A Devoted Life: Rebecca Edition

I met Rebecca when I was only about ten years old. She worked in a children’s ministry with my older brother, and I only saw her once or twice over the next few years. I eventually moved, but as I would only find out later, so did she. So instead of hundreds of miles apart as we both thought, we were living in the same town! Although we didn’t realize it until just a few months ago, we have connected in a way I never could have imagined possible. 6 months ago I hadn’t thought twice about her, and now I consider her a big sister.

She has a heart so full of love for people, strangers or friends, it makes no difference. Christ’s love radiates from her life, and I have seen her give sacrificially time and time again. She is a wonderful girl, and I love her very much!

What is your greatest concern for girls today—what do you think they “don’t get”?

That they are truly precious. Hold on to your innocence. No need to rush to grow up. Enjoy being innocent and carefree. It’s beautiful and endearing. Every girl deserves a man who will wait for them and respect them. They don’t have to “give themselves away” to find love and acceptance.

What are you currently studying in your times with the Lord?

Purity of heart, mind and actions.

What is one aspect of God’s character you’ve learned about this past year?

Love. A few years ago God told me that he put me here on earth to love people. No matter what my physical job was my spiritual one was to love. This past year and even more so in recent months, He’s been teaching me what genuine love truly looks like.

We know you don’t have much spare time, but what is one extracurricular activity that you make time for at this stage of life?

People! God made so many wonderful people and brought them into my life that if anything I want to spend what time I can with them. It really doesn’t matter what the activity is.

What in your opinion, is the most urgent challenge that Evangelical Christian women face today?

 Married women: Raising Godly children. A lot of women work. I’m not here to argue if they are right or wrong for doing so. I am here to say a lot of women have pressures of raising Godly children while balancing work, home, school etc. and I see well meaning parents who forget to do that at home and end up depending on the church for spiritual leadership and guidance for their kids.

 Single and Young women: peer pressure. I see it in churches and all around me. Striving to be Christ like yet accepted by peers at the same time. I see a great decline in the moral make up of our Christian singles and young people even in the churches!

What are your opinions on modesty?

I think we could all establish rules of lengths etc. and probably all come up with a different answer. I’d like to take a slightly different approach….go classy and feminine! God didn’t intend for us to flaunt ourselves or do things that would distract and lead men astray. The Bible talks about the Proverbs 31 woman being well dressed! I think a classy dresser can add to her appearance without decreasing her value and respect of others.

Starting from the very beginning: where did you grow up and how would you describe your family and childhood years?

I don’t have a typical family…My Mom died when I was 5 months old. I was the baby of 4 kids. Dad remarried and they ended up having 5 more kids together! So all in all I have 8 siblings whom I love dearly! Growing up was a challenge and very difficult for me. Our family went through a lot of rough times with unemployment and for me personally a lot of spiritual depression and growth in losing my Mom. But God is ever faithful and brought us through over and over again. I think if anything I’d say though challenging it was huge in building my faith in Christ! (Editor’s Note: Rebecca has written her mom’s story earlier this month on her own blog, please go check it out)

We would love to hear your conversion story—when and how did God reveal Jesus Christ to you?

When I was between 5 and 6 the Lord really started tugging on my heart with this whole salvation thing I kept hearing about at church. I knew there was something to it, but I couldn’t quite figure it out. I went to my parents quite a few times asking them what it meant and then one day….it hit me! It was one month before I turned 7, April 22, 1988.

You probably know me as:

Rebecca, Becca or Bec

I was born in:

Jacksonville, FL

The best “spiritual” book I’ve ever read (besides the Bible) is:

“Beautiful In God’s Eyes” ~Elizabeth George

Right now I am reading:

Law books! L In my spare time which is a page here and there….”The Shack”, although I have been in the first chapter for 2 months and haven’t really paid attention. J

The movie I’ve watched more times than any other:

Pride & Prejudice (the A&E version)

The music you’re most likely to find me listening to:

Christian or Country (Editor’s note: I have personally seen her dancing in the kitchen to Michael Buble’ J )

My favorite food: Funny thing is…I actually don’t have one!

In the morning I drink: A variety. I’ve been known to have Orange Juice, Coffee, water and a V8 on my desk all at the same time.

If I have free time, you’ll most likely find me: With People!

My favorite place in the world: Quiet places with water. Mountain brooks, a little lake buried in the woods, a private beach or a thoughtful spot along the river bank. There is something very calming in water and quietness.

 

A Bible verse I return to often:

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” ~Hebrews 12:1-2

 

Woman I most want to be like:

I’ve seen a lot of Godly women come in and out of my life. I really can’t just pick one and say her…but what I can say is I’ve examined the traits of these women and recognize things I’d like to do or change in my life because of their example.

What is a “typical” day like for you?

Wake up at 6:30, out the door by 7:30 (hopefully) sit in traffic for an hour…sometimes longer, work, get off at 5:30 and either drive home or go to school.

I know that you work extremely hard. What are some of your favorite ways to rest and relax?

Declare a “home night” where I just sit on my couch and “de-stress” from my week. In the winter it’s in front of a fire over a cup of hot tea. Sometimes it’s a trip to the salon for a pedicure and manicure or some days it’s playing with children.

The Shack Part Two

Quite awhile back I posted part one of a review of a book that is all the rage of Christian bookstores, a book titled The Shack. Somewhere between work and weddings I lost the file and couldn’t post part two! Thankfully I found it, and so after much waiting, here it is!

 “The Shack is Wrong About Salvation

How does a person get to heaven? This question, arguably the most important you can ever ask,is never answered in The Shack. Instead, we are treated to mindless jargon that sounds similar tothe words of a Buddhist monk. Here’s an example, an exchange between Jesus and Mack:

Jesus: “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…”

Mack: “Does that mean that all roads will lead to you?”

Jesus: “Not at all. Most roads don’t lead anywhere. What it does mean is that I will travel any road to find you.”

This exchange, found on page 182, should raise some red flags. At first glance, you might think that Jesus is simply painting a beautiful picture of grace; demonstrating that He’s willing to do whatever it takes, go down any road, to reach mankind. However, I don’t believe this is what the author means. Throughout the book, there are a repeated chances to explain salvation. But at every opportunity, the author veers off course and makes some statement that smacks of universalism. In the discussion on hell (chapter eleven), it is implied that, perhaps, God doesn’t really send anyone to hell.

 

This kind of thinking is foreign to the Bible. Jesus preached about hell, and we should too…with tears in our eyes. And we should steadfastly proclaim Christ’s message of salvation that The Shack never once mentioned: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14.6).

 

The Shack is Wrong About the Trinity

Probably the most heretical moments in The Shack involve its portrayal of the Trinity. I know that heresy is a serious word, and must only be used with great care. However, after carefully evaluating The Shack, I am forced to conclude that this book is heretical in its depiction of the Trinity.

 

In The Shack Mack has an opportunity to hang out with God for a weekend. As we know from Scripture, there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6.4), yet He is a Trinity, composed of Three divine, coequal persons (Matthew 28.19). The Bible tells us of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In The Shack, Mack gets to meet all three. He meets Papa (an African American woman), Jesus (a middle eastern man), and Sarayu (an Asian woman).

Most people are probably shocked when they see God portrayed as female. The basic problem, however, is that God is portrayed at all. The Bible makes it clear that no man can see God (John 1.18). This is why the Son was incarnated, clothed in human flesh so that He could be the representative, the mediator between God and men (Hebrews 1.1-4 & John 1.1-18). If you want to see the Father, look at the Son (John 1.14-18). If I want to visualize God, I should visualize a middle eastern man, since Jesus was a Jew. I should not imagine the Father as a white, gray bearded father, nor should I imagine a black woman “Papa.” Both conceptions are wrong, and miss the point of the incarnation.

 

I do not believe that we should use creative license when we describe God. He is a holy, unapproachable light, and we cannot merely conjure up images of Him. And since He calls Himself our Father, it is blasphemous to portray Him as our mother. I know that God is neither male nor female. But I also know that He ALWAYS refers to Himself with masculine pronouns. For us to depart from the biblical description is to mess with the person of God…and that’s not something I want to do.

 

These are the three major problems, but there are some more minor issues as well. Throughout the book the author consistently advocates a philosophy of feminism, he works in his liberal environmentalist themes, and he discredits the idea of authority structures.

 

Conclusion

What are we to think when spiritually mature Christians recommend that we read The Shack? I, for one, do not wish to reject those who appreciate this book; I’ll be happy to hang out with you at Starbucks any time. However, I hope that our conversation can be based upon the Bible, rather than upon emotion. Because of The Great Sadness, the book seems to strike a sympathetic cord in the hearts of those who read it. Consequently, it can become a highly charged and personal issue. I would urge every reader of The Shack to try and set aside their feelings as they read, so that they can evaluate this book in the piercing light of God’s Word.

 

Sola Scriptura!

Stephen Stallard”

And now to try out this handy-dandy new application…

 (And as always, feel free to email me if you want to discuss this)

The Shack Part 1

Reviewing The Shack

by Stephen Stallard

The Shack. It’s a place of mystery and intrigue, the abode of both good and evil. It is the place where shadows and sunbeams collide, the point where tragedy intersects eternity. The Shack is all this, and more.

If you haven’t yet heard about The Shack, allow me to bring you up to speed. The Shack is a bestselling Christian novel that explores the relationship between sovereignty and suffering. It seeks to answer the timeless question “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The Shack comes with some high profile endorsements. The Shack has rocketed to bestseller status, and currently holds the top spot on Amazon.com in the Religion & Spirituality Fiction category. The author of The Shack, William P. Young, has already achieved celebrity status within Christendom, as his book has been wildly received.

However, since there have also been many critics, I recently read The Shack. It is my conclusion that The Shack, although a well intentioned story, is deceptive and dangerous to the Body of Christ. In the next page or so, I want to relate a “Cliff’s Notes” version of my thoughts about The Shack. I’m not going to tell you what to think; that’s between you and God. However, I would like to share with you my own deep reservations about The Shack.

An Overview

The first four chapters of the book masterfully set the stage for what is to come. These well written chapters explain why The Great Sadness hangs over the head of the main character, an average guy named Mack. According to the story, Mack’s young daughter Missy was kidnapped and brutalized by a serial murderer, one who terrorized the pacific northwest. Although her body was never found, her bloodstained dress was discovered in a remote shack, nestled away in the woods.

Overwhelmed by The Great Sadness, Mack retreats within himself, and his family suffers and struggles under the titanic weight of the pain. In the midst of an eventful snowstorm, Mack receives a note from God, asking him to join Him in the Shack. Here, he encounters the triune God, and he spends a life changing week in the Shack.

The rest of the book is a series of conversations between God and Mack. From a literary perspective, these chapters are a bit tedious and repetitive, with little break in the dialogue. The first four chapters were riveting, although probably too dark for younger readers.

As I read The Shack I realized that it contained three major errors and many minor errors. I don’t have time to list them all, but I will hit the highlights.

The Shack is Wrong About Revelation

The basic plot of the book is fatally flawed, from a biblical perspective. In the book, Mack struggles to accept the note, because his seminary training conditioned him to believe that “God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects” (pages 65-66). Once Mack sheds this thinking, he accepts the note from God.

The problem, however, is that God communicates to us through His Word, not in dreams, visions, or mysterious notes from heaven. The Apostle Peter described his encounter with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. But in his opinion, he had a better testimony, something that was a “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1.16-21). Peter did not base his faith on his experiences, he based them on the unchanging Word of God. If Peter was wrong, and Mack is right, then we are faced with a problem. How are we to know what God really wants us to do?

We live in an age in which anyone can claim that God has revealed truth to them…and they will instantly develop a following on the internet. But the Word of God is the authority, and it is God’s method of communicating with mankind.

To be continued…