[When my good friend, apologist Alisa Childers, heard I was reading William Paul Young's new book, she asked me if I would consider sharing my thoughts as a guest post. After completing the book, I prayerfully agreed. For inspiring articles that will bolster your faith with the latest science, philosophy, history, and more, be sure to subscribe to Alisa's blog.]
Author of The Shack, William Paul Young, has delivered to millions of devoted followers a book entitled Lies We Believe About God. A little late to the game, I just finished reading it, and I’ll be honest…it breaks my heart. After reading The Shack several years ago, I felt I'd met a kindred spirit in Paul Young—a friend who understood the depths to which God will go to heal a broken heart. I had been so deeply wounded by childhood sexual abuse...and the message of the Father's love brought tremendous healing to my life. The Shack echoed so much I held dear, and though theological quirks were there, I dismissed them as mere creative license allowed in a fiction. Though there were points I didn't fully agree with, I developed a trust and respect for Paul. Which is what I suspect many others would do: respect him...and trust him. Enough to invite him into their hearts again by reading his latest book.
I'll admit, I heard several negative things about the book before I read it—dangerously negative—which is why I needed to read it for myself and why I now choose to make my thoughts public. You see, many people I love and admire are fans of The Shack, both book and now movie. So, for me, the stakes are high. It’s hearts on the line, not mere book ratings.
To me, reading a book is somewhat like inviting an author into my home. So, opening this book was like opening the door to Paul and inviting him in to chat over coffee and a snack. Our visit started with me telling him what I’d heard, and him comforting me with a few non-threatening assurances that everything was going to be just fine—that I should just relax. So, I settled down a bit. But that settled feeling didn’t last long. By no more than 40 pages in, I discovered that reading the book was like visiting with a friend gone crazy—a friend you pray is only joking. Except you can plainly see he's not. He is dead serious. (To read more, visit Alisachilders.com)