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Welcome back to All Things Reformed Baptists. And today I want to talk about something a little bit more targeted. If you remember, there uh a while ago there was a book that became so popular, so famous, and it is called The Shack by William P. Young. And I want to give a little bit of a commentary on it because there is going to be another uh sequel coming after that. And so I want to share my thoughts through it. Now, in short, what I want to say is that the Shack is theologically dangerous because it presents a God and a gospel that contradicts core biblical teachings. Now, serious Christians should pause before embracing it or its forthcoming sequel, Return to the Shack, precisely because the novel's most winsome elements, you know, emotional healing, forgiveness, and relational intimacy with God, are packaged with serious distortions of who God is, what sin is, and how salvation works. Now, Young, the author, depicts God the Father as a large African-American woman, Papa, the Holy Spirit as an Asian woman named Sarayu, and Jesus as a Middle Eastern man. Now, scripture is clear that God is spirit. That's from John chapter 4, verse 24, and that no one has seen or can see the Father in his essential glory. We get that from 1 Timothy 6, 16, and John 1.18. Only the Son took on human flesh. We see that in John 1 and Philippians chapter 2. To portray the Father in spirit as embodied human women invents an image of God that the second commandment forbids, Exodus 20, and that the church has always rejected as improper. Worse, Papa bears crucifixion scars, implying the Father suffered on the cross, an ancient heresy known as patripassianism. The Bible never teaches that the Father or Spirit were incarnate or crucified only Jesus. The book also denies any hierarchy within the Trinity, presenting the three persons as a pure quote-unquote circle of relationship with no authority or submission. Jesus himself said, the son can do nothing of his own accord, but only that, only what he sees the Father doing. Just look at John chapter 5, verse 19. And the Father is greater than I. That is John chapter 14, verse 28, right from the words of Jesus Himself. Paul writes that the Son will one day be subjected to the Father, so that God may be all in all. That's 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 28. Functional order within the Godhead is not the result of sin, it is part of the eternal relations of the divine persons. Young's the author, Young's flattening of the Trinity, is not a harmless literary device. It redefines a God who has revealed himself. Softening of sin and wrath and judgment is throughout all of this novel and the one to come. Papa tells Mac, I don't need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment. It's not my purpose to punish it, it's my joy to cure it. Now, scripture paints a totally different picture. Romans 1 18, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. God is a jealous and avenging God. The Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries. That's Nahum, the book of Nahum, chapter 1, verse 2. Those who do not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. That's John chapter 3, verse 36. Final judgment is not optional poetry. Revelation 20, 11 through 15. So by reducing divine justice to the natural consequences of bad choices, the shack removes the very holiness that makes the cross necessary and glorious. Now let's talk about the idea, the theme in the books of universal reconciliation. The novel repeatedly suggests that God has already fully reconciled the whole world and that faith in Christ is not the exclusive gateway. Jung later confirmed his view in nonfiction, stating outright that he believes in universal salvation. Every person is already included in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. The Bible is unambiguous. John chapter 14, verse 6 says, I am the way, the truth, and the life, that no one comes to the Father except through me. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. That is Acts chapter 4, verse 12. Faith is required, according to Romans chapter 10, verse 9 through 13. The gate is narrow, according to Matthew chapter 7, verses 13 through 14. You see, a story that softens or erases these truths leaves readers with a different gospel. Let's talk about the theme of experience over scripture that we see in his novel. The shack elevates a private mystical encounter about the written word. Characters gently mock quote unquote correct doctrine, seminary training, and institution of Christianity. Yet scripture is what? God breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. That's 2 Timothy 3, 16. Believers are commanded to test everything by it. That's Acts chapter 17, verse 11. And also 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 21. When a novel places new words in God's mouth that contradict the words of God has already spoken, discern is not optional. So let me just really quick tell you why a return to the shack, that that that prequel, that sequel continues the problem. The sequel, scheduled to release in 2026 this fall, returns to Mac's story a decade later. He is invited to speak with the serial killer who murders his daughter. The published descriptions emphasize grief, trauma, the humanity of those we most fear, and the redemption of the irredeemable. The same author who redefined the Trinity, minimized God's wrath, and affirmed universal reconciliation is now writing about radical forgiveness and the possibility that even the darkest prison can become a place of grace. There is no indication that Jung has repudiated the theology that undergirded the first book that he wrote. The same imaginative framework, the same soft view of divine justice, and the same elevation of relational experience over propositional revelation will almost always certainly shape the sequel. Christians are called to love the broken and to forgive as we have been forgiven. That is not in dispute. What is in dispute is whether we may reshape God's character, downplay his holiness, and redefine the gospel in order to make the story more emotionally satisfying. The Shack did exactly that. His sequel, written by the same hand from the same theological starting point, offers no reasons to expect a different result. Serious believers do well to test both books, and really any book, against the only reliable standard. And that is the God who has spoken clearly in his word, the Holy Scriptures. That is it today. Thank you for visiting all things we formed about this. I look forward to our next time together.