Will the Real Heavenly Father Please Stand Up?

Remember the old television program To Tell the Truth where three contestants claimed to be a person of notoriety and a panel of four celebrities tried to determine which of the three was “telling the truth?” In its various incarnations, the show was aired from the fifties through early in this century. Obviously, the idea of a truth hidden among lies has some element of fascination to the human being. Curious, isn’t it?

As I pondered this, I considered what this show might have looked like if the person of notoriety was actually God the Father. There we would see three “people”, each claiming to be God. Now, by the rules of the TV game, the actual Heavenly Father would be compelled to always tell the truth, and the two imposters would tell lies to try to convince the panel that they were indeed the true God.

If you were on the panel, what kind of questions would you ask to determine which of the three contestants was the true God? Is hell real? Do you love everyone? Why do bad things happen? Was Jesus really God? Is sin relative? Do we choose you? Do you choose us?

If you asked these questions (or any other question of your choice), how would you identify the one who was telling the truth?—which is the real God? Is it the contestant that makes the most sense?—the one who seems most fair to everyone?—he who expresses love the best? What about just picking the one who makes you feel comfortable? Surely God must be likeable—that most certainly must be the deciding factor. Right?

These questions are similar to the tsunami of questions that flow when we discuss Christian fiction. Many believe that when an author writes a story that is clearly acknowledged as fiction, he/she has the right to answer these kinds of questions in a way that aligns with his/her own philosophy. After all, the selection of the one of the three contestants claiming to be God on To Tell The Truth is simply a personal judgment of the panelist. So, in Christian fiction, why should we force an author’s fictional portrayal of God to align with the God of the Bible? If I am writing a story which requires a character who is compassionate to everyone, and I can use a portrayal of God that fits the bill, why can’t I use that? After all, it’s just a STORY!

If you’re thinking I just went over the cliff of spiritual insanity, I agree with you. In fact, I believe that a critical element in Christian fiction is that God be a “character” in the story. More importantly, I believe that God must behave in a manner that is completely consistent with the Bible. If an author ignores this point, and God behaves in a manner inconsistent with Scripture, it will not preclude him/her from producing a fantastic work of fiction. But its popularity will not mitigate the potential that it might be heretical in it’s portrayal of God.

As you read my novel, The Package, I not only suggest that you examine its truth in context with the Bible, I implore you to do so. I believe this story clearly exhibits God’s character and His interaction and guiding hand on the other characters in a Biblical way. It continually uses either direct scripture references or allusions to verses from the Bible to validate the principles exhibited. Some may disagree in some respect with the portrayal of God in this story, but it is substantiated and established to the best of my ability by the Word of God. Is that to say there is no room for any discussion of error in the theology presented in The Package? ABSOLUTELY NOT! There is one, and only one, infallible description of the character of God, and that is the Sovereign King in the Bible.

As you read a work of Christian fiction (no matter how you choose to define it), it is my hope that you measure its value in how it portrays the "character" of God in the story, and how it deals with reconciliation with others, especially to God. Just as the panel examines the contestants in To Tell the Truth in order to identify the true hidden among the fraudulent, we need to always ask the same types of critical questions of what we read. If you pose these questions to the God of The Package and find Him to indeed be the God of the Bible, it is my prayer that you will share this story with those who need to meet Him, possessing an ultimate hope that they will be drawn by this work of fiction to a work of truth—God’s Holy Word—the Bible.

If we all make this our practice, we will never be surprised by Him who reveals Himself when we ask, “Will the real Heavenly Father please stand up?”

Thoughts About "The Shack"

If you've read "The Shack" by William Young, then you may be aware of the swirl of controversy that has surrounded it. It has polarized people into two camps, one group thinking it is theologically inaccurate and "dangerous", and another believing that the fact it is labelled "fiction" makes its theological errors excusable.

I respect what "The Shack" has achieved in both getting people to talk about Christianity and becoming a #1 bestseller. While I enjoyed reading it, I find myself with concerns about its fundamental premise. With that, I am more aligned with the theological pundits, but in a way that addresses the "fiction" argument directly.

Consider if I wrote a story about two brothers fighting on opposite sides in the Civil War in their respective green and black uniforms at the battle of Gettysburg in Colorado. While I might have a great fictional story about those brothers, many people would find it disturbing that the non-fictional elements of the story (wrong color uniforms, wrong state, etc.) were not treated with integrity. In other words, it is very difficult to take REAL events and REAL characters and to portray them as FICTIONAL events or people.

So, when we look at the Holy Trinity as portrayed in "The Shack", we find God the Father as an African-American woman, Jesus as a middle-easterner with a large nose, and the Holy Spirit as a more ethereal character appearing as as asian woman. Now while many simply dispise the fact that the Father is portrayed as a woman, Young's point appears to be that we wrongly view God as an old gray-haired man sitting on a throne. Young is indeed right--this image is a human contrivance. But his point exactly exhibits his own flaw-- his feminine characterization is no better.

The God of the Bible is a spiritual being whose power and majesty are beyond comprehension, and being in His presence should create a sense of humility as His greatness overshadows our insignificance. I admit it--I like the idea of a friendly, cookie serving, God who is a lot like me. But that is creating God in MY image, not me in His. Perhaps that's why it feels so comfortable to so many. Who wouldn't like to simplify God into someone we could easily understand and relate to?

However, a portrayal of God in a novel is one of two things--a true characterization of who He IS, or a fictional portrayal of who we might like Him to be. If the portrayal is truthful, then we must be concerned about the accuracy of theology--it is important that He is portrayed with integrity. If it is a fictional portrayal, then it violates the basic idea of integrity in the use of REAL people, things, and places. In that case, the God of "The Shack" is not THE God, but "a god". I'll let you draw your own conclusions from there.

Once again, I can tell you first hand that writing a novel and promoting it is hard work, and Young should be commended for his success. Gaining agreement from your audience is not a prerequisite. However, I suggest that if you want to use "The Shack" to form your vision of God, you will soon find yourself with a distorted view of God. Whether or not that is "dangerous" depends on your response to it.

I welcome your comments!!

Glenn

Added Blog to Amazon.com

All,

I have added this blog so that you can connect with me through Amazon.com as well as the book website, www.thepackagebook.com.

I look forward to hearing from you and answering your questions about the book!

All the best!

Glenn

Welcome

Welcome to the blog I've created for readers to share their thoughts about The Package. I hope you will take time to share your thoughts with others, and read what others have to say. Please keep any posts to this blog free of any objectionable content.

Click on comments below, then add your comment to the box at the bottom!
Thanks...and enjoy!

Glenn