The Shack: Gender-Bending God the Father {an interview with William P. 'Paul' Young}

A few years ago a suburban dad from the outskirt of Portland, Oregon wrote a story to give his kids (14 years old to 27 years old at the time) for Christmas. On a whim, he decided to send the manuscript to the only author he knew, a writer named Wayne Jacobsen. And thus, through a remarkable series of synchronized events, an accidental best-seller called The Shack was born.

William P. Young, known as Paul to friends and family, is the writer-dad. This novel, The Shack, has achieved phenomenal success. It currently has sold nearly 4 million copies in the US alone. Recently translated into Portuguese and released in Brazil, it sold 30,000 volumes in less than a month. The UK reports that over 100,000 books have hit the market. Not bad for a novel, especially a Christian novel from an obscure writer.

The Shack, in brief, is about a Mack, a father who has endured the horrific tragedy of his young daughter being kidnapped and murdered. Her blood-stained dress is recovered in a shack in the Oregon wilderness, though her body is never found. Mack eventually receives a letter from God inviting him to come meet with Him at the shack. This is where the heart of the story lies, in this weekend encounter of a grief-stricken dad with the triune God. But, God the Father does not show up looking like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. He appears to Mack as a jovial African-American woman who likes to be called Papa.

This is one of the most delightful surprises about the story, and also one of the most controversial. Some theologians are offended with the novel’s portrayal of God as a woman.

Even Mack, the lead character of the book, is confused by this – but you’ll have to read it for yourselves to discover Papa’s explanation of why He/She chose to appear in the feminine rather than the masculine.

I was able to connect to Paul recently and asked him if we could discuss this aspect of The Shack. Here’s a short interview of what he had to say about it. Though it’s brief, I think it packs a punch into the idea of God being exclusively male.

In your novel, The Shack, you chose to use a female character to portray God the Father. How does this artistic choice in character development reveal your perspective on gender and the triune God?

My journey into the nature of the trinity actually began by my exploration of the issues of gender. I have spent about 25 years working on question related to maleness and femaleness and if you spend enough time investigating such questions you will invariably find yourself focused on the nature of God and on the Trinity. You discover, of course, that God is neither male nor female, but both genders derive their identity from the nature of God. God is Spirit and both genders reflect the image of God. So the use of imagery, male or female is always going to be inadequate. However, Scripture abounds with both male and female imagery for God; bridges to help us understand God's magnificent character and nature. In part I wanted to defy some of the existing paradigms regarding gender. In addition, the use of imagery fit the story as the main character struggles with a relational God due to his conflicts with his own father.

Issues of gender inequality are ancient and prevalent in many nations and cultures around the world. What do you think is true, biblical equality between the sexes?

True Biblical equality is a fundamental element restoring the damage of independence. In Christ, that equality becomes complete and unhindered. Part of this journey is to understand that ideas such as 'roles' are a cultural and religious adaptation, not Biblical. Function is an expression of the uniqueness of each individual, not of ethnicity, gender or social status.

Do you think women are permitted by scripture to be pastors and church leaders? Why or why not?

Yes. There are no good reasons why not. If the understanding is true, that gender is not restrictive on the presence or activity of the Holy Spirit, then it follows that gender is not restrictive of function. Passages that have been interpreted as inhibiting women from leadership are, in my opinion, poorly understood and sometimes even poorly translated.

I have heard some Christians pray to their Mother in heaven or refer to God as She. What do you think about this? IS this Christianized goddess worship?

I personally do not take issue with this as long as we are not simply exchanging one box we have placed God in, for another one. If the reality of a relationship with a God who is Spirit is lost in gender referencing imagery, then we have indeed erred, whether we have turned to female goddess imagery or male Zeus/Gandalf imagery. Having said that, I think that it is vital that we not lose or demean the ‘Fatherhood’ of God imagery. The relationship of Father to son or daughter is of utmost importance to Jesus and therefore has deep meaning for us.

What women have had a spiritual influence in your life, revealing the heart of God to you?

There are many women who have had significant influence in my life. These include women who are mothers, writers, missionaries, educators, speakers, singers, artists and many more. They have spoken prophetically into my life, taught me to love and build relationships, been in my face while communicating their commitment, and being consistent examples of desire that drives one deep into the heart of God.