Some quick thoughts:
First off, I have wanted to respond to nearly all of the posts from the first to the last. I have chosen instead to address a variety of items herein. Snowbird, what a wonderful and thought-provoking question!
“The Shack” is a wonderful book, but so is “Cross Roads”, another Paul Young book. I actually liked the latter one slightly better than the first but both are wonderful reads. Each presented the Triune in a very personalized manner. While the Triune is a challenging concept, the closer friend that Christ became to me (during the reading of these two books) helped me to understand and feel His Love and His unbounded Friendship better than before. Reading the two books has brought me closer to Them/It/God/Christ. Of course, I recognize that I became closer to Christ instead of Him becoming closer to me, as Christ is always there. When I don’t feel close to Him I am the one who has moved away, not the other way around.
For those who have any interest in the hereafter/heaven I strongly recommend two other books, “Heaven is for Real” (about a 4-year old who had an NDE) and “Proof of Heaven” (a neurosurgeon who was near death and unconscious for 7 days). Both are exceptional reads. I will have moved permanently to TV by the end of the month and for anyone who does not want to purchase either one of these books I would gladly loan one or both to you. And Snowbird, each of these books is spiritual in nature.
As a Christian I believe that Christ died for all of us. All the rest is simply unbelievably fascinating and interesting. I have done many Bible studies and been involved in a very closely-knit group of men for the past few years and we all love the intrigue and experience of trying to determine exactly what it is that God would like us to know about Him. It might be as simple as He wants each of us to search out, in our own ways and in our own being, who and what He is from each of our own private and personal perspectives. It is up to each of us to determine that in which we believe or don’t.
I also think that religion is the worst thing that ever happened to Christianity. “In the name of religion” too many wars have been fought and too many people have died. While I think that religion is dangerous, it is only such when its goal is anything other than the simple (yet challenging concept) of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. I do think that the formality of “church” provides a format for those of us who want to worship and/or share our beliefs with others. I attend church regularly for rejuvenation and revitalization, yet most of my learning and investigation comes from the inner action and discussions that can be found in small groups.
I will be following the rest of this thread with interest.
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