The Shack, by William Paul Young has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide since its publication in 2007. It has now been made into a major motion picture. Having heard and read many fine reviews of each, I thought I would see the movie for myself and get a sense of it.
Synopsis
The story surrounds the life of a man named MacKenzie Philips, (not toe be confused with the actress by the same name) who grows up with an abusive father who is an elder in his church. He later marries and has three kids. His youngest, his baby, is kidnapped and murdered. In the midst of his grief he meets God. After spending a weekend with the three Persons, he finally comes to some closure on the death of his daughter, as well as the abusive father. He returns home where he begins helping his family heal.
The Good
The way the Problem of Evil is addressed is well done, pointing out that the creation of free creatures entails the possibility for evil and suffering. Moreover, Mac is forced to admit that when he is the judge he cannot pass his own standards. Additionally, he is presented with a situation in which he must choose for one of his children to be saved and another to be damned. His response is to offer himself, and in so doing he comes to better understand the heart of God for the lost.
The love of God is portrayed in a moving way that can inspire the viewer to love God more. (More on this in the Moinks) The whole story is powerful in its emotional appeal. It is so easy to identify with Mac, to feel his pain, and to celebrate the resolution in the lives of sympathetic characters. Who doesn’t love a story where brokenness is healed and reconciliation is attained. I sure do. I won’t say too much about my own emotional reactions lest I be required to surrender my man card.
The Bad
While I understand that the book on which the movie is based is a novel, make no mistake, the author intends to persuade with the book and the movie. In fact, he has since published a nonfiction book, Lies We Believe About God. Unfortunately, what Young wants to persuade you of is that God does not judge, is not in control, and that hell does not exist, that Jesus’ death on the cross had nothing to do with sin. In fact, sin is not even a thing on Young’s view. Young would also have us believe that all are going to be reconciled to God. No need for faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. (While some have objected to portraying God as a woman, I don’t think that is such a big deal, especially considering the more serious problems.)
The Moinks
“Okay, wait a minute. What’s a moink?” I’m glad you asked. A moink is a bacon-wrapped meatball coated with a glaze. (Ok, I just had to stop typing to clean the drool off the keyboard.) What have moinks got to do with The Shack? Another great question. In the movie, Mac puts strychnine poison in his father’s booze. (The implication is that he killed him, but that wasn’t 100% clear to me unless I missed an important scene.) The point is that Mac at least tried to poison his father by mixing a toxic substance with something his father liked. Likewise, the dangerously bad theology (any theology that suggests that you have no need to be reconciled to God is dangerously bad) wrapped in such a wonderful story is like putting strychnine in moinks. You would die smiling, but you would die.
Really, the danger of The Shack is an illustration of the danger of taking any form of entertainment in uncritically. We must always think through what we consume with our minds fully engaged. The risk of well-made movies is that the viewer is invited to lose herself in the story. When you do that, ideas are presented in a way that can bypass your reasoning faculties, appealing to your emotions in a powerful way. Emotions are wonderful servants, but terrible masters. If you read the book or watch the movie, do NOT turn your mind off. Remember, we are to love God with all our minds.
The Apologetics Minion 
I think we have to receive the movie message(s) in the context intended, as entertainment, and examine the Scriptures to determine what parts, if any, of the message are true (Acts 17:11) and encourage others to do the same.
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Hey, Paula. Thanks for the feedback. I think that to see entertainment as a neutral medium is a mistake, because there are no neutral creators of art. Authors and screenwriters who create works of fiction have a point of view they wish to communicate. They promote a viewpoint by putting it in the mouths of the most likable characters in their stories, and put the viewpoint they wish to oppose in the mouths of the “villains” of their stories. If we approach our entertainment consumption with this in mind, we are able to “eat the meat and spit out the bones.” However, if we consume media thinking it is just “entertainment” that does not intend to persuade us, we are vulnerable to subtle persuasion in a way that bypasses our rational faculties. Let me recommend a fine book by Brian Godawa, “Hollywood Worldviews.” https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Worldviews-Watching-Wisdom-Discernment-ebook/dp/B0065L1Q7Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490060498&sr=8-1&keywords=hollywood+worldviews
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