I really appreciate how God prompts me to stay focused on the Scriptures. Okay, I'm humbled by it too.
I recently read "The Shack" by William P. Young. It's a controversial book. Basically it is about a man who meets with the Trinity. He learns that he needs to forgive two people in his life that caused him great pain, his father, and the man who murdered his daughter. I won't go into details but I will point you to a review that I found to be really good.
http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/the-shack-by-william-p-young.php
I have friends who love it and I have friends who refuse to read it. Even though the book is fiction, the author portrays God (the Trinity) and makes statements about God that I assume he believes to be true. The bottom line is that they are not Scriptural.
In my reading there were times when I would shake my head and say, "That's not right!"
I continued to read constantly reminding myself that it was fiction. The conclusion about unforgiveness, it's control on our lives, and the importance of forgiveness could have been reached using Truth. The author's ideas about the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit needs to be reviewed with a Bible.
It wasn't until I read the review that I mentioned above that I realized something. There were little subtleties that I missed. Had I known (or remembered) Scripture they wouldn't have slipped by me unnoticed.
That's the point of my post. Christians need to know the Scriptures! I know what you're thinking, WELL DUH!
I can't stress enough that Christians need to know their Bible. They need to be under good teaching. They need to be able to discern what is right. They need to be in constant communication with God. They need to be lead by the Spirit.
Read 2 Timothy. It is Pauls's last letter. I refer to it in my post from September
14th. You will see the importance of knowing Scripture. Also read Hebrews 5:11-14.
I am thankful that the Lord has lead me to good instruction. He has put wonderful brothers and sisters in my life that encourage me to study the Bible. He has put me in the presence of many good teachers. Even though I might wander off course at times, He is faithful to guide me back to the narrow way. God bless y'all real good.
1 comment:
KH
The last word on any issue is the Bible. Let’s get that right from the outset.
I have had The Shack recommended by some and vilified by others. I tried to read it so as to be fair, but I couldn’t get past the first 10-15 pages. However, that there is a need for the church to be relevant after years of being out of touch is obvious. This is probably what attracts many to the book. However, relevance as an end in itself and at the expense of theological imprecision is something to worry about.
I don’t agree with some of what TC says in his review. At least in part he doesn’t like The Shack’s deviation from Reformed Theology which is something that I would challenge since I believe that some (much?) Reformed Theology is a stretch. And that the church itself and much of what passes as theology today needs to be rethought or restated is something that I heartily endorse. That God needs us to defend Him is something that I wonder about though.
One thing that I’ve been convinced about over the years is that heresy, or at least questionable theology, typically is seen most vividly in one’s understanding of who Jesus is. The issues that TC discusses about the Trinity does get to the root of what would concern me most about this book. I think he is spot on and would wonder what good could come of this watering down of the Trinity, this syncretism. I would worry about this. Spiritual and theological eclecticism, or syncretism, has often led to the downfall of many people and groups. This was God’s concern when the Hebrew nation was about to move into the promised land. That this is happening in Western society is clear. That this may explain the ready acceptance by many of The Shack seems consistent.
But as is pointed out theology is the application of God’s word to all areas of life the ultimate outcome will be to see what fruit comes of The Shack and in the lives of those who embrace its message. It may well be that many can read the book and not be the deep theological type who will run with all of the subtleties, and not so subtle. Ultimately, again, “You can identify them by their fruit…”
Rudy
Post a Comment