“What makes sin sin, what makes it so profoundly heinous, what makes it so deeply repugnant and culpable, is that it is [an] offense against God. We dare not forget that the first commandment, according to Jesus, is the commandment to love God with heart and soul and mind and strength. This the first sin - first sequentially, first in fundamental importance – is not to love God with heart and soul and mind and strength. It is the sin we always commit when we commit any other sin. At the most profound level, whenever we sin, God is the most offended party. If, like David, we commit adultery, God is the most offended party. If we cheat on our income taxes, God is the most offended party. If we puff ourselves up in pride, indulge in slander, demean a colleague, or nurture bitterness, God is the most offended party. If we watch porn on the internet, God is the most offended party.”
- D.A. Carson from his book Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus
I highly recommend this book – especially as we approach Easter. Carson does an outstanding job unpacking just a few of the glorious truths of Christ’s death and resurrection from a reformed, Biblical perspective.
I’ve already posted a while back on the problems with the popular book “The Shack” that so many professing believers claim to be a wonderful book. In fact, Eugene Peterson, author of the translation weak paraphrase “The Message” claimed it was equal to the classic book, “Pilgrim’s Progress”. I’m sorry, this book comes no where near the theological beauty of “Pilgrim’s Progress”. In fact, it’s at the complete other end of the spectrum with its heretical views of the Trinity.
Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary says, “This book includes undiluted heresy.” It doesn’t get any clearer than that.
The real truth is that the endorsements of the book from popular musical artists and liberal Christians is just one more indication of the complete lack of spiritual discernment in our world and the condition of the church visible. Maybe pastors should spend more time preaching the gospel and less time endorsing junk like “The Purpose Driven Life” and “The Shack”. It’s so concerning to see the state of the majority of professing believers in America.
Tim Challies has written an update to his review of “The Shack” and it is an excellent, Biblical review. If you or a loved one has this book (and from what I hear some churches are handing this book out like they did the “Purpose Driven Drivel Life”, I urge you to carefully read this excellent review.
So head on over to challies.com and check out the updated review. Tim has also provided his review in an elegant pdf format that you can send to your friends or maybe even your pastor. And while you’re at it grab a copy of Challie’s excellent book on discernment because it is clearly a lack of Biblical discernment that has caused books like “The Shack” to become so popular among the American church.
“The Shack” by William P. Young is a popular book – a top seller on Amazon.com and unfortunately a book that many young evangelicals are racing to often with support within the Evangelical church. We seem to see a lack of Biblical discernment within the church – often from leadership. Just like Rob Bell, Young’s book attracts the young crowd and just because “everyone is reading it” does not make it a Biblically sound book. “The Shack” has some serious theological problems that include promoting a false view of the Trinity and a heretical concept called modalism.
As I scour the reviews of this book I am amazed at the diverse support for it. There are the so called “heresy-hunters” that most on the liberal front consider “armed and dangerous” with solid doctrine and then there are those on the other end who say, “it’s just a book”.
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