The "Love" Shack
By Terrence Clark
I didn’t read the bestselling book by William P. Young when it debuted in 2007. Sunday, March 12, 2017, ten years later, I saw the movie adaptation (director---Stuart Hazeldine, screenplay---John Fusco) after church. It’s confirmed, “The Shack” isn’t an autobiography of the former LA Laker’s basketball team center--Shaquille O’Neal. (I’m sorry, I just couldn't resist the pun.) The Shack, if you don’t know, is an allegory---a Christian gospel message of love, forgiveness, and restoration.
It’s a story of Mackenzie Phillips---a man who was raised in the church universe but suffered the sometimes obscure hand of abuse. The abuser and alcoholic father, one of the church leaders, whose inebriated downtime included slapping his wife around and beating his son. Mack apparently helps his father reached his appointed time with death by mixing strychnine into his liquor bottle. Mackenzie’s story, in the film, reemerges with him as a grown man married with a family of his own. He is still in church---faithfully with his family. However, he is just going through the motions, while growing deeper in distrust, towards a God that would allow evil to exist, and continue, unanswered in the world. His pain is intensified, when on a camping trip, his youngest daughter--Missy is abducted, and by evidence, murdered by an assailant, whom the authorities were unable to capture, before and after his daughter’s tragedy. |
The blood trail leads and ends at an old, broken down, abandon, shack in the mountains, not too far from the campsite. Forensic evidence is conclusive----therein is Missy’s blood stained dress, but her body is not found.
Time passes and the trauma has understandably affected his whole family. He and his remaining daughter--Kate suffering most with the guilt and blame of the incident. One snowing day whilst his wife Nan has taken their daughter to a new therapist. An unexplained invitation mysteriously appears in his mailbox---an invitation to return to the shack, signed by “Papa.” Papa---as revealed earlier in the story is the family’s name for God—the Father. Mack reluctantly, but finally accepts the invitation. He steals his neighbors (the narrator of the story) truck and heads back to the site. Surviving a near death encounter via a semi-tractor trailer, he returns back to the old broken down shack where nothing in appearance has really changed. Even his daughter’s blood stain is still there on the floor. |
Anger and hurt intensify almost to the point of suicide. Mackenzie leaves to return to the truck. And, this is where the story intensifies and the critics begin to throw their stones. Mack is met by the first of three beings who claim to be one---manifested in three different persons.
The book’s and film’s objective surface. The man has been called back to the place of his pain and hurt, by God, to find healing, deliverance, comfort, strength, forgiveness and salvation.
And if the Oneness or Modalism theologians would already have an issue with this portrayal of God, the Father is portrayed by Octavia Spencer and African American female. The Holy Spirit is portrayed by---Sumire Matsubara (Sarayu), a pretty Japenese model & actress. And the first one he meets, carrying wood, is Israeli actor---Avraham Aviv Alush playing Jesus.
Mack is as challenged with this portrayal of God as the critics. Papa explained, because of the abuse from his father, on top of his own self-blame [deducted] that this revelation of God was used because he was not at a place to receive from a white-bearded father figure.
Without arguing the doctrine of the Trinity, it has to be noted that despite any belief, this is how God has portrayed himself in the His book –the Bible. Whether this revelation is thought to be symbolic or actual it is certainly a part of Yahweh’s description of Himself. The separate, but unified nature of the godhead (as called in Romans 1:20) is clearly painted in both Old and New Testament. 1 Timothy 3:16----says:
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The Trinity can be more clearly seen when seen through the eyes and operation of Love. [This is not a doctrine but and illustration.] Because of John 3:16---God’s love for the world, Jesus came out of God in manifestation to redeem mankind. A sacrifice was needed and Jesus became that sacrifice. Of course, scripture says in John 1:14 that Jesus---the Living Word always was and existing coequally with God (the Father). Jesus said, “I would not leave you comfortless” and the Holy Spirit came out of God to dwell geographically with man. Coincidentally, in Genesis 1:1-3, The Spirit was in the beginning, also, always with God, and one with Him.
It’s true, every time you attempt to portray God in film, literature, or art you will have to walk on water to maintain any accuracy of truth. Simplified, Jesus said all the law hangs on the Commandment of Love. It appears that everything of life, if not centered on God’s love, can never be fully comprehended. This includes God’s wrath, which in The Shack, as explained by Papa, is more so the result of sin than the anger of Elohim (Creator & Judge).
The Shack screened the gospel in operation. It wasn’t a film lecturer on doctrine. It ministered the God of the Bible---how he reaches every soul. “God is a Father to the fatherless and a mother to the motherless,” is often quoted and sang, this message is portrayed in The Shack.
Love (and faith in that Love of God) is the ingredient that makes this gospel story work on the screen and off. Seen from the 3D-glasses of love, I thought The Shack---the movie was heart reaching, gospel effective, and powerful. Of course, years ago, I in a morning service while the pastor was preaching----Papa gave me a mini-vision.
It was a playground. Children were playing, laughter filled the air. There was such a peace everywhere. In the forefront and center, three beings were wrestling. They had no distinct form. They were intertwined, so as I could not see where one began and the other ended. I just saw what would be their heads, upper torso, and hands.
They were laughing, moving, wrestling, and having so much fun. Suddenly, I saw one push up from the conglomeration and look around and then down to the other two. I perceived this being as the Father. He sighed, and said---“Let us make man in own image and likeness.”
We indeed need to be sure to keep our interpretation of scripture in film and art accurate with God’s Word, but we cannot allow religious binders to hinder us from seeing His love in expanse. It was the religious people of Jesus’ day that challenged Him because He didn’t teach God in the confines of their theology.
He showed a God of demonstration---A God of Love. Jesus shared a God, who although hates sin, forgives prostitutes. He revealed a God who took children in His arms and blessed them. He demonstrated a God who went to the cross Himself because of love. One who allowed himself to be beaten beyond recognition for love and rose again by love.
In Heaven, Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He has a human body. It still has the scars. He’ll have it for eternity with us. His portrayal of love will continually play.
The book’s and film’s objective surface. The man has been called back to the place of his pain and hurt, by God, to find healing, deliverance, comfort, strength, forgiveness and salvation.
And if the Oneness or Modalism theologians would already have an issue with this portrayal of God, the Father is portrayed by Octavia Spencer and African American female. The Holy Spirit is portrayed by---Sumire Matsubara (Sarayu), a pretty Japenese model & actress. And the first one he meets, carrying wood, is Israeli actor---Avraham Aviv Alush playing Jesus.
Mack is as challenged with this portrayal of God as the critics. Papa explained, because of the abuse from his father, on top of his own self-blame [deducted] that this revelation of God was used because he was not at a place to receive from a white-bearded father figure.
Without arguing the doctrine of the Trinity, it has to be noted that despite any belief, this is how God has portrayed himself in the His book –the Bible. Whether this revelation is thought to be symbolic or actual it is certainly a part of Yahweh’s description of Himself. The separate, but unified nature of the godhead (as called in Romans 1:20) is clearly painted in both Old and New Testament. 1 Timothy 3:16----says:
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The Trinity can be more clearly seen when seen through the eyes and operation of Love. [This is not a doctrine but and illustration.] Because of John 3:16---God’s love for the world, Jesus came out of God in manifestation to redeem mankind. A sacrifice was needed and Jesus became that sacrifice. Of course, scripture says in John 1:14 that Jesus---the Living Word always was and existing coequally with God (the Father). Jesus said, “I would not leave you comfortless” and the Holy Spirit came out of God to dwell geographically with man. Coincidentally, in Genesis 1:1-3, The Spirit was in the beginning, also, always with God, and one with Him.
It’s true, every time you attempt to portray God in film, literature, or art you will have to walk on water to maintain any accuracy of truth. Simplified, Jesus said all the law hangs on the Commandment of Love. It appears that everything of life, if not centered on God’s love, can never be fully comprehended. This includes God’s wrath, which in The Shack, as explained by Papa, is more so the result of sin than the anger of Elohim (Creator & Judge).
The Shack screened the gospel in operation. It wasn’t a film lecturer on doctrine. It ministered the God of the Bible---how he reaches every soul. “God is a Father to the fatherless and a mother to the motherless,” is often quoted and sang, this message is portrayed in The Shack.
Love (and faith in that Love of God) is the ingredient that makes this gospel story work on the screen and off. Seen from the 3D-glasses of love, I thought The Shack---the movie was heart reaching, gospel effective, and powerful. Of course, years ago, I in a morning service while the pastor was preaching----Papa gave me a mini-vision.
It was a playground. Children were playing, laughter filled the air. There was such a peace everywhere. In the forefront and center, three beings were wrestling. They had no distinct form. They were intertwined, so as I could not see where one began and the other ended. I just saw what would be their heads, upper torso, and hands.
They were laughing, moving, wrestling, and having so much fun. Suddenly, I saw one push up from the conglomeration and look around and then down to the other two. I perceived this being as the Father. He sighed, and said---“Let us make man in own image and likeness.”
We indeed need to be sure to keep our interpretation of scripture in film and art accurate with God’s Word, but we cannot allow religious binders to hinder us from seeing His love in expanse. It was the religious people of Jesus’ day that challenged Him because He didn’t teach God in the confines of their theology.
He showed a God of demonstration---A God of Love. Jesus shared a God, who although hates sin, forgives prostitutes. He revealed a God who took children in His arms and blessed them. He demonstrated a God who went to the cross Himself because of love. One who allowed himself to be beaten beyond recognition for love and rose again by love.
In Heaven, Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He has a human body. It still has the scars. He’ll have it for eternity with us. His portrayal of love will continually play.