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I was strolling through Costco one day and happened upon my favorite table.  You guess it, the book table.  This book that we are going to talk about caught my eye.  I read the comments on the front and back covers which were written by respected Christians and I decided to buy it.  I did not do any research on the author before the purchase and had known no one who had read it.  Come to find out I had friends at church who had read it when if first came out in hardcover.

Since that time, I have come to learn more about the controversy surrounding the book and attended a bible study at my own church on it also.  I want to present the information I have learned and also some scripture for you to ponder and look up for yourself.  After doing my homework I have reached my own conclusions about this book based on the truth of the bible.  What do you think?  Along with the book I am going to also add some information on two other Post Modern “spiritual” trends that have been very popular.

The Truth: 2 Timothy 3:15, 2 Peter 1:19-2:1

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.  but know this first of all that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy spirit spoke from God.  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”

THE SHACK’S “NEW” TEACHING:

The Warning-Mack gets a note seemingly from God.

In Seminary(Mac) had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted, of course.  God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects…Nobody want God in a box, just in a book.  Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that guilt edges?” (pg 65)

How to find Truth–”You will learn to hear my thoughts in yours,” says Sarayu (the Holy Spirit in the book who is a “small, distinctly Asian woman-pg 84).  “Of course you will make mistakes; everyone makes mistakes, but you will begin to better recognize my voice as we continue to grow our relationship.”  And where will we fing the Spirit?  “You might see me in a piece of art, or music, or silence or through people or in Creation, or in your joy and sorrow.  My ability to communicate is limitless, living and transforming, and it will always be tuned to Papa’s goodness and love. (Papa is God in the story who is a “large, beaming African American woman (pg 82).  And you will hear and see me in the Bible in fresh ways.  Just don’t look for rules and principles; look for relationship-a way of coming to be with us” (pg 197-198)  (God the Son in the story appears to be middle eastern-pg 84).

Transition:

A New Earth, Awakening Your Inner Purpose: Book by Eckhart Tolle.  “…only the present moment can make us free.  That realization is the awakening…A new heaven and a new earth are arising within you at this moment…” (pg 308)

“There exists only the present instant…a Now which always and without end is itself new.: Meister Eckhart, from website.

“The Now is also central to the teaching of Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam.  Sufis have a saying: ‘The Sufi is the son of time present.’  And Rumi, the great poet and teacher of Sufism, declares: ‘Past and future veil God from our sight; burn up both of them with fire.’ Meister Eckhart, the thirteenth-century spiritual teacher, summed it all up beautifully: ‘Time is what keeps the light from reaching us.  There is no greater obstacle to God than Time.” (pg 38)- from The Power of Now.

SALVATION:

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Matthew 24:4-5

The Shack:

Jesus-”Those who love me come from every system that exits.  They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists, or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don’t vote or are not part of any Sunday morning ro religious institutions.  I have followers who were murderers and many who were self righteous.  Some are bankers and bookies, Americans and Iraqis, Jews and Palestinians.  I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation in to sons and daughters of my Papa, into my brothers and sisters, into my Beloved.”  “Does that mean,” asked Mack, “that all reads will lead to you?”  “Not al all,” smiled Jesus as he reached for the door handle to the shop. “Most roads don’t lead anywhere.  What it does mean is that i will travel any road to find you.” (pg 182)

OPRAH: “I am a Christian who believes that there are literally more paths to God other than Christianity.”

ECKHART TOLLE: “This book’s main purpose is to bring about a shift in consciousness…that’s the peace of God the ultimate truth of who you are is not I AM this (religion) or that but, I AM.” (pg 56-57)

“The esoteric spiritual traditions-whether Christian mystics, Hebrew Kabbalists, Zen Buddhists, Islamic Sufis, or Hindu yogis- all have specific practices to help individuals overcome this great ‘illusion of seperation’ and to experience the One True Self, which is in us all.” (pg 149)- A Course in Miracles.

SIN:

Romans 3:23 “For all have sined and fall short of the glory of God.”   also: Romans 6:23

“A Course in Miracles”

Sin is insanity–Sin is the home of all illusion–There is no sin

“The Shack”

“I’m not a bully, not some self-centered demanding little deity insisting on my own way.  I am good, and I desire only what is best for you.  you cannot find that through guilt or comdemnation . . .”(pg126)

“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. . . Mackenzie, evil is a work we (the Godhead) use to describe the absence of Light. . . evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence.” (pg 136)

“Authority, as you usually think of it, is merely the excuse the strong use to make others conform to what they want. . .We carefully respect your choices. . . “(pg 123)

Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!  For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it . . .”  Luke 10:23,24

God, open my eyes so I may see

And feel Your Presence close to me.

Give me strength for my stumbling feet

As I battle the crowd on life’s busy street,

And widen the vision of my unseeing eyes

So in passing Faces, I’ll recognize

Not just a stranger, unloved and unknown,

But a friend with a heart that is much like my own.

Give me perception to make me aware

That scattered profusely on life’s thoroughfare

Are the best gifts of God that we daily pass by

As we look at the world with an unseeing eye.

Helen Steiner Rice

Heavenly Father, help me to look for and find You in others.  Permit me to live my life in such a fashion that others may look for and fine You in me.

Apples:  contains boron, a trace mineral that affects the electrical activity of the brain, increasing mental alertness; reduce cholesterol; high in fiber.

Oranges:  contains every class of cancer-inhibitor known; rich in vitamin C and beta carotene, may help ward-off asthma attacks, bronchitis, breast/stomach cancer, and gum diseases.

Pineapples:  contains Bromelain; aid digestion; good for joints and muscles; reduce swelling; high Manganese, which is good for preventing osteoporosis and bone fractures.

Cranberries:  been shown to be beneficial in preventing and treating urinary tract infections.

Peaches:  contain boron, aids in calcium absorption; rich in antioxidants (Beta Carotene and  Vitamin C).

Acerola Cherries:  source of Vitamin C, helpful in minimizing symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Papaya:  source of vitamin A; helps digestions.

Soluble and Insoluble Fibers:  apple and citrus pectin, date fiber, prune powder, dired plant fiber, glucomannan; cleanse the system, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, fight cancer, heart disease, obesity.

Enzymes:  Bromelain, Papain, Lipase, Amylase, Protease, Cellulase.

Food Actives:  Citrus Bioflavonoids, Acidophilus, Polyphenol Catechins, D.  Salina, D-Calcium, Glucarate, Indole Carbinols.

Vitamins and Minerals:  antioxidant vitamins: c, Beta Carotene, Natural Vitamin E; Vitamin B Complex; Calcium; Magnesium.

Carrots: super food source for Beta Carotene; lowers cholesterol, fights infection, cancer, heart and eye disease; one carrot per day cuts stroke rate for women by 68%.

Parsley:  high concentration of antioxidants; great anti cancer vegetable;  good for the heart and immune system, lowers blood pressure.

Barley:  known as the “heart medicine” in the Middle East; reduces cholesterol; potent antioxidant.

Oats: high antioxidant activity; stabilizes blood sugar; reduces cholesterol.

Soluble and Insoluble Fibers:  beet fiber, oat bran, barley bran, cabbage fiber, plant cellulose, glucomannan,  dried plant fiber, cleanse digestive tract and blood, lower blood pressure, cholesterol, fight cancer and heart disease.

Enzymes:  Lipase, Amylase, Protease, Cellulase, Acidophilus: protective digestive bacteria.

Other Food Actives:  Allicin, Lycopenes, Polyphenol Catechins, D. Salina, Indole Carbinols, D-alcium Glucarate.

Vitamins and Minerals:  antioxidant vitamins: C; Beta Carotene, E; B Complex; Calcium; Magnesium.

Beets:  contain Folic Acid; Iron, Calcium, Potassium.

Kale:  super food source for Beta Carotene; Indoles; and Calcium; fights macular degeneration.

Broccoli:  Beta Carotene, Indoles Sulforaphane;Vitamin C, Calcium, anti cancer, anti ulcer; protect heart; great source of Chromium, which regulates blood sugar; fights macular degeneration.

Cabbage:  thought to help block breast cancer and suppress growth of polyps; in studies, eating cabbage more than one a week cuts colon cancer odds by 66%; contains anti ulcer compounds.

Spinach:  food most eaten by people who don’t get cancer; rich source of antioxidants and cancer antagonists; rich in fiber, lowers blood cholesterol; helps fight macular degeneration.

Tomatoes:  major source of lycopene, an anti cancer agent; linked to lower rates of pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and cervical cancer.