a suit against Young, Young asked the court to dismiss or stay the claims, Jacobsen and Cummings responded. Hachette, the commercial publisher involved, asked the court to determine to whom it should pay royalties from the book. On 10 January 2011 the court declared that it had been advised that the case between Young et al and Jacobsen et al "has been settled or is in the process of being settled" and the case was dismissed.
Christian novel
A Christian novel is any novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian world view in its plot, its characters, or both, or which deals with Christian themes in a positive way.-The tradition of Christian fiction:...
by Canadian author William P. Young
William P. Young
William Paul Young is a Canadian author, best known for The Shack, a novel.- Biography :Young was the eldest of four, born May 11, 1955, in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, but the majority of his first decade was lived with his missionary parents in the highlands of Netherlands New Guinea , among...
, a former office manager and hotel night clerk, published in 2007. The novel was self-published but became a USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
, having sold 1 million copies as of June 8, 2008. It was the #1 Paperback trade fiction seller on the New York Times best sellers list from June 2008 to early 2010.
The title of the book is a metaphor for “the house you build out of your own pain”, as Young explained in a telephone interview. He also states to radio host talk show Drew Marshall
Drew Marshall
Drew Marshall is the host of The Drew Marshall Show, a spiritual talkback radio show. His show airs live on CJYE based in Oakville, Ontario.-Biography:...
that The Shack "is a metaphor for the places you get stuck, you get hurt, you get damaged...the thing where shame or hurt is centered."
Plot
The novel is set in the American Northwest. The main character is Mackenzie Philips, a father of five, called "Mack" by his family and friends.Four years prior to the main events of the story, Mack takes his three children on a camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
trip to Wallowa Lake
Wallowa Lake
Wallowa Lake is a ribbon lake one mile south of Joseph, Oregon, United States. Impounded by high moraines, it was formed by a series of Pleistocene glaciers. On the south end of the lake is a small community made up of vacation homes, lodging, restaurants, as well as other small businesses....
near Joseph, Oregon
Joseph, Oregon
Joseph is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. Originally named Silver Lake and Lake City, in 1880 the city formally named itself for Nez Perce Chief Joseph. The population was 1,054 at the 2000 census.- History :...
stopping at Multnomah Falls
Multnomah Falls
-External links:* and , from a USFS website* from the Oregon Tourism Commission* , from a Library of Congress website* * * * *...
on the way. Two of his children are playing in a canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
when it flips and almost drowns Mack's son. Mack is able to save his son by rushing to the water and freeing him from the canoes webbing, but unintentionally leaves his youngest daughter Missy alone at their campsite. After Mack returns, he sees that Missy is missing. The police are called, and the family discovers that Missy has been abducted and murdered by a serial killer known as the "Little Ladykiller." The police find an abandoned shack in the woods where Missy was taken, her bloodied clothing is found, but her body is never located. Mack's life sinks into what he calls "The Great Sadness."
At the beginning of the book, Mack receives a note in his mailbox from "Papa," saying that he would like to meet with Mack on that coming weekend at the shack. Mack is puzzled by the note - he has no relationship with his abusive father after Mack leaves home at age 13. He suspects that the note may be from God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, whom his wife Nan refers to as "Papa."
Mack's family leaves to visit relatives and he goes alone to the shack, unsure of what he will see there. He arrives and finds nothing, but as he is leaving, the shack and its surroundings are supernaturally transformed into a lush and inviting scene. He enters the shack and encounters manifestations of the three persons of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
. God the Father
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
takes the form of an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman who calls herself Elouisa and Papa, Jesus Christ is a Middle-Eastern carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, and the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
physically manifests itself as an Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
woman named Sarayu.
The bulk of the book narrates Mack's conversations with Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu as he comes to terms with Missy's death and his relationships with the three of them. Mack also has various experiences with each of them. Mack walks across a lake
Walking on water
Jesus' walks on water, or Jesus walking on water, is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. Accounts of the miracle appear in three Gospels: Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52 and...
with Jesus, sees an image of his father in heaven with Sarayu, and has a conversation with Sophia, the personification of God's wisdom. At the end of his visit, Mack goes on a hike with Papa, who shows him where Missy's body was left in a cave.
After spending the weekend at the shack, Mack leaves and is so preoccupied with his thoughts that he is nearly killed in an automobile accident. After his recovery, he realizes that he did not in fact spend the weekend at the shack, but that his accident occurred on the same day that he arrived at the shack. He also leads the police to the cave which Papa revealed, and they find Missy's body still lying there. With the help of forensic evidence discovered at the scene, the Little Ladykiller is arrested and put on trial.
Publication
Young originally wrote The Shack as a Christmas gift for his six children with no apparent intention of publishing it. After letting several friends read the book he was urged to publish it for the general public. In 2006, Young worked closely with Wayne JacobsenWayne Jacobsen
Wayne Jacobsen is an American author, best known for He Loves Me!, a nonfiction book about the Love of God. He also collaborated on the writing of The Shack and helped create Windblown Media, the publishing company behind the phenomenon...
, Brad Cummings (both former pastors from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
) and Bobby Downes
Bobby Downes
Bobby Downes is an American movie producer and the older brother of Kevin Downes.-Biography:Downes grew up in Visalia, about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, where most of the Christian films he participated in were shot. He currently lives in Visalia with his wife Layne and their son Brennen...
(filmmaker) to bring the book to publication. They had no success with either religious or secular publishers, so they formed Wind Blown Media for the sole purpose of publishing this one book. The Shack achieved its #1 best selling success via word-of-mouth and with the help of a USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$300.00 website; it is often reported that nothing else had been spent on marketing up to September 2007. Additional startup funds were supplied by Brad Cummings, president of Windblown Media, who spent the maximum credit limit
Credit limit
A credit limit is the maximum amount of credit that a financial institution or other lender will extend to a debtor for a particular line of credit...
on 12 personal credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
s in order to publish the book.
Reception
The Shack went largely unnoticed for over a year after its initial publication, but suddenly became a very popular seller in the summer of 2008, when it debuted at number 1 on the New York Times paperback fiction best sellers list on June 8. Its success was the result of word of mouthWord of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
promotion in churches and Christian-themed radio, websites, and blogs.
As of May 2010, The Shack had over 10 million copies in print, and had been at number 1 on the New York Times best seller list for 70 weeks. The Shack was also released in hardcover, and translated into Spanish as La Cabaña. In June 2009 a German translation with the title Die Hütte – ein Wochenende mit Gott (… a Weekend with God) was released. it was also translated into Croatian as "Koliba" and it became very popular in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In his "Doctrine" series, Mars Hill Church
Mars Hill Church
Mars Hill Church is a Reformed Christian megachurch located in Seattle, Washington. Services are offered at multiple locations in the city; the church podcasts content of weekend services, as well as conferences on the Internet with more than 100,000 downloads every week...
pastor Mark Driscoll
Mark Driscoll
Mark A. Driscoll is an American pastor and author. He is the founder and preaching pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, he co-founded the Acts 29 Network and Churches Helping Churches, and has contributed to the "Faith and Values" section of the Seattle Times and the "On Faith"...
criticized The Shack for presenting a non-Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
view of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
including the use of graven imagery, goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
worship, and modalism. Evangelical author Chuck Colson wrote a review called "Stay Out of The Shack," in which he criticizes the attribution of "silly lines" to characters representing the three Persons of the Trinity, and the author's low view of scripture.
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Mohler's approach to Muslims is driven by his belief in the relevance of the Christian Gospel to all people.-Media appearances:Mohler appeared on MSNBC's Donahue on August 20, 2002. The subject was Christian evangelization of Jews...
called The Shack "deeply troubling" on his radio show, saying that it "includes undiluted heresy". Apologist Norman Geisler
Norman Geisler
Norman L. Geisler is a Christian apologist and the co-founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary outside Charlotte, North Carolina, where he formerly taught. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Jesuit Loyola University...
has also weighed in with a critique outlining 14 theological "problems" with the book.
Theologian Randal Rauser has written a generally sympathetic guide to The Shack in his companion volume Finding God in the Shack (Paternoster, 2009). In the book Rauser responds to many of the objections raised by critics like Colson and Mohler.
Wayne Jacobsen
Wayne Jacobsen
Wayne Jacobsen is an American author, best known for He Loves Me!, a nonfiction book about the Love of God. He also collaborated on the writing of The Shack and helped create Windblown Media, the publishing company behind the phenomenon...
, one of Young's early collaborators, wrote a detailed response to several common points of criticism. His column "Is the Shack Heresy?" was published online by Windblown Media.
Legal dispute
In July 2010 the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that The Shack had "spawned a tangle of lawsuits over royalties and even the book's authorship." Young claimed that he was owed $8million in royalties, Jacobsen and Cummings filed a suit against Young, Young asked the court to dismiss or stay the claims, Jacobsen and Cummings responded. Hachette, the commercial publisher involved, asked the court to determine to whom it should pay royalties from the book. On 10 January 2011 the court declared that it had been advised that the case between Young et al and Jacobsen et al "has been settled or is in the process of being settled" and the case was dismissed.