"The Shack" - It's heresies

Some people have taken exception to my warning against The Shack. I reviewed the book in 2010, and found 13 heresies in it, and no new truths. There may be more that I have missed. Please remember that the writer and the publishers at first promoted this book as truth, it was only later when they were challenged by Christian Scholars that they admitted it was only fiction. There is no way this book can be deemed Christian, because the God portrayed in this book is definitely not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God that sent His only begotten Son so that we may be saved through HIS doing and dying on the cross. Here follows a list of the heresies as I found them:

1. God the Father was crucified with Jesus.
2. That God is completely limited by His love and He cannot practice justice.
3. On the cross, God forgave all humanity, regardless of whether they repent or not.
4. Hierarchical structures, whether they are in the church or in government, are evil.
5. God will never judge people for their sins.
6. That there is not a hierarchical structure in the Godhead, just a circle of unity.
7. God submits to human choices and wishes.
8. Justice will never take place because of love.
9. There is no such thing as eternal judgement or torment in hell.
10. It doesn’t matter which way you get to Jesus.
11. Jesus is constantly being transformed along with us.
12. There is no need for faith or reconciliation with God because everyone will make it to heaven.
13. The Bible is not true because it reduces God to paper.

Now here's my list of why the above are heresies:

1. Because God's eyes are pure and cannot look upon sin, the Bible says that God would not look upon His own beloved Son as He hung on the Cross, carrying our sins (Habakkuk 1:13; Matthew 27:45).
2. The Bible declares that God's love and His justice are two sides of the same coin — equally a part of the personality and the character of God (Isaiah 61:8; Hosea 2:19).
3. Jesus explained that only those who come to Him will be saved (John 14:6).
4. Our God is a God of order (Job 25:2).
5. The Word of God repeatedly invites people to escape from the judgment of God by believing in Jesus Christ, His Son (Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:1-3).
6. The Bible says that Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. This doesn't mean that one Person is higher or better than the other; just unique. Jesus said, "I came to do the will of Him who sent me. I am here to obey my Father." Jesus also said, "I will send you the Holy Spirit" (John 4:34, 6:44, 14:26, 15:26).
7. Far from God submitting to us, Jesus said, "Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life." We are to submit to Him in all things, for His glory and because of what He has accomplished for us (Matthew 7:13-15).
8. The Bible teaches that when God's love is rejected, and when the offer of salvation and forgiveness is rejected, justice must take place or God has sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for nothing (Matthew 12:20; Romans 3:25-26).
9. Jesus' own description of hell is vivid ... it cannot be denied (Luke 12:5, 16:23).
10. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one will come to the Father but by me" (John 14:6).
11. Jesus, who dwells in the splendor of heaven, sits at the right hand of God, reigning and ruling the universe. The Bible says, "In Him there is no change, for He is yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 11:12, 13:8; James 1:17).
12. Jesus said, "Only those who believe in me will have eternal life" (John 3:15, 3:36, 5:24, 6:40).
13. The Bible is God-breathed. Sure, there were many men through 1,800 years who put pen to paper (so to speak), each from different professions and different backgrounds, but the Holy Spirit infused their work with God's words. These men were writing the same message from Genesis to Revelation.

Now, I ask you, can you in all good consciense still say I'm on a witch-hunt? That it is just a book, and it could help people in their understanding of God in his Trinity? Can you even say that the author is writing about the same God that we serve? I think not.

God bless!

Saved by Grace.