Readings Leading up to Easter Weekend

There is no greater love than the love our God showed the world by sacrificing his perfect son so that we, who are full of sin, could dwell in the glory of God for eternity.  Don’t you want to live in this moment for all the other 364 days of the year?

Take a long pause each day (starting Saturday, March 6th and ending Good Friday, April 2nd) to think about this amazing love!  These are some great passages to use in your quiet time as you remember what happened in Jerusalem and at Golgotha so many years ago:

• Isaiah 53:10 (the will of God)
• Romans 8:32 (for us all)
• 1 Peter 2:22 (innocent)
• John 14:6 (the only way)
• Luke 23:34 (forgiving)
• Galatians 3:13 (a substitute)
• Romans 3:25 (propitiation)
• 1 John 4:10 (great love)
• Romans 6:23 (our wages)
• Ezekiel 18:4 (for our souls)
• Ephesians 5:2 (sacrifice)
• Isaiah 53:4-6 (stricken and afflicted)
• Hebrews 5:8 (learning through suffering)
• Hebrews 2:10 (perfect salvation)
• Romans 5:7-8 (for sinners, not the righteous)
• Ephesians 1:7 (grace)
• Galatians 2:20 (for me!)
• Matthew 20:28 (to serve)
• Mark 10:45 (to give)
• Colossians 2:13 (to cancel debt)
• Matthew 26:28 (blood poured out for many)
• Philippians 2:8 (humility)
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 (to be made sin)
• Hebrews 10:14 (our perfection)
• 1 Corinthians 5:7 (our cleansing)
• Hebrews 9:14 (our conscience)
• Hebrews 4:15-16 (our confidence)
• 1 Peter 2:24 (so we can die to sin)

Question Set #2: Sola Scriptura

1. Does the message of The Shack go against 2 Timothy 3:16-17?
2. What about Romans 15:4?
3. Should revelations be considered a truth equal to the Truth in the Bible?
4. What revelations were made in The Shack?  Were they presented as truth?

Question Set #1: Traditional Christianity

1. Does The Shack devalue traditional Christianity? How?
2. How is “traditional Christianity” defined?
3. Is tradition being rejected in this book? How, and to what extent?
4. Is the author saying it is necessary to revise Christianity?

Food for thought before posting your answers:  (a review by Norman Geisler) “Beneath the surface of The Shack is a rejection of traditional Christianity (179).  He claims that traditional Christianity did not solve his problem.  Even Seminary training didn’t help (63).  He insists that Christianity has to be revised in order to be understood, reminiscent of McClaren’s Emergent Church book titled, Everything Must Change.  However, one might question whether it is Christianity that needs revision or Christians that need to be revitalized. One thing is certain; Christianity should not be rejected because it has some hypocritical representatives.  To be sure, some Seminary training is bad, and even good Seminary training doesn’t help, if you don’t heed it. But the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater.  Christ established the Church and said the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Mt. 16:16-18).  The Shack, as gripping as its story is, trades a church occupied with people who hear the Word of God  preached for an empty shack where there is neither.”

Geisler, Norman. “The Shack.” NormanGeisler.net. 13 July 2009. 17 Jul 2009 <http://www.normangeisler.net/theshack.html>.

What’s the author of The Shack trying to say?

William Paul Young, author of #1 New York Times bestselling title The Shack, uses a casual work of fiction to try and answer the questions:

• Who is God?
• Who is Jesus?
• What is the Trinity?
• What is salvation?
• Is Jesus the only way to Heaven?
• If God is good, then why evil?
• What happens after I die?

Young wrote The Shack to in part fill in the gaps of what he felt was missing in his real life seminary training. Therefore, it seems this story captures moments and revelations Young has had with God while wrestling with tough life questions. The main character, Mack, wrestles with these on a much deeper level as the story unfolds.

My question to you:  How do you think God is using the perspective of himself this work of fiction gives to readers?

The Shack: are you a fan?

A Thread about The Shack?

 

The Shack, by William P. Young

The Shack, a fictional work telling a story about a man going through intense hurt after a horrible tragedy, gives a fresh perspective on what a relationship with God could look like. Drawing both praise and criticism, The Shack provides many starting points for conversations as readers follow the fictional conversations of the main character (Mack) and the three persons of God.

Eugene Peterson says “This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good!” Michael W. Smith says The Shack is “the most absorbing work of fiction I’ve read in many years.”

Alternatively, Al Mohler criticises The Shack in a radio program by saying it “includes undiluted heresy.” Chuck Colson writes that it “is not a phenomenon that discerning Christians can ignore.” Norman Geisler has also written a critical review entitled “The Shack: Helpful or Heretical.”

So with all of these strong viewpoints on the work of William P. Young, how should one read through this interesting piece of Christian fitcion? I enjoyed the read, and found a refreshing view of the relationship God created me to be in with him; but, there are a few topics presented throughout the book that need further discussion. That’s what I hope to have in this blog. Please leave comments with your reaction to each topic.

-Michael

Discussion: Notes from a Spinning Planet – Ireland

Get your reading on with a summer book club led by Emily Mason in the Cornerstonc Cafe! Pick up a copy of “Notes from a Spinning Planet – Ireland” by Melody Carlson and get started! We’re meeting at 11:30 a.m. (just before lunch!) on the following dates:

Wednesday, June 3
Wednesday, June 10
Monday, June 15
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 29, and
Monday, July 6

If you can’t come to a meeting, just check in on this event page for discussion topics!

Here’s some info about the books and the author:

ABOUT THIS BOOK
Affectionately teased as a “country bumpkin,” nineteen year-old Maddie has never been one to explore new territory. Her first trip outside of the country with her Aunt Sid and Sid’s godson, Ryan, promises an exhilarating adventure. Northern Ireland is more captivating than she even imagined–and Ryan is offering plenty of intrigue himself.

As Aunt Sid researches peace camps, Maddie and Ryan explore Ireland’s rich landscape. During the journey, Maddie begins to discover more about what she wants from life, while developing a deeper friendship with her irresistible traveling companion.

When Maddie and Ryan dig for the truth about the IRA car bomb that killed Ryan’s father years ago, questions about the past accumulate. Unable to let go of growing suspicions in this mysterious country, Maddie finds herself on a dangerous journey, a journey that will lead her to the greatest discovery of all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over one hundred books for adults, children, and teens, including Finding Alice, Crystal Lies, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. The mother of two grown sons, Carlson lives in a “cabin in the woods” near the Cascade Mountains in central Oregon with her husband and a chocolate lab retriever. She is a full-time writer and an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.