Wallace SC&W “The Shack” Discussion Opportunities   It sits on top of the New York Times Best Seller list and part of what it does is to challenge several typical notions of faith while affirming others.  Many people talk about the great surge of interest in spirituality today but how can that searching be touched? One way is to connect through the questions and issues that are raised in things like the book: “The Shack”.  Here is a list of several of the topics found in its pages.  Perhaps you might use them to open discussion groups, in sermons, or in conversations.   Bible: pp. 197-198, 202-204 (Law) Change: pp. 180-181 (a process not an event) Christ as Lord: pp. 145, 207 Church: pp. 177-178 Despair: pp. 77-79, 116 Devotion Time: p. 107 Emotions: pp. 196-197 Fear: pp. 174-175 (lies), 196-197 (of emotions) Freedom: p. 95 Freewill: pp. 94-99, 191 Good and Evil: pp. 125, 131-137, 147, 164-165 (God not stopping evil), 179-180 (trinity of             terror), 185 (God doesn’t cause), 190 (evil comes from independence) Guilt: p. 187 (not God’s desire) Knowing (God’s): pp. 106-107 (limiting it) Heaven: pp. 166-168, 177 Holy Spirit (Sarayu): pp. 110, 195-196, 198 Image of God: pp. 82-87, 90-93, 98, 204-205 (God is a verb) Imagination: pp. 141-142 Incarnation: pp. 99-100 , 109-113, 163 Independence: pp. 132, 135-137, 146 (used to turn from God), 164 (led to sin) Jesus: pp. 99-100 (incarnation & miracles), 111-113 (appearance), 149 (empowering us/living in                         us),  191-192 (reconciliation) Judgment: pp. 151-169 157-163 taking God’s place as judge 159 by what standard, taking feeling of superiority 161-163 Jesus taking our place                         169 is about setting things right Legalism: pp. 198, 202-206 Lies: pp. 174-175 (source of fears), 187-189 (living in them) Love: pp. 97-98, 102, 154-156 (love doesn’t grow our knowing of others grow) Papa (God the Father): pp. 98, 110-111 (Elousia), 186 (good cop/bad cop) Prayer: pp. 105 (connecting with God), 106-107 (why tell God things) Purpose: pp. 148-149 Reality: p. 172 Relationships: pp. 97, 100-102 (trinity), 145-149, 175, 207 Religion (institution): pp. 179-181 Responsibility (expectations): pp. 203-206 Rights: p. 137 Salvation: p. 182 (God will travel any road to find us) Seeking God: pp. 16+64-66 (the note), 78-80 Sin: pp. 147-148 Submission: pp. 145-146 Trinity: pp. 101-102, 121-125 (hierarchy of) Trusting God: pp. 92, 161-165 Wisdom (Sophia): pp. 152-169 Wrath of God: pp. 118-120                                                                                                                 November 14, 2008