~William Paul Young - The Shack~
The question arose this week of just how God manifests Himself. Through some back and forth Dennis and I came to the agreement that theology has done us no favors when it comes to our true relationship with our heavenly Father. In fact, those who constitute the institutional church have done their very best to stifle rather than grow our relationship with God. So much so, that the modern churchs image of God is 180 degrees from who He truly is. Many a pulpit pounder will scream from the podium that God is a jealous, vengeful God to whom HIs children must seek continual forgiveness for any sins we may have committed since the last time we came to Him for forgiveness. It is this image of God which Mack struggles with in Paul Youngs story The Shack. It is easy to see, then, just why there was such an outcry against this story from the begining. For this was NOT the God which we were told He was. I fully expected some massive protests to break out after the movie adaptation of The Shack was released with protestors carrying signs proclaiming "NOT MY GOD!" Fortunately it didn't come to that, but there was still and continues to be resistance. Why? For as much scriptural reference there is for a angry and vengeful God, there is indeed more references to a God who is loving and has been returning His creation to Him. In fact, the apostle John refers to the true character of God as Love {1 John 4:8}. For it is God who loved us first. It is God who, despite our sin condition, loved us enough to save us {Romans 5:8}. Indeed, though we deserved punishment from a jealous and vengeful God, He chose instead to show His true nature and shower His love upon us.
"As the crowning glory of creation, you were made in Our image, unemcumbered by structure and free to simply 'Be' in relationship with Me and one another. If you had truly learned to regard one anothers concerns as significant as your own, there would be no need for heirarchy."
~William Paul Young - The Shack~
One of the main arguments against the story of The Shack was its depiction of God as a woman. Not only that, as a black woman! I admit, I myself was taken aback when I first knew of this part of the story. Again, the churchs image of God has done us zero favors. In the background of these rumblings was how God should choose to manifest Himself. Could God choose to manifest Himself as a woman? Of course! Which is precisely what He did in this story. Why? So the main character could better understand His love I'm assuming. See, Macks own father was abusive towards him. All of that aside, how should God choose to manifest Himself? Well, a friend once told me that we can see our Lords manifestation each day in the world around us. It's not hard to see all which He created, and all which remains a part of Him. That tree, that deer and that bird. The apostle Paul tells us in Galations that Christ Jesus indeed lives through us {Galations 2:20}. Knowing this, the question should not be how God chooses to reveal Himself...but just why He chooses to reveal Himself as US! Indeed, if God lives through us, then when He chooses to reveal Himself, He is revealing Himself through the crowning glory of His own creation. Created in His very image, should He choose to reveal Himself through us, we are seeing Him as He is. We should never discount the fact that God can reveal Himself through us as He chooses. Even as a woman.
20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV
~Scott~
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