The Shack Revisited: There Is More Going On Here than You Ever Dared to Dream

In my review of Paul Young's best-selling book "The Shack," I encouraged folks not to read that book as a work of theology, but as religious fiction. That said, I did admit that there was a theological perspective behind the book that should be properly discerned. Unfortunately, many reviewers discerned theological understanding from the book that were never intended by the author. Paul Young has been accused of such things as Universalism, Pantheism, and Open Theism, all of which are inaccurate representations of his theology. So, what is the theology behind "The Shack?" In his newest book "The Shack Revisited" theologian C. Baxter Kruger offers us a clear and beautifully written Trinitarian understanding of the theology behind "The Shack." Offering his stamp of approval in the forward to Baxter's book, Paul Young reveals the picture of God he intended to be conveyed. In my opinion, if you are going to read any review that seeks to declare what any particular author meant in a work of religious fiction, always select the one that actually comes with the original author's endorsement. Here is what Young writes in the forward to Kruger's book: "To all those who took the time to read and study "The Shack," to those who bought several copies or a case or more and gave them away and emailed me your wonderful stories, I want to say, "Thank you, and please read The Shack Revisited." If you want to understand better the perspectives and theology that frame "The Shack," this book is for you. Baxter has taken on the incredible task of exploring the nature and character of the God who met me in my own shack. A Mississippi theologian who cut his intellectual teeth in Aberdeen, Scotland with the Torrance brothers, Baxter is a unique cross of intellectual brilliance and creative genius... He is a master of making difficult things understandable for the rest of us. If you found hope and encouragement through "The Shack," this book will help you take more steps in knowing the love of Papa, Sarayu, and Jesus." --Wm. Paul Young, Foreword, The Shack Revisited When you read Kruger's book, you will not find an affirmation of the rationalistic, post-enlightenment theology of contemporary evangelicals. Nor will you find an endorsement of Friedrich Schleiermacher's "Speeches on Religion to it's Cultured Despisers." Instead, Baxter's theology (and that behind Paul Young's book) harkens back to the early church patristic fathers, with special emphasis on Irenaeus, Basil the Great, Gregory or Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus (commonly known among church historians as The Cappadocian Fathers). The Cappadocian Fathers advanced the development of early Christian theology, with special emphasis on the doctrine of the Trinity. A student of T.F. Torrance and James Torrance, Baxter Kruger's passion is to help the church recover what he calls "The Trinitarian Vision." Often books about theology can come across and dry and boring. Baxter Kruger is gifted, however, at presenting theological ideas is passionate and simple ways that are easy for anyone to understand. I found myself moved to both tears of joy and intense theological reflection, often on the same page. This is a scholarly work that will inspire the lay-reader and arm chair theologian. Illustrations, biblical exposition, and church history are woven together with reflections from Young's book "The Shack" in such a way that the beauty of the Holy Trinity as the relational God is more clearly seen. For the Western Church, which has often succumb to rationalistic ideas that turned God into a philosophical "omni-being," this is refreshing. Kruger is attempting, in the words of his teacher T.F. Torrance, to "evangelize the foundations of western thought." Baxter points through the Scriptures to the picture of God that gave shape to the gospel proclamation of Jesus' early disciples. It is a picture of the love relationship between Jesus and the One he called Papa - a love that called the world into being at creation. And it is a vision of how Jesus came to fulfill the plan of God to include all humanity in that divine-relationship. For those who read "The Shack" and wondered if Paul Young's picture of God could really be that warm and wonderful, Baxter Kruger delves into theology, church history, and scripture to reveal that God is not only as wonderful as Paul Young declares - but even better than that book imagines.

In The Shack by Wm. Paul Young, the character Mackenzie Allen Phillips must endure one of the most horrendous tragedies any parent could face. It becomes his "great sadness." Several years later he receives a note in the mail inviting him back to the shack; back to the source of his great sadness; a note from God. There he encounters, not the god of his fallen imagination, but rather the God that is Father (Papa), Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit (Sarayu). There Mackenzie discovers God is not a stainless steel legalist who is bankrupt of love, compassion and mercy. Rather, he discovers the real God of Father, Son and Spirit whose love for one another is intense beyond description and whose love is a mighty river of living water flowing out to all creation and especially, to Mackenzie's amazement, to him. "I/We are especially fond of you Mackenzie" becomes a word repeated again and again until it begins to sink into Mackenzie's consciousness and radically transform his understanding of God. In talking with people who have read The Shack a common response has been; "Wouldn't it be great if God was really like that?" or "Do you think God is really like that?" In The Shack Revisited, Dr. Kruger answers those questions with; "Yes, that is exactly what God is like!" The Shack Revisited is not a dull theological volume that will put you to sleep. Dr. Kruger uses the The Shack as a backdrop to lay out a description of the deep love and compassion of the Father, Son and Spirit for all human life. For we are his creation, we are his children. It is very readable and filled with stories that will make your heart soar. This is the image of God that turned the ancient world upside down. It is the image of God that has the potential to do the same to our world. Who doesn't want to be loved by Papa? Who doesn't want to be embraced, held and welcomed home? In his book Dr. Kruger has given us a deep theological understanding of who the Father, Son and Spirit are, without making it sound like it is deep and theological. It is written in the language of every man and woman. It is written in the language of love. And that is a language everyone can understand. If you read The Shack and you found your heart soaring when the door flew open and Mackenzie found himself embraced by Papa, you need to read this book. If you found yourself asking or thinking; "Could God really be like this?" you need to read this book. Thanks Baxter for a great book. And thank you Holy Spirit for the vision you have given us through this book. We'll have more please.

I have to admit, I came in here today to see if I could purchase this on DVD and had forgotten that I purchased this book a few years ago! I haven’t read it but will definitely be searching my bookshelves.. I started watching this on Amazon Prime last night. Watching Paul talk about his life, his faith and explaining the nuances of The Shack left me in tears by episode 3. There are 20 episodes, and I had to force myself to go to bed after episode 7. I will be picking up where I left off tonight. We have all had hardships in our life, no doubt, but Paul’s early years were especially tough. I know that had he not been through them he wouldn’t be the man he is today and this book probably wouldn’t have ever come into existence. So for his shattered life and healing process, I am eternally grateful. He has brought hope to a people who live in blindness, confusion and despair. If you have read The Shack or watched the movie and are full of questions you owe it to yourself to either read this book or watch the special on Amazon. The Shack is truly a God-driven phenomenon that has inspired and brought hope to so many. As for myself. I am going to do exactly as I did immediately after reading The Shack for the first time..purchase this copy and send it out to my Mom in B.C. to read. It was surprising and nice to see the references to a place I have walked before, even if it was in reference to a place that didn’t have fond memories. I know she will do exactly as she did the first time as well, pass it to my brother!! 😊

Great book

C. Baxter Kruger is a theologian and I place him in the company of C.S. Lewis in this regard. Even with the need to fully concentrate on Kruger's writing, I found that I did not fully grasp what he was attempting to communicate to less learned Christian believers like me. I was encouraged in my faith by Kruger's conclusions on the salvation offered to all of humanity without reservation by the Trinity.

I buy numerous copies of this book every year and give them away. It is a very touching book about a tragedy and relationships with God. Well done.

Usually I don't like books about books. So many of them just seem to "tag along" on the fame of the book they are writing about. But not this one. This could easily be a seminary level exposition on the subjects The Shack introduced. This book places a very strong emphasis on the love of God as the real essence of God, rather than the sovereignty of God (yes, I have no problem acknowledging the sovereignty of God, it's just that within God sovereignty is almost a secondary characteristic that lies within and roots from the love of God.) Kruger really takes the time to explicate many of the themes from the Shack, starting with a compelling examination of what lies behind the hug with which Papa greets Mac. This book is pretty technical, yet should be fairly easy for a serious reader to apprehend. Not set in the story format that Young utilized, this is more of a thematic exploration of Young's theology. This is not any kind of a "follow up" to Youngs "Shack," nor is it a sequel. Very powerful and very much worth the read.

Wm. Paul Young’s novel “The Shack” examines our relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit by relating it to the agony a human tragedy. It is interesting, inspirational, and thought provoking. We are drawn into the emotional stress of a man seeking a way out of his despondency and confusion. Young has created a contemporary narrative of Christian theology. Thus when Young encouraged me to read C. Baxter Kruger’s book “The Shack Revisited”, I expected to find an equally contemporary extension of the ideas we find in Young’s novel. That did not happen. Instead, Kruger has chosen to wrap the mantle of his personal Christian theology around Young’s novel. The result is disappointing. There are many theologies. I choose to believe the specifics of personal belief are less important than the result. Constructive, positive and righteous belief systems encourage us to have an intimate relationship with a loving God. It should therefore be understood I respect Kruger’s beliefs and we can be impressed with his enthusiasm and love for the Holy Trinity. Unfortunately, The Shack Revisited is essentially a discourse on traditional Christian theology. It fails as an extension of Young’s novel. As a work of literature, the Shack Revisited is overly wordy and endlessly repetitive. It lacks focus. Kruger frequently belabors his discussion to the point of being tiresome. He uses hyperbole without textual justification. Rather than communicate interesting ideas, Kruger likes to preach to us. The result is a tiresome rehash of traditional Christian mythology. All in all, the text is at least 100 pages too long. On this basis, I give The Shack Revisited a 2. Let us be more specific. The first 23 pages serve as an introduction to text of The Shack, and the friendship between Kruger and Young. Although Chapters 1 and 2 stimulate our interest, I found Chapters 3, 4 and 5 to be the most interesting. By Chapter 7, however, I was frustrated. In my opinion, Kruger does not understand the relationship Jesus has with God, nor does he understand the nature of God. There is confusion in his treatment of the resurrection. The text lacks historical credibility and there is an annoying reliance on mythology for justification. The Shack Revisited is a good example of what’s wrong with most Christian literature. It lacks credibility. But not all is lost. I took copious notes because there are some wonderful intellectual nuggets buried in the text of The Shack Revisited. The reader just needs to be willing to stumble through the verbose presentation to find them. As a work of traditional Christian theology, I rated The Shack Revisited as a 4. A footnote: The wonderful message of Christian theology is worth saving. But it will not survive unless Christian authors are willing to bring it into the 21st century. .

I have a friend who wrote: "We are all Trinitarians. But though we confess God as Triune, we may not be Trinitarian in our daily living. Theologian Karl Rahner asks this question, "If we decided to ditch the doctrine of the trinity what practical difference would it make to our lives? Rahner's answer is that it would make no difference at all. He says, "Despite their orthodox confession of the Trinity, Christians are, in their practical lives, almost mere monotheists." The point Rahner is making is that though we confess the three in One we live before God as a Monad, a single and solitary being." This book, `The Shack Revisited' is an excellent exposition of `Trinitarian theology' which everyone would benefit from reading, but especially those Christians (particularly from the Conservative Evangelical wing of the church) who, whether they realize it or not, are as Rahner describes above Trinitarian in name but not in practice. For me Baxter Kruger's writings are the most accessible of any `Trinitarian' theologian. Although a scholar of standing himself, Baxter has the ability to explain deep and complex matters simply (a rare gift in a theologian). Standing on the shoulders of giants like St Athanasius, Karl Barth, the Torrance brothers, C.S.Lewis and others, he clearly expounds the wonderful truths of our `inclusion in Christ'. Against the background of `The Shack' Baxter visits every important aspect of Trinitarian theology, including Incarnation and Atonement in a way which every one with a mind to can access and understand. Baxter's writings have revolutionised my own understanding of Christian faith, and I write as a 65 year old Christian and an ordained Church of England minister of some 40 years standing. My concern is that those who most need to read this book won't do so. They may consider it to be `lightweight' which it certainly isn't (witness the footnotes and recommendations for further reading); and because it is an exposition of the theology which undergirds `The Shack', there are those who having an inbuilt prejudice against that book won't be inclined to read this one. It will be their loss. This book demands a wide readership. To my mind it deserves as wide a readership as `The Shack' itself. My personal hope is that `The Shack Revisited' will bring the writings of C. Baxter Kruger to the attention of readers in the U.K. and therefore expose him to a much wider readership in what he calls `the Motherland'. May this book advance the `Trinitarian' revival in the church and beyond, and may eyes be opened to see how great and good is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you" (John 14:21 TNIV).

“The Shack Revisited” truly is a must read for everyone wanting a deep dive into a better understanding of Christianity. A must read after reading Wm. Paul Young’s “The Shack”.

An excellent book interpreting gospel through a story unveiling deep truth about Father Son and Holy Spirit and their deep desire to bring everyone to have life abundant in their own circle of joy.

Loved every single page. Absolutely heart wrenching as a parent though. Beware of triggers for child kidnapping, suicidal thoughts and abuse.

I bought this not expecting too much,,, but was I surprised. Baxter opens up some thoughts and insights that were somewhat of a surprise to me, and I've been reading Christian-type books (and the Bible) for 40 years. If you read The Shack, 'Revisited' is an absolute gem not to be ignored. It will help develop a better appreciation of our Great God and His amazing grace and love for each of us. I am going to be re-reading this book regularly for many years to come. Thank you Baxter Kruger !!!!