Few Christian books, if any, cause the stir that this book is evoking. “The Shack” is all the rage.

There was even a review in Time, and a movie is apparently in the works.

“The Shack” is a novel. The author is using fiction to address the issue of tragedy: Where is

God when tragedy strikes? He even tackles the more basic question: Who is God and what is he like?

I believe the book is having an incredible impact because of the way he portrays God. The Triune God is seen as relentlessly loving and tender, full of grace and joy and life, incurably in love with the people he has made. There are some major surprises with God, but I won’t give them away here.

The author, who was previously unknown as a writer, does not give simple answers to the question of tragedy. There is a sense of mystery in the matter and yet there is the foundation of the goodness of God and the presence of God. (God is with us the whole time, even when we experience suffering.)

There are times that I wondered: “What is the author saying?” But this is a novel, not a theological textbook. Though I have some questions on specific points, I love the central thread: The relentless tenderness and love of our God.