"The Shack" - The Concept of Trinity

One of the most difficult of doctrines emanating from the pages of Scripture is that of the Trinity. While the word "trinity" is not found within the Bible, one cannot deny that the portrait of one God existing as three persons is present. We know those as God-the Father, Jesus Christ -the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Usually, when a human author attempts to explain the Trinity, he begins with one person of the Godhead, then proceeds to the second and then to the third. In many ways we isolate the one from the other two. Yet, in his book "The Shack", the author William Young attempts to have all three persons of the Godhead in one location at one time. You might remember from our previous study, that he portrays God as a large African-American woman named "Papa." Jesus is pictured as being a Middle Eastern man who, we later find out, occupies himself with carpentry. And the Holy Spirit, named Sarayu, is a woman of Asian decent dressed in blue jeans and a brightly colored blouse. Yes, I have to admit that when I first read those descriptions (pages 82-85) I was taken back. To describe God and the Godhead in those ways seemed almost blasphemous. Then I remembered how often the biblical writers themselves often used human phrases to help us to understand God: "the hand of God", "the arm of God", "the eyes of God", and "the face of God" just to cite a few. I think Young is doing something very similar. He is trying to help us to understand God in the midst of this fictional setting.

Once I got past the descriptions, I was intrigued as to how the author portrayed the relationship that existed between the participants in the Trinity. There was an intentionality about those relationships, yet there was some levity as well. I have to be honest and admit that I don't often view the members of the Godhead as having a good time together. In fact, the account I usually draw from my study of the Word is that there is a seriousness and even a sobriety between them. Could it be possible that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit actually enjoy each other's presence? Could it be possible that they enjoy some humorous dialogue over a meal together? I know this, when we get to heaven we will find that there was much more to the relationship between the members of the Trinity than we ever considered here below.

If I had a complaint about how the Trinity is portrayed in "The Shack" it is the lack of a semblance of authority between them. In fact, the author strongly states that there was no "chain of command" between the members. He writes: "It's one reason why experiencing true relationship is so difficult for you," Jesus added. "Once you have a hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and you end up with some kind of chain of command or a system of order that destroys relationship rather than promotes it. You rarely see or experience relationship apart from power. Hierarchy imposes laws and rules and you end up missing the wonder of relationship that we intended for you." (pages 122-123).

From my own study of the Scriptures, I have tended to observe that there was a delineation of ministry - some would use the word function - between the members of the Trinity. God, the Father, was the creator and sustainer of life; Jesus Christ is the redeemer and our blessed hope for tomorrow; the Holy Spirit is the one who causes us to understand God's Word and reveals to us the person of Christ. Also, the Bible describes a system of hierarchy almost from the time of the creation itself. God placed men and women - He used the term "mankind" - as head over all His creation. That describes a hierarchy. Then, following the fall, God placed Adam as head over Eve. More hierarchy. Jesus Christ, although He proclaimed His equality with God, nevertheless strongly asserted His obedience to the will of His Father. That seems to imply some type of hierarchy. I don't tend to think that hierarchy is as detrimental to a relationship as Young seems to believe it is.

This criticism set aside, I found "The Shack" to be a fascinating study of the relationships between "Papa" and Jesus and Sarayu. I also became engrossed with the development of the relationship Mack had with all three Persons during his weekend stay. I believe Young was reinforcing the biblical principle that God desires a living relationship with each one of us. And sometimes that relationship becomes most acute during times of suffering and heartache.