It would be foolish to ignore such a popular read. Indeed, one that’s been at the top of the bestseller list for a few weeks now. It’s just a shame that people read weird books.

The basic gist of The Shack is that the main character, Mack, is invited by God to the place where his youngest daughter was brutally murdered and Mack has thus distanced himself from God. Mack spends the weekend there at the shack and chats about all sorts of relevant issues with God: the Trinity, forgiveness, love, free-will, sin, etc.

I freely admit that there are good elements to The Shack, but anything worthy that might be found here is overshadowed and confused by the author’s attempt to depict God. The “flying lesson” on the Trinity that God the Father (aka “Papa”… who is a big black woman… get that sorted out?) is absolutely atrocious. That bit of flying ended in a terrible crash landing from which there were no survivors. None. The theology is too muddled and muddy to see a clear picture. However, one could see this coming since right off the bat the author creates an Indian legend about a girl who commits suicide to save her people and likens this to the sacrifice of Christ… Jesus did not commit suicide! It’s a very crude and poor analogy that falls flat without ever standing. This is not the place to discover the Blessed Trinity. The Christology was pretty much blatant heresy as well. The author wants so desperately to remind us that God became man in Jesus Christ that he divorces the human and divine in Jesus and makes God out to be entirely human with superpowers (like flying, he just doesn’t activate them…). In the end, the God of The Shack is not the one true God; but a shabby impersonation that seeks to push a specific agenda… This Catholic, for one, is shocked that Christian author of a Christian book would have strayed so far from the Bible. With no Bible, and no Church (this author rejects any institutional/hierarchical Church in favor of some wishy-washy Church you can’t quite pin down where or how it exists) what’s left? Mr. Young’s Trinity is not biblical, nor is his Jesus. But this flows from his already demonstrated poor understanding of the Trinity and the sacrifice of Christ.

And if that wasn’t enough, it’s just corny writing. It was difficult to trudge through without crying– not from being moved, but from trite and juvenile dialogue. For example:

…Jesus went straight to Papa and kneeling at her feet, began to wipe off the front of her clothes. He worked down to her feet and gently lifted one foot at a time, which he directed into the basin where he cleaned and massaged it.
“Ooooh, that feels soooo good!” exclaimed Pape as she continued her tasks at the counter.

This book deals with a serious subject– the man’s 6 year daughter is abducted and brutally murdered–a tragedy permitted in God’s divine will, and instead of getting to the heart of the matter they share a chuckle over Jesus having butter fingers and dropping things in the kitchen. I just walked away feeling like things were trivialized and made juvenile by the end. The writing wasn’t consistent with the story.

So, in sum, if you’re looking for a good story, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for decent theology, it isn’t here. Better luck next time.

The latest in the BBC news has Tony Blair questioning the Church’s stance (not merely Pope Benedict XVI, don’t let them fool you into such slippery thinking) on homosexuality. (FYI, here is what the Holy Father said in context)

It really irks me how people try to save face by playing down Church teachings, or worse, brushing them off as antiquated ideas that are due for an update. Especially a covert. For heaven’s sake, don’t convert if you don’t believe! Don’t say “Amen” if you don’t mean it. Or, as James puts it, “let your yes mean yes and your no mean no”. You don’t get to pick and choose what to believe by what is convenient for you, or what you happen to feel like abiding by. It’s either true or it isn’t.

Mr. Blair sets up this false dividing line between “the Church” (i.e. the Church leaders, he means) and “the Church” (i.e., some liberal all-embracing idea for the laity… there IS a mystical sense of the Church, but I highly doubt Mr. Blair knows or refers to this). The Church [leaders] say one thing, but the Church [laity] believe another, according to Mr. Blair. Well, here’s a NEWSFLASH: The Catholic Church has not ever been, nor will she ever be, a democracy. So that leaves Mr. Blair with two options: suck it up and embrace the wisdom of the Church after some serious study in which he discovers the true rationale for the Church’s teaching(s), or continue to make himself look foolish by complaining about something he can’t change.

Overall: Decent series so far, it’s worth a read if you like fantasy. It’s not my favorite, but it’s not terrible either.

Brisingr is the third installment in the Inheritance Cycle (that was supposed to be… and probably should have been a trilogy) by Christopher Paolini who had most of Eragon written when he was just fifteen. If nothing else, I read Eragon simply because I wanted to know if a fifteen year old really could write a decent novel. I was surprised, and actually enjoyed Eragon and most of Eldest. Brisingr, overall, was not a disappointment but there were a few things that had me shaking my head. First off, each book keeps getting longer and longer as though Mr. Paolini is thinking ‘I wonder how long I can make the next book?’… and Brisingr is no exception. In fact, Brisingr was in dire need of a non-biased editor. This definitely could have been a trilogy because this third book should’ve been about half its size– each journey Eragon takes has 2-3 pages simply describing the journey. It doesn’t make your characters seem more realistic if you have them eating a meal and complaining about how hard it is to get to sleep at regular intervals… it just makes the book drag. And drag. And drag. I really wish I still had a copy of the book to count up how many times we get a description of Eragon eating or complaining about how exhausted/sore/tired/but-still-couldn’t-sleep he was feeling.

That said, I did manage to trudge through the entire book and it was decent, I still like the series. It’s exciting (overall… including Eragon and Eldest), and I’m anxious for the fourth and final (it better be) installment of the series. It’s true that you can see the author’s influences (and love of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy) but I think he does bring his own adjustments to the story that sets it apart from Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (mostly).

Another good thing about this series is that it is relatively PG rated. Which is nice to find. You can still tell a good story without resorting to base language and sexual themes. Does Eragon have a love interest in the series? Yes, but descriptions of her are tasteful and pure. It makes for a better story, in my opinion. Plus, he has a little bit of trouble wooing her, as it is… but he likes her as her, not her as a body and so presents a better idea of the ‘love story’ aspect of the adventure.

Despite the length issues of Brisingr, I still thought he managed to tell a decent story and I hope the fourth book is published soon.

NOT SO! I yell. Not so at all. If people would simply open their eyes and see “the big picture” it would all make sense. What is the (main) way the disease is being spread? Sexual contact. Casual sexual encounters, and sexual encouters by force (which, if it’s by force, don’t count on the rapist to take the time to put on a condom…). Handing out condoms like candy only encourages those casual sexual encounters. Are condoms 100% foolproof against spreading HIV/AIDS? Heck no. Look at all the condoms they’ve already been handing out in Africa. There’s still a huge AIDS problem. The only way to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS through sexual encounters is to eliminate those casual sexual encounters. Abstinence. Self-control. We live in such an indulgent society that it’s hard for us to imagine saying no. It’s hard for us to imagine having to deny ourselves a pleasure simply because it will be better for us in the long run.

Let us at a real example from history: the Philippines and Thailand. When the first cases of HIV/AIDS were reported in the Philippines the Church’s policy was implemented (i.e., don’t have sex with an infected person)… there is now a minuscule rate of AIDS in the Philippines. In Thailand, the Church’s policy was ignored and condoms were promoted. The death rate from AIDS is climbing and child prostitution is rampant. Mere coincidence? Highly doubtful.

So what should Africans do? Listen to the Catholic Church! Listen to the Pope! Don’t have sex with an infected person. Bam, zero chance of getting HIV if you’re not putting yourself at risk. Using a condom while having sex with an infected person only increasing your chance of contracting HIV each time. Promoting condoms is promoting an increased spread of AIDS. Promoting abstinence is promoting a grinding halt. Which makes sense to you?

This Lenten season my goal is to posses a better understanding of grace. Though I graduated with a degree in Theology, grace is one of those subjects that one could spend a lifetime cultivating and deepening in knowledge. I admit that I have a very basic and elementary understanding of grace that extends only so far; however, I think grace needs more attention in theological studies. How else are we to cling to the authentic teachings of the Magisterium? (not to mention enter into dialogue with those who seek to undermine the Catholic Church by pretending that grace is not an all-important element of Catholicism.) Now that I am free (i.e., graduated and still jobless), I plan to devote much of my reading this Lenten season to grace.

Because I have some form of attention deficit disorder when it comes to reading– I pick up one book, read several chapters or perhaps a vast majority of it and then the next day pick up a completely different book and do the same thing, etc. and so on, so that by the time I come back to finish the first book, I have to re-read and skim parts of it to recall those intimate details I need to enter back into the mindset of the author– I chose two books for my study on grace: Fr. John Hardon’s (SJ) History and Theology of Grace: The Catholic Teaching of Divine Grace and Robert Sungenis’ How Can I Get to Heaven? The Bible’s Teaching on Salvation Made Easy to Understand. Both seem to be worthy works up to the task. (Note that I will also make recourse to the Sacred Scriptures, the Catechism, and any other reference which either book might make reference to that would help round out my understanding… probably another aspect that adds to my Reading-ADD of sorts).

Other Lenten reads I recommend:

The Gospel According to Mark- Yes, the Scriptures themselves are a great Lenten read, and I think Mark lends itself well because of its focus on the passion of Christ. Everything points towards the Cross (and the confession of the centurion).

The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ (St. Alphonsus Liguori)- This is what Lent is all about. (and St. Alphonsus Liguori rocks!)

Frequent Confession: It’s Place in the Spiritual Life (Fr. Benedict Baur)- A good read to remember even after the season of Lent is over… You’ll look at Confession in a whole new light.

Heliotropium (Fr. Jeremias Drexelius)- Talks about conformity of the will to God (like the flower (gentle Christian) that turns itself towards the Sun (Son)). I think it’s a good Lenten read because when we examine where we need to conform our will to the Lord’s Will, it demands some serious sacrifice. It’ll give you good ideas to harp on for Lent the next year!

Christ: the Life of the Soul (Bl. Columba Marmion)- a great work on the spiritual life that’s been praised by all sorts of Popes and theologians… very rooted in the Bible, the Liturgy, and the writings of the Saints. Very Christocentric throughout (I think even non-Catholic Christians would love it).

The Soul Sanctified (Anonymous)- Lots (i.e., 90 to be exact) of small meditations– just a few pages in length– on a variety of topics pertaining to Christan faith and life. Each meditation is unto itself, so you can pick and choose which topic interests you  in whichever order you choose. It’s handy to just carry around and use whenever you have a few moments to turn your thoughts to God.

There are numerous other good reads for Lent, but there is my two cents for this Lent. Happy reading and may you have a most dolorous Lent!

“Everyone is so quick to tell the world their problems, but they won’t tell a priest.”

The Amazon.com review of Alcuin Reid does Bishop Schneider’s little book more justice than I could ever dream.