The Shack

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child death, graphic violence, racism, and gender discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Young portrays God as three distinct characters in The Shack—Papa (primarily as an African American woman), Jesus (as a Middle Eastern carpenter), and Sarayu (as an Asian woman). How did these representations affect your understanding of the story’s theological perspectives? What surprised or challenged you about these portrayals?

2. The transformation of the shack from a place of horror to a space of beauty is a central metaphor in the novel. What was your emotional response to this transformation, and what does it suggest about how people might encounter God amid their pain?

3. The Shack and Young’s novel Cross Roads both feature protagonists who encounter God during personal crises. How does Mack’s spiritual journey compare to other spiritual journeys in literature, such as C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce or John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress?