Has Driscoll Ever Actually Read The Shack?
There is some confusion as to whether or not Driscoll had actually read The Shack cover to cover before posting his “Don’t Read This Book” video.
(BTW some credit Driscoll’s non promotion as one of the primary reasons The Shack continued to be in the #1 sales position of the New York Times for 50 weeks)
Getting clarity on this issue is one of the questions I would like to ask Mark about at our event. If you know him or know the facts about whether or not he ever did or ever has actually read The Shack please enlighten us.
Tags: Mark Driscoll, Paul Young, The Shack
ellisabethe said
am September 4 2010 @ 10:56 pm
A) I wondered the same thing after reading the book and then hearing Mark’s non-promotion. It appears like he had acquired his info from other sources; thus the confusion.
B) If I was in Mark’s shoes and I hadn’t first read the book, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t admit that. And
C) Does it even matter? I have had opinions of books after just reading the editor’s review. Sure, people mistakenly take their pastor’s opinions as God’s hard-lined truth, but that doesn’t mean pastors can’t have an opinion on something… in my opinion.
Jim Henderson said
am September 5 2010 @ 3:21 am
I would agree with you except when Driscoll says stuff off the cuff 350K people hear it
Ryan said
am September 5 2010 @ 1:49 pm
I’ve wondered, because especially his complaint about goddess worship doesn’t make much sense since Papa also appears as male near the end of the book… although really it didn’t make much sense to me to begin with but that’s a different debate. I’m sure the same could be said of at least some of his other complaints, although since I haven’t read the book myself in over a year I don’t actually remember it that well.
sonny varela said
am September 5 2010 @ 11:25 pm
If he didn’t read it, I bet he wont now because everyone’s made such a big deal about it. (-:
I wouldn’t be surprised if his lack of endorsement made people want to read the Shack. I watched (on youtube) Driscoll say things that I believe deeply and hearing them said with such condescension and arrogance tempts me to disassociate from them. But God knows I’m guilty of the same thing. May God be merciful to us all for bearing God’s name without love.
Jim Henderson said
am September 5 2010 @ 11:28 pm
Since Jesus spent the majority of his time addressing heart issues and motives I believe you are highlighting the critical spiritual problem
Rohmeo said
am September 6 2010 @ 12:08 am
My guess is Driscoll did not read it himself but listened to a couple of his respected elders and made his own judgements…I’m not sure it would change his quick thoughts on it if he did read it. I read “The Shack” and think it’s ok because I never felt like it was a deep theological book in the first place. The problem is that it’s not Scripture which was never Young’s intention but so many are making it out to be their “spiritual” renewal. It takes discernment and maturity to test things and dig deeper on some of the points in the book. Therefore it’s not for everyone..it can be refreshing for some and perhaps misleading to others depending on where they are at in their journey.
I have to agree with Driscoll for a couple reasons: one, remember his primary audience (young unchurched adults..mostly men) is his local church Mars Hill in Seattle not Youtube (as if he marketed the video clip himself..come on really?) I think it’s refreshing that Driscoll is bold enough, among the very few these days, to call out heretics. Folks that is love as well…it’s called loving the sheep enough to do it. It’s all over Scripture. I think this culture could use more Jonathon Edwards, Charles Spurgeon’s etc. who did incredible things for the Kingdom by telling it like it is. Call him an alarmist if you want and he’s even admitted sometimes he goes overboard…another reason why I respect him greatly because he’s REAL, not like so many seemingly perfect plastic pastors. He admits his faults.
If they do have a sit down I’m sure Driscoll would absolutely hear Young out and maybe not agree on everything but take off the “heretic” label who knows. It’s fair for him to ask questions and Young can follow up with his thoughts. If people go home disappointed because hey want “fireworks”…that’s where the shame lies…where’s the love in that?
The flip question to ask is if Paul Young has read any of Driscoll’s book namely “Death by Love” if you want some practical and powerful stuff that gives you and I hope in Christ from any seriously messed up background we can think of…a totally Gospel-focused and Cross-centered work.
Jim Henderson said
am September 6 2010 @ 12:31 am
Rhomeo
Thanks for your thoughtful take on this . We can disagree about Marks motives or wisdom but something almost no one seems concerned about is how this is viewed by Non Christians.
We Christians have become incredibly insulated and self focused.
Part of the reason Paul’s writing has had such great effect is because millions of Non Christians have been gobbling it up and they don’t give a rip about theology – they’re looking for hope and love.
Frankly I am tired to handing this vast audience of spiritually curious people over to the liked of Deepak, Oprah and Tony Robbins. Im thrilled that Paul has gotten a serious foothold among the fastest growing spiritual psychographic which includes many many Christians who can be dismissed as deceived but more accurately may be obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit and saying if this is all Christianity has to offer Im going elsewhere
Paul had become a trusted guide to this growing audience
ellisabethe said
am September 6 2010 @ 1:26 pm
I think there are good points made on all sides of the issue in these last two posts including the comments, although I can relate to some points more than others.
And that is a case in point. I finally stopped attending Mars Hill because I couldn’t take one more Sunday of Mark’s preaching, but when I first started attending, his preaching was a like breath of fresh air while I was coming out of a stuffy PCA where I felt like my spirit was suffocating.
After 30 years of serious church involvement, I then made the jump to stop attending institutional churches altogether and that is when my faith seemed to kick in to high gear. I felt like that is when my life actually started…. For a while I had terrible regrets for all of those years of church brainwashing, thinking that my pastor spoke for and even as God. Reading The Shack and other books along those lines had a big influence on me finally being able to cut off these ties of religious slavery and for that, I am eternally grateful.
However, now I am at the point where I can be thankful for the role that churches played in my faith too. Without that old tabernacle system in my life, I would have never appreciated so deeply being set free from it. And not only that, but I realize that my journey is a process. You can’t just jump from the beginning to the end because the lessons learned along the way are imperative for experiencing the next point.
While I was mostly loyal to only a few churches, I had discovered grace more and more within them. Driscoll was part of that process for me, among other teachers and preachers. Now I’d rather stay home and scrub my bathroom grout than listen to another one of their sermons, but that doesn’t mean their sermons were of no value at another time in my life.
It seems that I’ve finally wised up a little so that I don’t place so much stock in what any single person says about God or my personal faith. While all persons, teachers or not, can influence my beliefs, no one can dictate them. That’s my deal. I wish everyone understood this, but I am labeled a heretic for this thought (and many others.) I don’t give a rip about heresy at this point in my journey, but my point is that we can gain something from everyone when it’s needed.
We all like to think we possess the truth and the rest are heretics. I think that gives us some kind of a false security. But does anyone really know? Or do we just THINK we know? And who can really say who has the correct Bible interpretation? It’s laughable.
There are many unique members of the body. We have all had unique experiences, possess unique gifts and we are all more applicable to unique friends or audiences. I am becoming more and more convinced that no one has a monopoly on the truth, but all persons in the body of humanity play their unique role. I would also include Chopra, the Dalai Lama, Ghandi, and hell, even Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin….The more members we can fit into our puzzle, I think the more clearly we are going to see a bigger picture of God’s world.
We can’t control heresy or brainwashing or Youtube anyway… Why expend so much energy on it? That is exactly what Mark did… rather than allowing his congregants to make up their own mind…. Harking on about the mistaken views of another just seems pointless to me, because we are all mistaken to one degree or another. Still, it all has its place in this world, obviously.
Personally, I like the live and let live motto but that might not be another person’s calling, nor what they need to hear. I also appreciate a lot of passion in another person, even if they are just violently beating the air. It all has its God-ordained place, I believe.
Jim Henderson said
am September 6 2010 @ 4:49 pm
ellisabethe
very articulate
Thank you
My wife and I call this graduating from church
Congratulations
Dean said
am September 9 2010 @ 7:08 am
My two’penneth for all it’s worth concerns the nonsense of dishing out book reviews without really considering what one is saying. I remember once a quite influential Christian in London saying something along the lines of ‘The Da Vinci code is really bad and it will rock your faith to its foundations. Don’t read it!’. I was intrigued so went and got a copy and after reading it was really puzzled by this comment. I really fail to see how such a work of fiction could possibly rock anyone’s faith. Sadly though, as you make the point with Driscoll, when he speaks over 350K hear him so he really ought to be a bit mo circumspect in making irrational judgements.
Susan Isaacs said
am September 9 2010 @ 8:56 pm
Driscoll appears to misunderstand the concept of fiction, the literary device or parable, or simple storytelling. Which is a shame, considering Jesus was a master at it.
Rohmeo said
am September 10 2010 @ 12:17 pm
Susan,
Yes Jesus was a master at parables/storytelling but his “message” or his “point” in those was not fiction. If Young kept it at fiction no big deal but when we enter the realm of theology/doctrine it does induce a “testing” of sorts wouldn’t you agree? Especially since it is not a secondary issue within Christianity that most should just agree to disagree. The Trinity enters a little more primary issue worth investigating.
Susan said
am September 10 2010 @ 2:58 pm
Rohmeo: indeed true about Jesus: his message was not fiction. Jesus was and is the Son of God; Young is just a guy who wrote a book. If Young was getting up into pulpits and saying, “Yes, the Trinity actually consists of a big black mamma who gets a sex change, a carpenter with jeans and a toolbox, and a Japanese hologram,” then I would have a freak-out. But I haven’t noticed him proclaiming himself to be a theology expert.
I agree to test theology: of those who are claiming to be theology experts. But not fictional books. CS Lewis entered into deep theology in the Narnia books, but he never asserted Jesus was a lion. I’ve heard that Lewis and Tolkein were accused of heresies when their books were published.
Jesus famously said, “destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days.” And they took him literally and crucified him for it.
I fully respect your desire to test things. But I think much is being made about “The Shack” that the authors never intended. I liked the book. Some of the dialog was clunky. Mama’s afro-speak and Harajuku the Hologram drove me up the wall. But there was a message in the fiction that was deeply moving, and it’s cause a lot of people to open themselves up to God. And for that I say, amen.
Geek for Him said
am September 30 2010 @ 10:53 am
I honestly think Driscoll needs to be more careful about what he says before he says it. He needs to count to 10 and then speak.
This and the stuff he has said about the movie Avatar has really gotten me a little peeved to say the least.