God as a big black woman

[RickD]

If you had read the book you would know there was a very real and specific reason why God showed Himself to the character that way at that time.

The Shack was instrumental to me ( and many others) finding Christ.
And no, they didn't get the Trinity wrong.

For starters, The Shack portrays each member of the Trinity in human form. God the Father is an African-American woman; the Son is a Middle-Eastern man; and the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman...

It's good to know the book got the Trinity right!

And what issues do you have with that?

Oh none whatsoever. Seems like an accurate portrayal of the Trinity to me.

Dear Father Aunt Jemima,

Please forgive PaulSacramento, because he knows not what he's doing.


We pray in Abdalrahman's name,

Amen.

[Stu]

And from what I can remember, I think it alludes to universalism

The author said as much - that he rejects common Christianity and subscribes to universalism.

[thatkidakayoungguy]

If you had read the book you would know there was a very real and specific reason why God showed Himself to the character that way at that time.

The Shack was instrumental to me ( and many others) finding Christ.
And no, they didn't get the Trinity wrong.

Ok then, I guess I'll need to not simply read others' opinions, what I've seen and heard, and watch God as a big black woman.

And after that ( in the book, not sure about the movie) God shows Himself as a Man.
The issues that Mack ( the lead character) had with his father would prevented him to enter in a relationship with God if God had shown Himself as a man.
That is why God showed Himself as an African-American Woman, to not-conform to the "preconceived" notions that Mack already had about God.

The question is would God really do this?

[PaulSacramento]

If you had read the book you would know there was a very real and specific reason why God showed Himself to the character that way at that time.

The Shack was instrumental to me ( and many others) finding Christ.
And no, they didn't get the Trinity wrong.

For starters, The Shack portrays each member of the Trinity in human form. God the Father is an African-American woman; the Son is a Middle-Eastern man; and the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman...

It's good to know the book got the Trinity right!

And what issues do you have with that?

Oh none whatsoever. Seems like an accurate portrayal of the Trinity to me.

Dear Father Aunt Jemima,

Please forgive PaulSacramento, because he knows not what he's doing.


We pray in Abdalrahman's name,

Amen.

So what part of the portrayal, in context of the story, did you have problems with?

[PaulSacramento]

If you had read the book you would know there was a very real and specific reason why God showed Himself to the character that way at that time.

The Shack was instrumental to me ( and many others) finding Christ.
And no, they didn't get the Trinity wrong.

Ok then, I guess I'll need to not simply read others' opinions, what I've seen and heard, and watch God as a big black woman.

And after that ( in the book, not sure about the movie) God shows Himself as a Man.
The issues that Mack ( the lead character) had with his father would prevented him to enter in a relationship with God if God had shown Himself as a man.
That is why God showed Himself as an African-American Woman, to not-conform to the "preconceived" notions that Mack already had about God.

The question is would God really do this?

The question isn't that since NO ONE can speak for God, I mean, God incarnated as poor desert dweller 2000 years ago.
Who on earth would have thought that ??

[PaulSacramento]

And from what I can remember, I think it alludes to universalism

The author said as much - that he rejects common Christianity and subscribes to universalism.

There were parts in the book that are unconventional due to the very unconventional subject matter, that is a given.
I didn't get universalism from the book per say, though the view that ALL will have a chance at salvation is implied only in the sense ( and I am going on memory here) that ALL will have a chance to know Christ.

I don't think that it "preaches" that ALL will be reconciled regardless of what they believe.

[RickD]

If you had read the book you would know there was a very real and specific reason why God showed Himself to the character that way at that time.

The Shack was instrumental to me ( and many others) finding Christ.
And no, they didn't get the Trinity wrong.

For starters, The Shack portrays each member of the Trinity in human form. God the Father is an African-American woman; the Son is a Middle-Eastern man; and the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman...

It's good to know the book got the Trinity right!

And what issues do you have with that?

Oh none whatsoever. Seems like an accurate portrayal of the Trinity to me.

Dear Father Aunt Jemima,

Please forgive PaulSacramento, because he knows not what he's doing.


We pray in Abdalrahman's name,

Amen.

So what part of the portrayal, in context of the story, did you have problems with?

I have no idea as to the context, I haven't read the book nor seen the movie.

You asked what issues I had with how someone described how the Trinity was portrayed. If the portrayal described is accurate, I have a problem with aunt jemima being God the Father, some Asian woman being the Holy Spirit, and Mustafa being Christ. It changes God to suit the storywriter's whims.

But hey, if the story brought you to Christ, who am I to criticize it, right? Just like the person who comes to Christ at a Benny Hinn rally. That means we shouldn't criticize Benny Hinn, right?

Seems to me, maybe people came to Christ despite the message, not because of the message.

But maybe I just need to see the movie.

[PaulSacramento]

Rick,
I am not sure how anyone can portray God, but we do know that, over the centuries, God has shown Himself to people in Human Form.
The context of The Father being a black woman was due to the lead characters issues with his father, God knew that the lead character put lots of his "daddy issues" onto God so appearing as a man at that time ( He appears as a man later) was crucial for the lead character to "accept" enough to listen and it introduced the idea that God is NOT what we preconceive to be, especially the negative stiff that so many make Him out to be.
Christ as a middle eastern was because the lead character was always "ok" with Jesus.
I am not sure why an asian woman for the HS, other than the whole "not what you thought" thing.

I was ok with the portrayal because the context of what happened and what was going to happen, needed it.

[PaulSacramento]

I can tell you this, from my heart, I never felt closer to Christ than when I was reading this book and certain parts hit me so hard that I can't watch this movie in public...
It spoke to me in such a personal way that I don't know if I could have experienced His love without it...

[Philip]

You asked what issues I had with how someone described how the Trinity was portrayed. If the portrayal described is accurate, I have a problem with aunt jemima being God the Father, some Asian woman being the Holy Spirit, and Mustafa being Christ. It changes God to suit the storywriter's whims.

It sounds to me like, for some to take God seriously, they have to culturally identify with how and in what form He appears. That sounds like people unwilling to take God as He is, as He shows Himself, as opposed to how they want to see Him, per their preconceptions. People just want to take man-based undertandings, our individual contexts and expect God to show up per how we think we need Him to. Haven 't seen it - but it's sounds like the "black Jesus" stuff. Or the "white" Jesus stuff - you know, all those Sunday School books where Jesus looks like a Caucasian European type? Well, Jesus, the man, wasn't and isn't black or white - He took on a skin tone and physical characteristics typical to an ancient Jew - so, that is a fact. But what did His entire ministry say as to how God views a person' race? As He does any other race - ultimately: ALL as sinful men needing salvation - none any better or more or less immoral than any other race of man.

[PaulSacramento]

I think it is important to realize that God is spirit and can look or take any form He so chooses.
I had issues with God being a black woman at first and was reluctant to read the book because of that ( my wife read it first then asked me to rad it). I was bias and had my own preconceived notions of what God would choose to look like if He took human form ( as if I have any clue as to what God chooses to do).
As I look back I don't know why I had issues with it other than the view that God should be a man and that was, well, stupid for me.

[Stu]

Is it a Solution or a Snow Job?

“I have known the author of The Shack, Young, for more than a dozen years. In 2004, Young wrote a lengthy document in which he rejected his evangelical faith and embraced universalism. He said then: that evangelical faith and its teaching about judgment makes God ‘grossly unjust’; that ‘Jesus is a million times more vicious and vindictive than Pharaoh, Nero or Hitler put together’; that Jesus Christ is ‘not the Savior from sins’; that Jesus died ‘a failure and in vain and never saved anyone’; thus Jesus ‘is not even a good man but a liar, a rogue and a deceiving rascal’; that ‘Calvary is a farce, a travesty and a sham.'” – James B. DeYoung, professor of New Testament language and literature at Western Seminary, author of “Burning Down the Shack.”

[PaulSacramento]

And yet, so many have come to Christ via the book...

My suggestion to anyone that really is interested is, quite simply, read it for yourself.

The whole POINT of the book is that God offers reconciliation to anyone looking for it through Jesus, that we can't do it alone or without Jesus, we NEED HIM.
It also address, for some, the issue of pain and suffering and why God allows it.

[Nessa]

And from what I can remember, I think it alludes to universalism

The author said as much - that he rejects common Christianity and subscribes to universalism.

There were parts in the book that are unconventional due to the very unconventional subject matter, that is a given.
I didn't get universalism from the book per say, though the view that ALL will have a chance at salvation is implied only in the sense ( and I am going on memory here) that ALL will have a chance to know Christ.

I don't think that it "preaches" that ALL will be reconciled regardless of what they believe.

I have listened to interviews with the author.

The book does allude to no hell.

While the author himself said he doesnt think everyone will be saved, he hopes everyone will be and it wouldnt suprise him if somehow it was true.

The shack making you feel close to God is not necessarily a good thing or an authentic experience.


Many people feel closer to God after taking drugs Im sure. The book grabs the heart and emotionally takes you in. It did me but it also sets people up for an unrealistic experience of God. Making God into a image man has created himself.

Behold, your golden calf....

Maybe pet lovers could make a cat or dog type God opposed to a black woman with a vajayjay

[PaulSacramento]

Nessa,
You can't judge another's personal experience with God like you are doing, you simply do NOT know enough about it.
This book not only brought me close to Christ but motivated me to study the bible and even get my Theological degree.

Being close to "God" via an external influence ( drugs) is one thing and not even close to what I am referring to.

The golden calf, by the way, drove people away from God, so it is not a correct analogy.