In 2007, a significant publishing phenomenon began when a relatively unknown William Paul Young printed some copies of “The Shack,” a theological novel he had written for his children. The self-published book morphed into one of the best-selling Christian books in history (apart from the Bible), selling more than 22 million copies and being translated into more than 40 languages.

The movie, two hours and 12 minutes in length, was based on the book and premiered in theaters in March.

I read the book on March 2, and my wife and I saw the movie on March 3. As we left the theater, I asked her, “What did you think of the movie?” Her response was quick: “Everybody goes to heaven.” Her evaluation was the same as many others. Universalism seems to be taught both in the book and the movie.

To be fair, the book was an interesting and easy read. It is a mixture of truth, bad theology, some psychology, doses of New Age thinking, and a kind of anti-establishment view of the Christian faith and the church. In fact, the author has God saying in the book, “I don’t create institutions — never have, never will.”

Since viewing the movie, I have spent several hours reading reviews of both the book and the movie. As expected, they are mixed. Three reviews worth taking the time to read are by Tim Challies, Randy Alcorn and Albert Mohler. All these can be easily accessed with a simple Google search.

The tragic death of the daughter of Mack (the movie’s main character) sends him into emotional pain and withdrawal. He finds a mysterious typed letter in his mailbox with no postage. It is from Papa (God the Father) inviting him to come to the shack that weekend — the very place his daughter was murdered more than three years earlier. When he arrives at the destination, strange things begin to happen, and the rest of the movie is largely dialogue between Mack and the Trinity. Papa is depicted as an African-American woman, Jesus as a Middle Eastern carpenter, and Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) as a young Asian woman.

When Young’s Trinity speaks, it is a mixture of truth and error. Even though “The Shack” is a work of fiction, it takes on a more powerful influence because the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit speak the words of Young. The theology that comes forth is his understanding of God. And while those ungrounded in Scripture may find it appealing, those with a strong foundation in God’s Word will at least be troubled by it. The movie and the book both aim to change the concept of God that has been held by the Christian faith for hundreds of years.

Carol Pipes, communication director for LifeWay Christian Resources, stated that LifeWay no longer carries the book. She said, “We stopped carrying ‘The Shack’ a few years ago because, although it is a work of fiction, the theology presented as integral to the story clearly conflicts with the Bible on many issues, especially in regard to the character and nature of the Trinity.”

Even some secular reviewers observed the deviation from Christian theology. Peter Sobczynski, in his review at RogerEbert.com, stated that for the movie to be truly heretical it “would require a more cogent level of thinking than the awkward plotting and empty-headed New-Agey koans offered up here.” At Variety, Owen Gleiberman wrote, “Our culture is starved for films that portray religious feeling in a way that’s both reverent and truthful. ‘The Shack’ isn’t one of them; it reduces faith to a kind of spiritual comfort food.”

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler wrote that the popularity of the book with evangelicals can only be explained by a lack of basic theological knowledge. He stated, “The tragedy that evangelicals have lost the art of biblical discernment must be traced to a disastrous loss of biblical knowledge. Discernment cannot survive without doctrine.”

Young, the oldest son of missionaries, lived in Papua New Guinea for the first 10 years of his life. He was sexually abused by people in the Dani tribe starting at around age 4. He says he became a sexual predator by age 6, at which time his parents sent him away to boarding school. Eventually, the family returned to Canada, where his father served as the pastor of several churches. Young says he moved 13 times while growing up in a pastor’s home. He also says his father was a stern and retributive-type person. In Young’s book and in the movie based on it, God is depicted as a benevolent God of love with no expectations, no judgment for sin, and no mention of holiness or wrath.

Young earned an undergraduate degree in religion from Warner Pacific College in Portland, Ore., an institution affiliated with the Church of God in Anderson, Ind. During this time, he married his wife, Kim, attended some seminary classes, worked on the staff of a large church for a brief time and held various jobs.

The author had a major crisis in his life when he was 38 years old, and his wife discovered he was having an affair with her best friend. After his wife confronted him, he shared with her all the secrets from his childhood. He says she was very angry with him for two years. He found a counselor who specialized in sexual abuse, and, after nine months, Young said he was healed. He stated that “The Shack” is his personal struggle of 11 years.

In the movie, Mack, as a young boy, apparently poisoned his dad for beating him and his mom. His dad was an elder in the church but an abusive alcoholic at home. The movie does not elaborate on the death of his father, and he is only seen briefly at the beginning of the book and later when the Trinity allows Mack to see him in the afterlife. The reader is left to postulate that young Mack got away with murder.

In one exchange, Jesus tells Mack, “Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don’t vote or are part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions. I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation into sons and daughters of my Papa, into my brothers and sisters, my Beloved.”

The universalist overtones are clear, which poses the question: Is Paul Young a universalist? He has said in interviews that he is not. Alcorn, who spent time personally and through email with Young, said Young sees universalism as a viable option. He wrote, “Sadly, I personally know some who have been led down a path of universalism through their understanding of the book and what they heard the author say, either publicly or privately.” Professor Timothy Beal of Case Western University wrote that “evangelicals might be shifting their theology” and cites the “theology of universal salvation” found in “The Shack” as possible evidence of that shift.

James B. DeYoung, a professor at Western Seminary who knows Young, wrote a book to counteract “The Shack” titled “Burning Down The Shack: How the Christian Bestseller is Deceiving Millions.” He states that if the movie is like the book, “then every Christian should be gravely alarmed at the further advance of beliefs that smear the evangelical understanding of the Bible.”

In one scene, Papa says to Mack that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He is fully reconciled to the world. Mack asks, “The whole world? You mean those who believe in you, right?” Papa replies, “The whole world, Mack. All I am telling you is that reconciliation is a two-way street, and I have done my part totally, completely, finally. It is not the nature of love to force a relationship, but is the nature of love to open the way.”

The Jesus of “The Shack” also says to Mack that He is the best way any human can relate to Papa. He does not say He is the only way, as we find in John 14:6.

Young believes that a follower of Christ does not need to be part of a local church. He, himself, apparently is not part of a local church and told World magazine, “The institutional church does not work for those of us who are hurt and those of us who are damaged.”

He sued his two publishing partners for $8 million he felt was due him in royalties. They countersued for $5 million. The suit was dismissed when both parties settled without sharing the details to the public.

“The Shack” is fiction, but it is teaching a way of understanding God that is removed from the revelation of God about Himself in the Bible. The god of “The Shack” and the God of the Bible are very different. The movie may offer an emotional uplift for some, but it does not provide a clear and accurate biblical view of God and His Word.