The Bible offers something better for your suffering than The Shack
Let's get three things out of the way from the start. First, I've spent the bulk of my academic career studying what the Bible has to say about human suffering. In academia, it's called the problem of evil. Thinking through suffering from a biblical perspective, then, isn't something I've taken up over the past weekend. Second, I'm not an arm-chair quarterback when it comes to suffering--some guy sitting on the sidelines with no skin in the game. I have no interest in playing the 'my scar is bigger than your scar' game, but I believe it's safe to say walking through childhood cancer with your two-year-old daughter counts as suffering. And third, I believe the book "The Shack" gives a very poor answer, wrapped in Christianity, to the problem of our suffering. And by poor, I mean an answer that doesn't agree with the answer the Bible offers.Back that upI've got several problems with The Shack. As an aside, I've got a problem with any book, other than the Bible, attempting to speak directly for God. I'm not talking allegory here. I have in mind books that basically say, "Hey I'm God, this is what I think," and what follows are not words from Scripture. But I'll leave all that alone for now. For this post, I want to focus on what The Shack says about human suffering and point out its flaws. Why these flaws matter...Offer better resources...
Sharing Posts and gossip
Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. Psalm 101:5Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a gossip. Proverbs 20:19Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:13
Nowhere in the Bible does God speak positively about gossip and slander. To the contrary, over and over again God warns us of the danger of spreading falsehoods and speaking maliciously against someone. Wisdom and love for neighbor compel us to not only to avoid being gossips ourselves but also to avoid those who are gossips. The idea behind both gossip and slander is spreading misinformation that defames and degrades another person.In the New Testament, the word gossip literally means a tale-bearer or a rumor-mongerer. I like that last word the best. There's a grittiness, and ugliness to it that captures the nature of gossip. If you're familiar with Christianity you know how much God values truth, and I'm sure you've heard many times before that gossip is sin. I wonder, however, how many of us recognize that gossip and slander include more than just what we say with our mouth. I can gossip and slander just as easily with my pen, my keyboard, or my click.I don't know what your social media feeds look like right now, but most of mine are filled with shared articles. You know what they're about; we're five days away from an election and everyone's hyped up. I'm all for sharing information and posting an article (you're reading one right now that I've shared!). I've no problem passing along good, truthful information. The problem, however, is a great many posts and articles passed along are full of gossip and slander.Some articles are outright lies--spreading news that never happened. Some are disingenuous means of playing on people's fears. Others rip words out of context, twisting them to make a point. I've started wondering, do we realize that we're gossiping and slandering people when we share these types of articles?I know, you didn't write the article, and that gives you a sense of security, a layer between you and the actual gossip. But when you share it, it gets a bit more complicated. You may not have written the gossip, but by sharing the article you're passing it on to others. And that's gossip, just as much as if you pass on a rumor you hear at church this weekend. You didn't come up with it, but when you share it you become complicit in the act of gossip and slander.I can think of three reasons Christians should___ reasons not to do thisIt's sinIt fails to love your neighbor as yourself.Reflects poorly in the King and his KingdomWhat should you do?Take the time to do some researchIf you're unsure, err on the side of caution.
Teaching the Bible and Cooking
What's the difference between a Sunday sermon, a Bible class, and a disciple group? I don't like redundancy.