Product Description

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 Youngs 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 books complex and controversial issues. Thus he explains why God the Father is revealed as an African American woman, he defends the books 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 books 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6886 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Review
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.

A scholarly specialist on Trinitarian issues engages with the explosive popular-level novel The Shack. The outcome is a searching and helpfully revealing theological analysis, and one which is also a generous commendation of Youngs contribution on Trinity and where tragedy confronts eternity. --Max Turner, Professor of New Testament Studies, London School of Theology

Randal Rauser has provided a stunning exploration of William P. Youngs novel The Shack that extends its beauty and impact, whilst simultaneously enabling discussion and reflection around some of the most awe-inspiring and essential beliefs of the Christian Faith contained within it. --Jason Clark, Founding Pastor, Sutton Vineyard, UK

About the Author
Randal Rauser is associate professor of historical theology at Taylor Seminary, Edmonton, Canada

Customer Reviews

An accidental purchase
[[ASIN:1606570323 Finding God in the Shack

I bought this book by accident (I was intending to buy the Shack and picked this up by mistake). Whilst it is obviously a theological study of the Shack, it works as a stand alone book. It has challenged some of my views of the Trinity and they were reasonably orthodox (small o) to start with. I would recommend this book to anyone. I can't comment on how well it relates to the Shack as I have yet to read it.

'Finding God in The Shack'
Sadly, there are a lot of critics of 'The Shack', many of whom seem to be locked into a rigid religiosity, bordering on ignorance. 'Finding God in The Shack' is a superbly written, easy to read theological appraisal, which will make you think and should hopefully go a long way to answering said critics, i.e if they have the humility to admit that they might possibly be wrong. I wonder if these critics, hold similar views with respect to other allegorical stories such as 'Pilgrims Progress', or those written by C.S Lewis or Hannah Hurnard. How sad if they do.