Thousand Acre Church

I had a weird experience this morning after our Sunday school class finished today’s discussion about The Shack. I started a conversation with the guy in FRONT of me about “some thing or other”, when I overheard the guy sitting BEHIND me make a comment that sucked me out. I tried sooooo hard to remain focused on the guy in FRONT of me; I wanted to be a good listener, you know. But, as I stared with great intentionality at the guy I was supposed to be listening to in FRONT of me, I listened with great intentionality to the guy BEHIND me. Here is what he said that wrapped up my attention: “When The Shack talks about the Bible, does it lower it down or raise it up?”

This wasn’t an innocent question. He was asking this question of the other guy in the row behind me with a satisfactory answer already in mind. It was the kind of question that is really an attempt to make a statement. A rhetorical question. Of course, after a few moments of silence between these guys, the guy who asked the question answered, “It lowers it down.” Let me tell you what I think he was trying to assert… “The Shack undermines the authority of the Bible as THE source of truth. It places Scripture next to nature, tradition, art, etc. as A source of knowledge of God.” I disagree with him (I’m not sure that the book actually succeeds in achieving that or if the author even had that end in mind), but that’s what this guy sitting behind me was saying.

It was God’s good grace that I didn’t agree with the guy BEHIND me because it allowed my listening attentions to be refocused on the guy in FRONT of me. I thus barely avoided an embarrassing “Did you hear what I just said?” moment. I don’t often give an ear to conversations into which I’m not invited. This was an exception, and I regret my noseyness; but, hearing that guy’s question/comment about The Shack tied up my thoughts during much of the morning after class. God provided salvation from total preoccupation in the eagerness of my wife to hear my thoughts on the conversation in which I never officially participated. If I’m ever accused of listening in, I will deny it and destroy this blog.

Then, in a miraculous coincidence, the section of a book I’m reading made some comments about the interpretation of the Bible that seemed to shine light on the environment in which The Shack has exceeded the expectations of its author with regard to its impact in the Christian community. I’m going to unpack some of that in the next few blog posts. For now, I want to give a bullet quote from The Shack (re: the Bible) that may not have been permitted as fodder for Sunday school in previous generations. You’ll think what you think about this quote (insight-filled redundancy courtesy of moi), and whatever you think is cool with me. What I’d like to share in future posts is an explanation of why this comment about the Bible may be acceptable among faithful followers of Jesus and why it may not have been acceptable in the past. Along the way I’ll tell you how I think The Shack may, contrary to the assertion made by my friend in the row BEHIND me this morning, be affirming the Bible as authoritative in the community of God’s people.

Here you go…. FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!!!!:

“In seminary he [Mack] had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted, of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects. It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerners’ access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia. Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that guilt edges?” (ppg. 65,66)