Questions Concerning "The Shack"

When the book came out ten years ago, pastors and theologians rightly sounded alarms about the false doctrine contained in this book. One man, Dr. Michael Youssef, suggested thirteen separate heresies, which I reproduce below. Think them through. Now that the book has been made into a movie, even more will be confused by these falsehoods.

Now I realize the book is a work of fiction. If a believer views it that way then it's no more harmful than any other work of fiction. But when any of the false teachings below are mistaken for true Biblical doctrine... when people are actually swayed by "The Shack" into believing in a false god such as Papa, who is so very dangerously different than the Jehovah God of the Bible, then there is a serious problem. The author's attempt to change what the Bible says about God is no different than Satan's very first and oldest attack in Eden. "Did God really say that?" We must accept the Bible as true, and reject anything that denies its validity.

So, Christians, look at Youssef's list of thirteen heresies and ask yourself one simple question - Do I have the Biblical knowledge and discernment to understand the errors here?  If not, you ought to avoid "The Shack" until you know your Bible well enough to protect you from error. The only way to rightly read the book or view the movie, is to know it is a fictional work of false teaching. If you're confused about that, stay away.

Youssef's list of heresies, all of which are stated as true in "The Shack":

1. God the Father was crucified with Jesus.

2. God is limited by His love and cannot practice justice.

3. On the Cross, God forgave all of humanity, whether they repent or not. Some choose a relationship with Him, but He forgives them all regardless.

4. Hierarchical structures, whether they are in the Church or in the government, are evil.

5. God will never judge people for their sins.

6. There is not a hierarchical structure in the Godhead, just a circle of unity.

7. God submits to human wishes and choices.

8. Justice will never take place because of love.

9. There is no such a thing as eternal judgment or torment in hell.

10. Jesus is walking with all people in their different journeys to God, and it doesn’t matter which way you get to Him.

11. Jesus is constantly being transformed along with us.

12. There is no need for faith or reconciliation with God because everyone will make it to heaven.

13. The Bible is not true because it reduces God to paper.

This is not an endorsement of Michael Youssef, or his ministry in general,  but specifically of these thirteen points. If you take the time to research the topic you'll find that many many respected pastors and theologians agree completely with his concerns.