Into the Fire

The explanation behind my decision to read The Shack was an invitation to take part in a teleconference interview with William P. Young, author of the New York Times bestseller. Mr. Young, who goes by Paul, was on the telephone this morning with several of us, organized by a media/publicist rep from Hachette Book Group USA. We had been asked to submit questions to her, and she e-mailed us all with a format and schedule for the questions she’d selected from ours to ask Paul. It went very well, and I learned a great deal about the author who was both articulate and forthcoming.

As you know, I found The Shack to be indicative of that “first novel” in its prose. Now I know why. Paul initially wrote the novel for his children as a representation of his personal journey toward healing from sexual abuse as a child. When he presented the 15 copies of the locally printed pages to his wife and six children and a few friends, they insisted he should try to get it published.

He refers to himself as the “not for real” and “accidental” author in that his effort to capture a portrait of a loving and out-of-the-stereotypical-box God aided him in his personal journey toward healing which has been a work in progress for 11 years. He refers to the shack in the novel as representative of the human heart hidden in a false front where all the hurt, pain, addictions, and anguish are stored away. He refers to his 38 years of building his own “house of shame” and taking those 11 years within that shack to find healing.

Obviously an intelligent man who is not idle in his pursuit of God, he noted that many of the hard line critics of his novel have not read the book. He understands that the success of this book can only be attributed to the hand of the Lord because he does not consider himself a true author and did virtually nothing by today’s standards to market it.

When asked about his own books of choice for reading, he named several non-fiction books dealing with theology/faith/church issues. No fiction was named.

While certain of some of his controversial doctrinal assertions presented in the story, he made no effort to convince the questioner of his feelings on the matter. He is clearly a better speaker—even impromptu—than he is a polished writer, and I mean no disrespect with that statement.

In all honesty those people who I think should read this novel are those who have attempted to lock the Lord up and refuse to view Him as bigger than their own imaginations. I think it would benefit them to take a trip to The Shack.

Father, I pray for Paul’s continued healing and peace. You have obviously taken his efforts to seek wholeness and amplified them beyond what he ever could have thought or imagined. You are truly able to create beauty from ashes. Please continue to instruct him in your ways. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.