By Taylor Morris
AssT. Lifestyle Editor
“The Shack,” known in Christian circles as the book about a man who supposedly physically encountered God, was written by Canadian author William Paul Young.
The title is a metaphor for a place that people build with sorrow, dwell, get stuck and ultimately feel hopeless.
Mackenzie Phillips, a personal friend of Young, is the main character and claims the events of the story actually occurred.
After a traumatic experience during a camping trip, Phillips, a husband and father of five, finds himself plagued with the weight of what he calls “The Great Sadness.” It follows him everywhere and infects everything he does, bearing guilt, pain, apathy, anger and, most of all, hatred and confusion toward God.
Young addresses a popular question: “How could a good God let bad things happen to good people?”
A simple answer is rarely found. One could only truly understand by speaking with God himself.
This book is descriptive and puts readers right in the middle of God’s backyard. Young paints a visual picture of what eternity with God might look like.
Phillips is a relatable character and readers find themselves anxious to turn the pages.
This story offers a sense of hope. Christ has affirmed that man will suffer as he did and that in a fallen world not all will be right. Phillips was given the opportunity to see into God’s good plans among an awful detour in his life.
