Hello World,

There are so many great movies out there to choose from right now, and this is one that should definitely be on your list!  From the producer of The Blind Side and Life of Pi and based on Wm. Paul Young’s New York Times best-selling novel, THE SHACK takes us on a father’s uplifting spiritual journey. After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips, portrayed by Sam Worthington, spirals into a deep depression causing him to question his innermost beliefs. Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a woman named Papa, portrayed Octavia Spencer, who recently starred in the Academy Award nominated film Hidden Figures. Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever.

THE SHACK opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, March 3rd.  To celebrate the new film, Lionsgate is offering fans an exclusive in-theatre experience, called ‘Movie Premiere Night.’ Taking place tonight, March 2nd, moviegoers in cities around the country, will be the first to see THE SHACK in theatres, followed by a 20-minute video hosted by radio personality Delilah that features interviews with the movie’s cast, including Oscar® winner Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures, The Help); Sam Worthington (Avatar, Hacksaw Ridge), Grammy Award winner Tim McGraw (The Blind Side), an acoustic performance by chart topping country duo Dan + Shay, and a conversation between Delilah and Wm. Paul Young. Hundreds of ‘Movie Premiere Night’ events will take place in major cities around the U.S. to kick off opening weekend, and many churches are buying out theaters.

Tickets for THE SHACK ‘Movie Premiere Night’ can be purchased here: www.tickets.theshack.movie

Many faith leaders are endorsing The SHACK….

“Profound and creative.”
– Dick Rolfe, Co-Founder & CEO of The Dove Foundation

“It was incredible.”
– Michael W. Smith, Grammy-Award Winning, Platinum-selling music artist

“An amazing production.”
– Geoff Tunnicliffe, Former Head of World Evangelical Alliance

However, the film has its detractors according The Washington Post article “Why God is a Curvy, Black woman in ‘The Shack’ and Some Christian Critics Say It’s ‘Heresy’” written by Katie Mettler.

James B. DeYoung, a professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Western Seminary in Oregon, and the author of a scathing critique called “Burning Down ‘The Shack’: How the ‘Christian’ bestseller is deceiving millions,” said Young’s message strays dangerously far from biblical teachings and promotes “universalism,” or the idea that in the end, all people will go to heaven.

In her book Feminist Mysticism and Images of God: A Practical Theology, author Jennie S. Knight explains this dilemma:Many white, European Americans have experienced more unconditional love from an African American woman employed by their parents to take care of them as children than from their own parents. They have developed an image of God as an African American woman in connection with the teachings of their religious tradition that God is unconditionally loving. This image has emerged recently in U.S. popular culture in the novel The Shack, resonating with millions of readers. This raises the question, however, of whether this God-image enables them to challenge their inevitable internalized images of white people as superior in a white supremacist context. Perhaps the image of the less powerful, more loving African American woman coincides with an image of Christ as long-suffering and therefore does not challenge assumptions and inspire action to alleviate the suffering of African American people.

I must confess I have never read the novel (although someone recently gave me a copy of the novel and I plan to read it), but I wonder why when anything colored and or black is associated with deity, whether real or not, controversy arises – from Santa being a black man at the Mall of Georgia last year to the “real face” of Jesus being a colored face in 2015.

I think this verse below summarizes this controversy…

“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”  1 Corinthians 9:19-23

In reading The Washington Post article, I discovered that the reason that the author made God a black woman in his novel is because after he was forced to leave his church following the revelation of an affair, a black woman from the church was the first one from his church to reach out to him in compassion.

A week later, someone pulled into Young’s driveway, a person who the author later claimed was one of the first within whom he saw God — the worship leader of his former church.

She was a curvy, black woman.

“She’s come over and says, ‘I think they’re making a huge mistake with you, I think we need to love you and be in your life,’” Jacobsen said. “And she said, ‘I don’t care what the rest of them do, I’m committed to you and (your wife), and I’m going to be your friends through this.’”

It inspired a rethinking of how he viewed God.

What do you think about God as a black woman? Do you plan to see The Shack?

Below is a video of Octavia speaking about her role in The Shack.

And below is the trailer from the movie.

Any thoughts?