You're Not a Christian If You Dislike the Shack?

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Did you know the litmus test for your very salvation could now be based on if you like or dislike The Shack?

Donald Woods, the Chief Spiritual Officer of The R Factor Ministries said on Facebook that perceptions of The Shack have created a new dividing line. (The quote below is reformatted for ease of reading; although it's still pretty incoherent and full of odd capitalizations.)

“THE SHACK:

We are in a Season of many Dividing Lines in the Sand [that same Sand that Jesus drew a Line in when People wanted to stone a Prostitute].

This Movie is one of those dividing lines! It reminds me of the United States Election; people strongly poised on one side or the other! One of the most illuminating observations in these latest seasons is how the Church is being divided into Two Categories:

1) The Religious, living by the Letter of the Law that Kills.

2) The Relational, living by the Spirit that gives Life. It reminds me of the TWO PENTECOSTS:

The First Covenant Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover, God gave the People the Law written on Stone, at Mount Sinai - Three Thousand People Died!

The Second Covenant Pentecost, fifty days after the Cross, God poured out His Spirit in the Upper Room, at Mount Zion - Three Thousand People Received Eternal Life! The Letter of the Law Kills, but the Spirit gives Life!

Now, if you are RELIGIOUS (meaning you live by the Letter over the Spirit) you will probably not like the Movie “The Shack”.

If you are RELATIONAL (meaning that your walk with God is built on a Personal Intimate Relationship) you will probably Love this Movie! For those who want a glimpse of the Unseen World of the Trinity - Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, this movie gives you a Visual of how they can interrelate in your life while here on Earth.

I personally Love how this movie is based on “All Good Things come Down from the Father of Lights,” and we are the Lights! The Foundation of this Movie is built on the Goodness of God, as a Loving Father, and that Nothing can Separate us from the Love of God! Also how Healing comes through Forgiveness - God wants to Heal what we are willing to Reveal.

I Learned from this Movie, that I am not the Judge, and that God is, and that I need to be looking at People from His Perspective, which is Heaven’s Perspective; then participating in bringing Heaven to Earth!

This Posting is not a Judgement, it is an Observation, you can decide what side of the Line you are on - that is between You and God. God is Love, and that Love at its highest Form, will break open any Shell that tries to keep us Imprisoned!
I personally recommend this Movie to see as many times as you can, because there are many Spiritual Layers that God can Speak through, that can be Unraveled or Revealed to our Hearts!”
— Donald Woods

Donald Woods is very clear in his dividing line. If you like The Shack, then you're living on the side of the dividing line which lives according to the Spirit. We know scripture clearly tells us in Romans 8:9 that if someone does not have the Spirit, they do not belong to God.

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
— Romans 8:9 (ESV)

The implications of this new dividing line are weighty, whether he understands the implications or not. Who knew so much hinged on your perception of one movie?

Lance Wallnau, the NAR "Seven Mountains" guru gave the post from Woods some credibility on Facebook.

So, Donald Woods is not judging you, but... if you don't like The Shack you're judgmental, religious and living by the "letter" and not by the "Spirit." What that phrase is distorted to mean is this: "Don't get too fussy about following the Bible, instead you should live by the Spirit." This is a complete misunderstanding of living by the Spirit; it's a way of saying that charismatic Christians have a more direct line straight to God that "regular" Christians don't have. "Regular" Christians only have the Bible according to this teaching, but "Spirit lead" (charismatic) Christians don't have much need for the Bible, because they have direct access to God through their feelings, impressions and experiences. So these "Spirit lead" Christians (who claim to have an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus) end up promoting this very unbiblical book: The Shack. Read about how William Paul Young has proven his great disdain for the Bible and Christianity itself in his brand new book: "Lies We Believe About God."

These "super spiritual" Christians have proven that they don't really believe and trust in God's Word, so they will gladly accept another book that tickles their ears with half-truths and outright blasphemy. Read more about this: Shocking Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know!!

Shack Author Shares His New Age Mystical Side

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Here's a conference where only three people will be speaking (one of them is William Paul Young):

Trinity: The Soul of Creation

Here's a description of what they'll be talking about from their home page:

"Belief in a Trinitarian God is not primarily a Christian theological revelation as much as it is a metaphor for the nature of reality, both seen and unseen.

We find the pattern of dynamic relationship in the very structure of the atom, in our families, in ecosystems and economies. It is a pattern of mutual giving and receiving: in a word, Love. If Trinity is the model for Creation (Genesis 1:26-27), then it is a relational, benevolent universe.

Rohr, Bourgeault, and Young believe the Trinity—fully experienced and enjoyed—has the capacity to change everything. We already participate within this dance whether we realize it or not. But when we consciously engage in loving communion, we open ourselves to being transformed at the deepest levels.

We hope you leave with an entirely different way of knowing yourself and the world. Our teachers offer not mere information but wisdom that has implications for theology, psychology, science, and politics."

Does this sound like Christianity or some kind of New Age Mysticism? Here's a description of the speakers:

"Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation and academic dean of the CAC’s Living School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. An internationally recognized author and spiritual leader, Fr. Richard teaches primarily on incarnational mysticism, non-dual consciousness, and contemplation, with a particular emphasis on how these affect the social justice issues of our time."

"Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally recognized retreat leader. Cynthia divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine and traveling globally to teach the Christian contemplative and Wisdom path. A long-time advocate of Centering Prayer, Cynthia has worked closely with Thomas Keating and Bruno Barnhart."

 

Here's how William Paul Young is described:

"Wm Paul Young is author of the best-selling novel, The Shack. In this innovative, yet true-to-Scripture exploration of Trinity, Paul wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world of suffering and pain?” Paul has “the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian,” as Eugene Peterson says. His recent work of fiction, Eve, offers breathtaking discoveries that challenge traditional beliefs about who we are and how we’re made, helping us see each other as our Creator does—complete, unique, and not constrained by cultural rules or limitations."

 

These are certainly very nice people who sincerely believe what they believe, but it's obvious that they are not having a Christian conference; this is a complete departure from Biblical Christianity. Yet, Young's book The Shack, and it's companion movie is considered "must-see" and "must-read" by many Evangelical Christians. 

Here's more information about The Shack:

Shack Ebola Virus Outbreak 2 (Fighting for the Faith with more links)

Podcast: Marcia Montenegro Talks with Steve About the Shack (Messed Up Church Podcast with more links)

The Shack Movie Review by Pastor Ted Giese

 

Galatians 1:6-9  “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

Shocking Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know!