Re: Response to Willis's article on Haiti and God - THEODICY - "The Shack

[Bct...@aol.com]

Dear Willis,

 

Thank you for writing this full and interesting response to my question(s) to you.  I need to read it again and ponder it, and I will respond to your other points in the next day or two.

 

For now, I need to respond to something you wrote at the end of your point 9 that I was very surprised about, and which I do not understand. 

 

You wrote:

 

"This is the afterlife ethic of most Americans, & "The Shack" (the work of the devil disguised as an angel of light) confirms it.  Thank God for the small good the disguise (which includes some evangelical language) is doing while the devil is getting great evil done." 

I just now came back from having dinner at my favorite Friday night hang out, a restaurant that is actually called Plain Jane's.  Usually I eat by myself while reading a book, but tonight I was having dinner with a friend from church.  Her name is Lori, and she is one of our two Senior Deacons.  She is also actively involved in our adult Bible study, sometimes as one of our leaders, and she is one of our regular lay preachers.  The purpose of us getting together was for me to get her input on an adult Bible study program that I am going to start this summer at our church.

 

In the course of our discussion, I told Lori about the dialogue that has been taking place in this CC Open Forum about The Shack.  I tried to portray a fairly balanced picture of the types of things that have been said, including some of the theological points as well as the more personal points. 

 

But I also told her about what you wrote today, at the end of your otherwise profound and helpful posting. I told her that you, with your PhDs and great genius and wonderful life experience of knowing so many prominent people, including Billy Graham, had written that The Shack was the work of the devil.

 

Lori has read The Shack and was deeply moved by it.  Here is her response to you, which is verbatim.  I wrote it down and read it back to her, and she gave me permission to share this with you and others, and to mention her by name.

 

"I don't think it's the devil's intention to touch my heart.  The devil doesn't want to make me feel.  The devil doesn't want to make me cry with compassion.  ... That's not two PhDs.  That's from the heart.  And that's what God's about."

 

So I am passing this along to you, and I would like to hear back from you, if you feel like explaining this further, why you would say that The Shack was the work of the devil. 

 

Blessings,

Jane

 

[Jean Easland]

Shackers: In response to Willis's 9 to Jane: Perterson on Rom. Ch. 9, "Is that grounds for complaining that God is unfair? Not so fast, please. God told Moses, "I'm in charge of compassion." Compassion doesn't originate in our bleeding hearts or moral sweat, but in God's mercy". -------------Willis exposed the difference between the therapeutic model and the theology of the cross. Thankyou Willis, thank you, Jesus, Savior and Lord-------------Blessings---Roger