I Thel. 4:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
“THE SHACK” BIBLE STUDY
Chapter 5
How do the images of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit compare/contrast to your mental image(s) of Him?
Is it sacrilegious to depict God and the Holy Spirit as female? Why or why not?
Chapter 6
Does God’s sense of humor seem congruent with your image of Him?
On p. 89 Jesus tells Mack he shouldn’t go talk to God out of obligation; rather, he should go because he
wants to talk to God. How does that compare to how you approach your time with God?
P. 89 the cabin is decorated with art created by children. Your thoughts?
P. 89 God is listening to and dancing to a Eurasian funk. Appropriate? Plausible?
P. 92 Mack’s resisting to consider God as Papa since Missy wasn’t saved. What keeps you from seeing
God as Papa?
P. 93 “I often find getting head issues out of the way makes the heart stuff easier to work on later…” Do
you think this is a dangerous statement? Have you ever had an experience where God had to deal with
some of your “head issues” to get to your heart? Describe.
P. 93 Discuss “I am neither male nor female”. How does this affect your reaction to God being depicted
as a woman?
P. 93 In what ways are we “religiously conditioned”?
P. 94 Discuss “once the Creation was broken, true fathering would be much more lacking than
mothering….an emphasis on fathering is necessary because of the enormity of its absence.”
P. 94 Discuss“just because I know you’re too curious to go does that reduce your freedom to leave” and
“Freedom is an incremental process” and “Freedom is a process that happens inside a relationship in
Him”.
P. 97 Consider/comment on: “Being grounded (the blue jay) is a limitation within their ability to fly, not
the other way around….You…were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a
limitation, not the other way around….Living unloved is like clipping a bird’s wings and removing its
ability to fly…pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly”.
P. 98 “…many folks try to grasp some sense of who I am by taking the best version of themselves,
projecting that to the nth degree, factoring in all the goodness they can perceive…and then call that
God.” Do you agree? Discuss
I Thel. 4:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
PP. 99-100: “<Jesus> has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything. He has only lived out of his
relationship with me, living in the very same manner that I desire to be in relationship with every human
being….Jesus, as a human being, had no power within himself to heal anyone…Only as he rested in his
relationship with me, and in our communion…could he express my heart and will into any given
circumstance….” Comments?
P. 100: “…humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I have for them; not be
what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image”.
P. 101: “All love and relationship is possible for you only because it already exists within me, within God
myself.”
Chapter 7
PP.104-105: This scene begins with Jesus spilling a bowl of sauce ingredients, then he cleans Papa’s legs
& feet while Papa wipes down the counters. How do their demeanors and their interactions align with
your understanding of the character of God. How would you have reacted under the situation, especially
if the ones spilling the sauce were your children?
P.106 In response to Mack’s statement that everything he’s telling the Trinity they already know, they
confirm they choose to limit themselves to facilitate and honor their relationship with Mack (humans).
Explain how you relate to this concept of God.
P.106 “Relationships are never about power, and one way to avoid the will to power is to choose to limit
oneself—to serve.
PP.107-108 Devotion Scene: In this scene Jesus holds Papa’s hands and tells him/her how wonderful
he/she is, how much he enjoyed watching her that day, and how much he enjoys being his/her son.
How does that type of devotion differ from what you’re accustomed to?
P. 109 How to you relate to the concept that God created something as “The Word”? And, as a corollary,
what are your thoughts of God now seeing it through the eyes of the Word become flesh?
P. 110 Mack confesses he feels more “comfortable” around Jesus than the other two. Do you feel the
same way? Why or why not?
P. 110 Sarayu = Wind . Jesus also states she is creativity, action, breathing of life. Is this name adequate
to capture the Holy Spirit? Why or why not?
I Thel. 4:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
P. 111 El-ousia: Creator God who is truly real. Is this name adequate to capture God? Why or why not?
P. 112 Being always transcends appearance (said in the context of if you really knew Jesus you wouldn’t
really care how he looked). How does your preoccupation with appearance affect any of your
relationships, if at all?
Chapter 8
PP. 115-116: These pages contain a scene of Mack dreaming of flying over mountains and seashores,
then being violently ripped from the sky and thrown into a mud puddle, drenched with rain, and see his
daughter, Misty, running off into the darkness beyond his grasp. What is the symbolism of this dream?
What dreams have you had (or are you having) that had special symbolism for you?
P. 117: “…if God was really here, why hadn’t he taken his nightmares away?” Your Comments.
P. 118: Who eats greens with their pancakes???????????????
P. 120: “ I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside.
It’s not my purpose to punish it, it’s my joy to cure it”. Please comment
P. 122: “We have no concept of final authority among us, only unity. We are in a circle of relationship,
not a chain of command, or ‘great chain of being’ as your ancestors termed it. What you’re seeing here
is relationship without any overlay of power. We don’t need power over the other because we are
always looking out for the best. Hierarchy would make no sense among us. That is your problem, not
ours….Humans are so lost and damaged that it is almost incomprehensible that people could work or
live together without someone being in charge….Once you have a hierarchy you have to have rules to
protect and administer it….you end up missing the wonder of relationship that we have for you.”
P. 123: “When you choose independence over relationship you become a danger to each other. Others
became objects to be manipulated or managed for your own happiness. Authority…is merely the excuse
the strong use to make others conform to what they want.”
P. 123: “We carefully respect your choices, so we work within your systems even while we seek to free
you from them….Creation has been taken down a very different path than we desired. In your world the
value of the individual is constantly weighted against the survival of the system, whether political,
economic, social, or religious—any system actually. First one person, and then a few, and finally even
many are easily sacrificed for the good and ongoing existence of that system…” What examples can you
think of that either support or reject this notion?
PP. 123-124: In one form or another this lies behind every struggle for power, every prejudice, every
war, and every abuse of relationship. The ‘will to power and independent’ has become so ubiquitous
that it is now considered normal….It is the matrix, a diabolical scheme in which you are hopelessly
trapped even while completely unaware of its existence….”
I Thel. 4:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
P. 124 “As the crowning glory of creation you were made in our image, unencumbered by structure and
free to simply ‘be’ in relationship with me and one another. If you had truly learned to regard each
other’s concerns as significant as your own, there would be no need for hierarchy”. What keeps us from
simply living in relationship with each other without hierarchy? At work? At home? With friends? Etc
PP.125+ What is it that binds Mack and causes his bitterness towards God for allowing Misty to be
killed?
I Thel. 4:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
Chapter 9: A Long Time Ago in a Garden Far, Far Away
P. 131: “But when I created it, it was only Good, because that is just the way I am”… What do you
perceive in the creation is not good now but once was?
P. 132: ““Having chosen the ravaged path of independence, you don’t even comprehend that you are
dragging the entire Creation along with you”. How is Mack (mankind) dragging the creation with us?
P. 132: “The choice to hide so many wonders from you is an act of love that is a gift inside the process of
life”. Share your thoughts concerning this statement.
P. 132: “For any created being, autonomy is lunacy. Freedom involves trust and obedience inside a
relationship of love. So, if you are not hearing my voice, it would be wise to take the time to understand
the nature of the plant”. Have you ever heard God’s voice telling you to do something that you
otherwise would not have done?
P. 133: “Humans have a great capacity for declaring something good or evil without truly knowing.”
Agree or Disagree? Explain.
P. 134: Mack declares his basis for determining whether something is good or evil is whether someone
threatens what he thinks he deserves. How do you determine whether something is good or evil?
P. 135: Mack—“…I spend most of my time and energy trying to acquire what I have determined to be
good (financial security, health, retirement)…and I spend a huge amount of energy and worry fearing
what I’ve determined to be evil”. True with you? Explain. How do we fix this? (see p. 136, 3rd paragraph)
P. 136 Sarayu—“It allows you to play God in your independence.That’s why a part of you prefers not to
see me. And you don’t need me at all to create your list of good and evil. But you do need me if you
have any desire to stop such an insane lust for independence”. Comments???
P. 137: “A child is protected because she is loved, not because she has a right to be protected.” Do you
agree? What rights do we commonly claim for ourselves and the rest of humanity? What does this
passage suggest about our rights?
P. 137: “Rights are where survivors go, so that they won’t have to work out relationships”. WOW.
P. 138: Sarayu reveals that the garden, which Mack perceived as both beautiful and a mess, was actually
Mack’s soul, describing it as “wild and beautiful and perfectly in process….a perfect pattern emerging
and growing and alive”. How do you see your soul?
I Thel. 4:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
Chapter 10: Wade in the Water
P. 140: “’I’m not a swimmer and besides, the water looks pretty damn cold.’, complained Mack. He
suddenly realized what he had said and felt his face flush.”
Does God care when we use profane language? Why or why not? (Read: Eph. 5:3-4, Col. 2:8, Col. 2:17)
What constitutes obscenity in our speech?
P. 141: Where do you spend most of the time in your mind? (Past, present or future) What scriptures
can you think of that would help give wisdom on God’s desire on how we spend our mental energy?
(Col. 3:2, Eph 4:17-24)
P. 142: For the future-dwellers…are your thoughts generally dictated by fear of some kind? How often
do you picture Jesus with you in your future circumstances? What reason does Jesus give for Mack’s
dwelling on the future? Do you agree with His assessment?
How might Heb 11:1 assist with one’s fears of the future?
P. 144: Jesus says: “Some have attempted to help her (the earth) but most have simply tried to use her.
Humans, who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her with no
consideration, other than their immediate needs….”. Agree or Disagree? Explain (Gen: 1:15)
P. 145: Jesus describes how the fall resulted in man turning to his works and accomplishments to find
identity, value and security, and that women turn to their man to find those things. Do you agree or
disagree? What does Jesus say is the solution to this? (Gen 3:16-18; Jn 4:13)
P. 148: Jesus: “We want male and female to be counterparts, face-to-face equals, each unique and
different, distinctive in gender but complementary, and each empowered uniquely by Sarayu from
whom all true power and authority originates.” Agree or disagree? Why? (Gal 3:26-29, I Cor 11:3)
P. 148: Mack: “If the female had been created first, there would have been no circle of relationship, and
thus no possibility of a fully equal face-to-face relationship between the male and the female”. True or
false? Explain. (Does I Cor 11:3 support the notion of a Circle of Relationship between Christ and God?
What about Jhn 17:18, Rev: Ch. 4 & 5)?
P. 149: Jesus: “…submission is not something that you can do, especially not on your own. Apart from
my life inside of you, you can’t submit to Nan, or your children, or anyone else in your life, including
means for your independence to be killed. I came to give you life, real life, my life. We will come and
live our life inside of you, so that you begin to see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and touch with
our hands, and think like we do. But, we will never force that union on you”. What areas of your life
does your independence resist being killed? (Jn 15:5, Eph 5:16-26, Eph 4:17-24)
I Thel. 4:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
Chapter 11: Here Come da Judge
P. 156 Mack confesses that he doesn’t believe God loves his children very well. What things in your life
tempt you (or cause you) to believe that God is not good or that He doesn’t love his children very well?
P. 158 Sophia goes through a litany of examples where Mack has judged other people. How do you
judge (or attempted to judge) others? What does Jesus say about judging? (Mt 7:1-5) What does Paul
say about judging? (ICor 6:1-3)
P. 160 Mack reflects on the reasons why he judges others: prejudice, to feel safe, or to belong. Can you
think of any other reasons why we judge others? What causes prejudice? How can we feel safe without
judging? How do we belong without judging? If you’ve name other motives for judging others, how can
you deal with that in a biblical way? (Jer 17:9)
P. 160-164 In this scene Sophia requires Mack to judge 3 of his own children to hell. What was the point
of this challenge?
P. 164-165 How does Sophia explain the reason for the pain Mack experienced? Do you agree or
disagree? Did this impact your perception of God and judgment in any way?
PP. 166-167: These pages contain a scene where all of Mack’s children are playing together, although all
but Missy are doing so only in their sleep. What are your thoughts of this concept? What are some
scriptural examples of God speaking to humans in dreams? How are they alike or different than this
scene? (Gen 28:10+, Gen 41, Acts 16:9, Rev: 1 & Ezek 37-“in the Spirit”-others?)
P. 169: Sophia says judgment is not about destruction, but about setting things right. Your thoughts?
(Mt. 25:41, Jude v. 7, Mt. 13:42, Rev 20:11-15)