(UPDATED 8/17/15 See added information and video of Wm P Young speaking about his new book ‘Eve’ below).
Though I am not among the many who are addicted to Facebook, I must admit that I am growing to appreciate the many suggested posts that are generated by Facebook for me to check out. The above picture caught my attention a few days ago, and upon reading what William Paul Young (WPY) said concerning The Shack “proposing a fundamental paradigm shift,” I decided to do some research on his newest novel —Eve.
Even though The Shack has always been promoted as a work of fiction, many of us know that after some people finished reading it, their theology, as well as their view of the character and nature of God as revealed in Scripture, were dramatically altered by the emotionally moving story and messages presented in this book. Here are just a few from among the many comments that I found on Amazon and YouTube that will attest to that. I have also included comments by those who have discernment and expressed their valid concerns about The Shack:
William Paul Young is a professing Christian, and yet, as you can see in the quick capture below, he claims that even though “the story is fiction,” he goes on to say that the conversations in The Shack are: “…very real and true.” “…all real, all true.” Thus he is claiming that the messages presented in The Shack were given to him by God, which will lead people to believe that God speaks outside of His Word and still gives new revelations today, and will cause people to be lured into mysticism through Spiritual Formation and Contemplative Prayer. (Lord willing, I will be addressing mysticism in another post later on this year).
(SOURCE)
Even more disturbing is the fact that most of the messages presented in The Shack contradict Scripture. Here’s an example:
Mack to Papa: “Aren’t you the one spilling out great bowls of wrath and throwing people into a burning lake of fire?”
Papa: “I don’t need to punish sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish sin; it’s my joy to cure it.” (Page 119-120) (SOURCE)<- Click here to read more).
Here’s an example of the New Age teachings presented in The Shack:
“The Incarnate Jesus is speaking to Mack: “God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in around and through all things–ultimately emerging as the real.” (Page 112) (SOURCE)
(Please read the reviews posted under ‘Further Reading’ for much more information).
WPY’s new book ‘Eve‘ will undoubtedly once again capture the hearts and minds of those who choose to read it. His creative way of putting a story together, as well as his ability to create characters that cause the reader to bond with them — sometimes on a very deep and personal level — will definitely affect certain Christians and their ability to discern, and even more so, will captivate the many people who are not Christians and are searching for hope and comfort because they have gone through deeply tragic circumstances in life.
Those who choose to read Eve and have no knowledge of Biblical truth whatsoever, will begin to embrace not only a message that will most likely be contrary to Scripture in many ways like The Shack, but also they will very likely be presented with a God who will appeal to their sinful nature as well as to their flawed human reasoning, and therefore they will not view Him as the just and thrice Holy God that He truly is, as revealed throughout Scripture.
If you read the above description of Eve after first praying for discernment, you will realize that there are many things that are said which clearly indicate some problems. Consider the following statements:
“The Shack shattered our limited perceptions about God.”
By saying this, it implies that The Shack reveals a clearer understanding of who God is, which leads people to seek after new revelations, and leads people away from seeking God in His Word. However, remember that it claims to be a work of fiction.
Now let’s focus more on what WPY has to say about Eve:
“EVE will destroy harmful misconceptions about ourselves.”
At this point one can only speculate as to what those “harmful misconceptions about ourselves” may be, and what messages will be presented to the readers concerning what we are to believe about ourselves since the book has not yet been released. However, we can assume from how some people reacted after reading The Shack, that Eve will also alter and distort the beliefs — as well as Biblical truth — in the minds of many, as they will, once again, be emotionally moved by WPY’s powerful ability to present a story that can touch the heart, and characters whom readers can deeply connect with.
Note this statement:
“Eve is a bold, unprecedented exploration of the creation narrative, true to the original text and centuries of scholarship–yet with breathtaking discoveries that challenge traditional misconceptions about who we are and how we’re made.”
Making a bold statement like that will lead some readers to believe much of the information included in this book is Biblical, in spite of the fact that Eve is also classified as “fiction.”
The second part of that statement indicates that our traditional views on who we are and how we’re made are “misconceptions” and that they will be challenged by the information presented in ‘Eve.’
One can only wonder what “faulty interpretations” the readers of Eve will supposedly be freed from as this statement declares:
“Eve will free us from faulty interpretations that have corrupted human relationships since the Garden of Eden.”
Reading the description of ‘Eve‘ also seems to indicate that New Age beliefs will be presented to those who read it, just as there were New Age beliefs woven throughout The Shack. (See the first three articles below under ‘FURTHER READING’).
“With the aid of Healers and Scholars, John oversees her recovery.”
While many of us as Christians have compassion for WPY because he was sexually abused by his father when he was a child, and because his niece died in a horrible accident the day after she turned five, we must speak out and warn others about The Shack. WPY presents a God who will save everyone, thus he is presenting the people who read this book with the false teaching of Universalism.
Anything that presents itself as being “true to the original text” and yet also claims to be a work of fiction will undoubtedly be a mixture of truth and error which is where all deception begins.
I will not judge William Paul Young’s heart or his motive for writing Eve, but just as The Shack changed some people’s perception of God, the messages that will subtly be embedded within the pages of Eve will undoubtedly be another attempt to undermine the truth in God’s Word, and will sadly end up changing how many others view God and the truth presented in Scripture concerning Jesus Christ and the gospel.
**UPDATE 8/17/15 2:33 p.m. ** Please watch this video to hear all that he has to say.
William Paul Young just posted the above video about his new book ‘EVE’ an hour ago. His description alone hints at many concerns that those of us who are discerning Bible believing Christians will pick up on right away. Here is some of what he had to say:
“Part of the beautiful thing about the Hebrew Scriptures and the story in Genesis 1 and 2 ..and 3…is that it leaves a lot of gaps…it’s very concise…and those gaps allow…questions that become part of the unfolding way to look at it.” There will be some surprises, but I think it’s absolutely consistent with space that’s inside the story.”
“We think we know what the story says…we think we know exactly how it unfolds, and we bring those assumptions to any time we hear about it again. Inside this crafting of the narrative I’m looking at the spaces in between what’s given us, as well as staying true –I think– scholastically and academically, (Hmmm…notice that he didn’t say anything about “staying true to the Biblical text) but telling the story in such a way that it’s accessible to a teenager, and yet drawing out things that are beautiful and true,that are in there, but we missed it because of our assumptions.”
‘Eve’ may be another work of fiction like ‘The Shack,’ but sadly many will again adopt some of his ideas as part of their belief system concerning God and the Bible.
He states that it’s a work of “fiction,” but for him to say that he’s “looking at the spaces in between what’s given us,” it’s as if he’s hiding behind his claim that it’s a work of “fiction” to give him the freedom to add to the truth that is recorded in God’s Word without any consequences. However, since he claims to be a Christian, I believe that God will hold him accountable for misleading people by adding to Biblical truth in such a way that it will cause many to get a completely unbiblical view of who He is and who we are. He may be a very good writer and have the ability to create characters whom the reader will quickly connect with on a very deep and emotional level, but he should stay away from writing about anything that could mislead someone from the truth recorded in God’s Word.
Okay, I’m done venting now. I will be praying for William Paul Young, and hope that you will too!
Let’s commit all of this to God and pray that many will be led to read the Bible for themselves because of his book ‘Eve,’ and that God will give many eyes to see the truth that is in His Word. (End of update).
The release date for Eve is set for September 15th 2015, but this blogger here has no intentions of purchasing one. It is my desire only to send out a strong warning to those of you who have embraced the unbiblical view of God as presented in The Shack, and to warn all of you of the possible spiritually deceptive messages that may be lurking within the pages of Eve –especially those of you who are among the many who are eager to purchase it.
Lord willing, when Eve is finally released, I will be watching for some reviews written by Christians and will add them to this post so that you will be aware of any serious problems that may be in this book.
Before finally publishing this post, I did a search to find further resources to share with all of you concerning the many dangerous problems with The Shack. When time allows, I hope that you will read the articles, as well as listen to the information in the videos and podcasts so that you can become aware of the theological problems, as well as the New Age teachings, that are woven throughout the book, and so that those of you who earnestly contend for the faith can be better equipped to share Biblical truth in love with those who have been ensnared by the God that is presented in The Shack.
When we see so many people finding a false comfort and a false understanding of who God is through reading books like The Shack, it should make us as Christians realize the deep need for us to reach out to those around us who are deeply hurting and share true hope and healing that can only be found through receiving Jesus Christ and the salvation that He provided for us when He died in our place on the cross, and through the truth that can be found in God’s Word, the Bible.
Thank you for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.
God Bless You
~Mary Dalke/Living4HisGlory
RELATED SCRIPTURES
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17-4:1-4)
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in your name drive out demons, and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (2 Peter 2:1-3)
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16)
“Therefore I declare to you that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:26-31)
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)
RELATED VIDEOS
Mary Dalke - Living4HisGlory
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