"Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

- 1 Corinthians 3:16

“The Shack” has become one of the most popular “Christian” books ever written and was recently released as a movie. The author, William Paul Young, believes in universalism, that all are saved, with no necessity to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He also does not believe in eternal judgment or hell. He presents a god (Papa) who has its parallel in a Polynesian Earth goddess of the same name whom Young portrays as a female god until the end of the book. Why is it that so many seem to have no ability to distinguish between truth and error? First, the book is written to appeal to the emotions to captivate or even manipulate the reader. Second, people are often lazy and make no effort to evaluate what they read through the lens of Scripture. Third, nominal Christians do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit to protect them from error and false teaching. Jesus said, “But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” Praise the Lord for the indwelling Holy Spirit given to every believer to guide and protect them from the deception that often comes through popular books. Be encouraged!

References: 1 Corinthians 3:16; John 16:13