Lifestream Home Lifestream Blog The God Journey (podcast) Finding Church Contact Wayne's Books

About the The Shack Movie category

#1

If you’d like to discuss THE SHACK movie, here’s a place to do it with others who have been touched by some of the writings at Lifestream or the podcasts at The God Journey.

Feel free to start new topics and comment away. All we ask is that you be civil, especially where we disagree. The movie like the book can evoke some real passion in people, both for those who are deeply touched by it and those who are concerned it doesn’t represent the God of Scripture well.

You’re welcome to your point of view here, but you’re not welcome to abuse others in expressing it. We will moderate those people and posts that seek to add more heat than light.

#2

I think I may stay off this discussion as I just saw that the release date for The Shack is the 9th June 2017 in the UK…:cry:

The thing is will curiosity kill this cat?? :joy:

#3

Obviously the collision with the semi was a critical part of the story. I might have shown Mack colliding with the truck in both instances, but from Mack’s experience, not deterring him from getting to the shack. I had a hard time making the leap from no accident to an accident which left him hospitalized. Maybe the trauma of the accident put Mack in a state of denial that there was no accident at all?

#4

Ian, you’ll survive. Be here before you know it.

#5

It makes the point that what happened at THE SHACK was inside Mack during the coma, and not a real experience at the real shack. Whatever happened there happened during his coma. Hmmmmm.

#6

Yes indeed, I posted that comment as I was rushing off to work, my after thought was, "you’ve read the book twice reading people’s comments will be more a pleasure to read than me thinking, Ooh! mind out spoiler ahead… :joy:

#7

I always thought that Mack got to the shack, the scene of the crime… collapsed after his tirade and then began what could have been in his mind… and then he awoke back on the floor of the shack. The accident wasn’t really necessary to stage the whole visit with Papa, Jesus and Sarayu… but it may have been necessary for Mac’s family to understand his story.

Had Mac decided to stay with Papa, Jesus and Sarayu… I envisioned the local authorities finding Mac’s frozen body laying beside the blood stained floor where his daughter died… not in a car crash… but that was just my imagination playing itself out.

#8

The first weekend after the release, I read the reviews from critics in IMDB. Most of them seemed to be either disagreeing with or seemingly not understanding the answers the movie portrayed to what philosophers and theologians call “Theodicy” – the struggle with understanding how a good, loving, just, and yet powerful God can “allow” suffering in the world and how we interact with the answers to those concerns.
I thought the problems the critics were having could be related to the great challenges of getting a book that is mostly didactic (using teaching presented in a dialog format) into a movie which is mostly dramatic. More specifically, I speculated that the problems with communication of the message were mostly due to one of three possibilities: Either

  1. The script did not include the many, clear presentations the book made of the nature of the Loving, Just,and still all-knowing and all-powerful God, and the reaction of Humanity to such a God, or
  2. These presentations that were in the book were also included in the movie script, but were not done well enough to reflect what was in the book into what was in the movie in a way powerful enough to speak to the objections in the minds of the critics, or
  3. The presentations were written well into the movie and were presented very well, or at least as powerfully, in the script as they were presented in the book, but the critics just did not grasp those ways of thinking.
    Knowing a group of us were going to see the movie that following Wednesday, I spent time in preparation, searching the book. Between opening day on that Thursday and the Wednesday following the premiers, I reviewed the book (with notes; I am still really just a teacher at my core), paying attention to, pulling out, writing down page numbers and placing in mind the wording of the quotes that reflected the main messages of The Shack. That way, I could listen for those quotes when watching the film and get an idea of how well the book was reflected in the script. What I found while watching the movie is that the orthodox, Biblical theology so well presented in the book, is presented equally well in the movie script and acting, often with direct, extended quotes.
    It was so encouraging to see and hear, and not just read, about Papa who is a loving and powerful God, who is especially fond of humanity as the “Very Good” pinnacle of creation who chose the independent choices, with all the problems and hurts that causes, then suffers right with us, in relationships of trust, and is there to heal our hurts when we return, and learn to trust and how to live loved lives in relationships that heal us and provide healing for others as well.
    So, it seems to me that explanation 3, above, was the best explanation of how the earliest Hollywood critics could miss what The Shack movie was and still is, putting down: the message of the book was there, but not perceived. In fact, I wonder if this is a case of the spiritual not being perceived with natural minds of 1 Cor 2.14.
    I did create a problem for watching the film that day, though. I had just re-read the passages of the tree growing in the fractal garden, crying once again at the beauty of the word-craft and the meaning of it all. So, 30 minutes before I even started seeing the movie, I had already started periods of times of tears that continued throughout the movie. How wonderful and refreshing!
    Thank you for binging the film to our lives and many others in the future!
    I, too, pray that Papa would bless many conversations about God and us.
#9

Wow, I can’t believe it has been almost ten years since I first read The Shack. “My” copy of the book no longer exists. A very good friend received an early copy, he passed it to his father, who passed it to his other son, who passed it to me, I passed it to my wife, she passed it to my step-father. At that point the book literally fell apart. Yeah, I think you could say that it was well received.

It was greatly loved by each of the recipients. I enjoyed the way the writers changed tradition to make me reexamine my beliefs. I was hesitant with a “univeralism” point (minor and Wayne has written his feelings against it). And, I was greatly affected by Missy’s murder. So much so that I couldn’t look at the book again (until now). But overall, The Shack is unique and enlightening.

Movies by their nature are limited and can destroy what their based-on book meant to convey. With hesitation, I took my wife to see The Shack for her birthday last month. Brad et al did a wonderful job converting the book to the large screen. I couldn’t believe how much of the book they were able to incorporate into the movie. There were several parts that I didn’t remember being in the book so I bought a new copy and devoured it. Yummy for the soul and spirit.

There was one part of the movie (and book) that I hated. It was when Papa was on the porch and made the comment, “Men! Such idiots sometimes!” (page 194 of the book) This one part dropped my rating of the movie by one full point. I understand that Paul Young had messed up in real life and The Shack was a reflection of his struggle to regain his wife’s trust and save his marriage. However, that is no reason to degrade all men and call half the population, idiots. This falls into the currently controlled by Satan media’s attempt to put men down and wreck the family unit. I don’t understand why this part of the dialogue was thought to be so special as to be a part of the book and movie.

Not to end on a negative note; I left the movie enriched, especially the Judgement Seat scene. And, as Wayne teachings in all of his writings, trust God not our understanding of a situation. Side note, I perceived Sarayu as different – more visually transparent, floating, and colorful, but fully understand the limitations of the movie format and special effects budgets.

If you haven’t seen the movie, then go see it. If you haven’t read the book, then read it. Do both. Definitely don’t do neither.

#10

Wayne and Brad
My wife and I just saw the Shack movie here in Germany. It has been here a week or so. It was beyond my expectations; so beautiful; the filming and the message.
My wife is German, and she was SO impressed with the tone of the translation work and the words chosen. The scene with the judge lady was so especially well done, powerful and to the point. She knows that it matters to the German mindset how things are written and done. She feels that it all will touch a lot of hungry hearts. I agree, in everyway. How anyone can sit there and try to pick out all kinds of errors during the movie is simply beyond me. But, I would have done the same thing years ago too, I am sure!

#11

Finally, I have made it to watching The Shack movie yesterday. My wife, I and two other ladies had to drive 45 minutes to a cinema in our area that would show it, but finally we were sitting there with 20 other people and had a very impressive time.

The very first comment after the movie on reading the names of the authors involved: Great job done!

As far as I remember the book from our reading it some 8 years ago, the movie was very accurate. It did leave out some scenes, but this is only natural when cutting a 7-hour novel down to a 2:15-hour film.

Apart from the spiritual aspects I really enjoyed the scenery: the colourful and chaotic garden with its secret pattern and the lively coloured interior of the shack which gave it a very cosy look.

I cannot remember right now, in how far church and denominations were covered in the book, but the film did not enlarge on that but kept to the central subject: God loves you and he wants to save us through what Jesus did on the cross.

This way the film manages to not only speak to a typical “insiders” but to “nones” and “dones” as well. It’s a real pity that the cinemas, at least in our area of Germany, do not seem to show and advertise it very eagerly. I will certainly buy the DVD and show it to those of my friends who were not able to come yesterday.

#12

I believe the Shack is the counter argument to the infamous case Fyodor Dostoyevsky made for atheism.

In his book the Idiot, the Intellectual Atheist tells the Religious man a news article (which was a real piece of news) about a little girl who was thrown into a shed as punishment for her misdeeds. It was the middle of winter and despite her cries, was neglected by her parents and froze to death. After the Atheist tells the religious man this, he proceeds to ask how a loving God allows such injustice.

Can you see the parallels? I think the Shack is necessary for any bookshelf where the Great Dostoyevsky’s work rests. :smile: