The Shack - A Catholic View

I want to share some thoughts with you on a book that’s been out for quite some time, it was a very popular book when it was first released in 2007. So why am I talking about a book that was published 10 years ago?, it’s because it will soon be released as a movie on March 3, 2017. The book is called “The Shack.”

When I learned that it was going to be released as a movie, I was thrilled. I enjoyed the book immensely and it opened my eyes to a lot of things and made me think about things in ways that I never thought of before. And because it had been a while since I had originally read it, I wanted to read it again prior to seeing the movie, so I did. Because I enjoyed the book so much, after I read it the first time, I started to share my feelings about the book with others and I encouraged my friends to read it as well. What I didn’t expect was a little bit of a backlash I got from some of my close friends for reading the book. Why? Because it is not written from a Catholic perspective and because the story doesn’t follow the Doctrine of Catholic teaching, it is looked on by some as something to avoid.

Let me say that the first time I read the book, I knew as much about my faith as most “cradle Catholics.” I didn’t go deep into understanding my faith and everything behind it. However, in the last 10 years, I have had many experiences that have pushed me to not only learn more, but to understand why, as a Catholic, we do the things we do and why we believe the things we believe about the Catholic faith. While I'm not a theologian by any means, I'm still learning and hope to learn until the day I die. It’s an amazing journey, and in some ways, similar to the storyline in the book.

If you haven’t read the book, here is a brief synopsis:

Mackenzie Allen Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation. 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 his life forever.

First of all, here’s what I want to say to everyone. Read the book, it’s an amazing story of one man’s journey. Second, here’s what I want to say to Catholics in particular. Yes, it’s true that there are some parts of the book that are not “in line” with Catholic doctrine. Let’s face it, as Catholics we are also Christian and there are also so many good Christian aspects of this story as well. If you’re a strong, devout Catholic then you know what to believe and this book will not make you less of a Catholic because of it. Speaking for myself, it inspired me to be more.

For example, one of the aspects the book highlights is The Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Before I read this book, I didn’t understand what an important role the Holy Spirit plays in my life. I would direct all my belief and prayers to God alone. Did the book suddenly make me aware that the Holy Spirit is real? in a way, yes. But more importantly, if fostered that relationship in a new way and opened my eyes to see the importance of The Trinity. I wrote about this in a previous post, which you can read here.

Have you ever witnessed something or someone in your life that could only be described as “life-changing” or maybe even a miracle? And if so, did it not affirm for you that God is real and alive and working in all our lives and even the people who have no faith at all? My point is that not everything we experience in our lives is from a Catholic perspective, but those things can still strengthen our Catholic faith. “The Shack” is no different. So if you have thought about reading it and decided or heard from someone that you shouldn’t for the reasons I mentioned earlier, don’t let that stop you from reading it. If you’ve experienced a great tragedy in your life, and have experienced your own "great sadness" you may be able to relate to the main character’s journey, feelings, struggles and most of all, healing.

Perhaps the book won’t have the same impact on you that it had on me. I’m anxious to see this film and I pray that anyone who reads the book and sees the movie will be inspired to deepen his or her own faith journey. Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below.