But God does
not call us to be popular or to pursue the approval of men. He calls us to be obedient (John 15:14) and
to be lights upon a hill (Matt 5:14).
And we shine that light from the hilltop by being beacons of truth. He calls us to shine the light of
"right", so that we can dispel the darkness of "almost
right". Which brings me to the
point of this post, which is the tapestry of truth and untruth woven together
in the book/movie, "The Shack."
I read the
book when it first came out, years ago, at the behest of a friend. I had no interest in it before I read it, and
I had even less after I read it. For me,
personally, all I needed to know was that God is misrepresented as a
woman. You misrepresent our holy God,
Who is worthy of deep reverence, obeisance and awe-inspiring fear, and you've lost me at "hello". In God's personal revelation to us through
His word, He has chosen to manifest Himself with male characteristics. He describes Himself as a Father, He came as
the Man, Jesus Christ, and for whatever reason He has chosen to reveal His amorphous
Self with male characteristics is not only His prerogative, but also according
to His infinite wisdom and purpose, which requires no explanation to us. That one, major scriptural inconsistency in
"The Shack" is enough for us to reject it altogether, but there are a
whole host of other scriptural errors to choose from. Should you like to explore them, I have
included links to articles that expound on such errors at the end of my post.
I anticipate
many a response to say, "It's just a story". Yes, it is just a story, but it is a story
that points us away from scripture and towards a deceitful portrayal of God, His character, and His purpose. "The Shack" is just
a story, but it is a story through which we are seeking to be entertained by a
misrepresentation of God. That is the
black-and-white issue here. Not only are
we seeking entertainment through a misrepresentation of God, but entertainment which
also delves into further misrepresentation of scripture. I feel that this is just one of the many
testaments to the rampant spirit of compromise that pervades the church today. We see this story as one man's journey to
find truth, so we join him on this journey, only to find that his journey leads
him to the same, sweetly hissing serpent who is ever-eager for an audience to
listen to his lies, "Did God really
say....?" (Gen 3:1).
The devil is a
great story teller and we are no match for his brilliant schemes of
deception. When it comes to God's
church, Satan will never attack us head-on.
He will never seek to deceive us through any expected or anticipated
means, which is what makes him a master deceiver. The way Satan works is through subtlety and
incremental compromise. He is a master
strategist who specializes in "almost right." And by the time you are aware of his
presence, by the time you are aware of his schemes, he has long-since been at
work all the while, right under your nose.
That is because the devil doesn't approach us dressed in a red cape and
pointy horns, "He comes as everything you’ve ever wished for.."
(--Tucker Max).
As Christ's representatives on earth,
as His lamps upon a hill, we are entrusted with His word, to hold it in our
hearts, pure and undefiled, "As for God, his way is upright; the word of
God is pure;" (Psalm 18:30); "..And
the words of the LORD are flawless," (Psalm 12:6); "Every word of God is pure.." (Prov
30:5). As His people, as His holy ones,
as His treasured inheritance, we must be zealous about upholding God's word, with a zero-tolerance policy towards compromise. We must be zealous for our Father's house,
because the enemy of our souls is zealous to defame and malign it. We shine as beacons of light from atop a hill
when we have hearts that long to glorify God by standing for truth. In this day of gross compromise within God's church, in this present darkness, in this time of waywardness, rebellion
and deceit, we cannot afford to be complacent and ambivalent towards a radical pursuit
of truth, and a willingness to persevere by shouting that truth from the rooftops to
anyone who will listen.
God calls His
church to be "without stain or wrinkle or any such
blemish, but holy and blameless." (Eph 5:27); "..holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence.."
(Col 1:22); "make every effort to be
found at peace with Him, without spot or blemish." (2 Pet 3:14); "..keep the
commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ," (1 Tim 6:14). "Almost right" is a wrinkle in truth, it is a blemish smudged upon flawlessness, and a stain splashed across the narrow
way.
"Almost right" is the most tenacious and devastating of
Satan's schemes, therefore "almost right" is our enemy, no matter how
appealingly it is woven together with "right".
"This false
teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!"
(Gal 5:9 NLT)
"...Do you not
know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?" (1 Cor
5:6)
"Because zeal
for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have
fallen on me." (Psalm 69:9)
"The decrees
You issue are righteous and altogether trustworthy. My zeal consumes me,
because my foes forget your words. Your word is completely pure, and Your
servant loves it. I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts."
(Psalm 119:138-141)
"With my whole
heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments! I have hidden Your
word in my heart that I might not sin against You." (Psalm 119:10-11)
"You are the
salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty
again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled
by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a
lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let
your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matt 5:13-16)
What Does 'The Shack' Say About Your Pain?
What Does 'The Shack' Say About Your Pain?
The Shack- Impressions
The Shack- CARM
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