* There is no need for faith or reconciliation because everyone goes to heaven
* The Bible is not true because it reduces God to paper
Now admittedly, there is a lot of bleed over in between these. The list can probably be streamlined down to 8-10 major heresies but how much is too much? Why in the world any Christian would pay a dime to see this and promote it is simply beyond me. When we eliminate the doctrine of hell and embrace universalism, then we negate the need for a Savior. Do we understand this today or not? Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior first or else He is most assuredly NOT my friend. But what do these heresies have in common? They are what is essentially being taught in seeker-friendly; purpose driven churches each and every week. Sure the preacher will probably not admit it but when you preach a false gospel that never discusses sin and the need to repent you are in fact reinforcing universalism. When you trump up emotional experiences over Scripture you have indeed reduced the Bible to mere paper. What did Andy Stanley do this past year that was any different? He referred to the Bible as just a collection of ancient writings. Absolute heresy! This is not the Gospel beloved. This is the plan of attack from Satan. Yet throughout churches each Sunday you are probably 100 times more likely to hear a sermon about the love of God then you are to hear about His judgment or His wrath. Joseph Prince once preached that the flood was not an act of wrath but rather love! Notice also the all paths lead to heaven, another common false teaching that is the foundation for the push for a one world religion. Jesus is constantly being transformed? No! He is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is just another attempt to bring God down to our level. This is the "I am a Friend of God Theology." A mega-church pastor preached a sermon last year entitled, "Jesus, Our Wingman." No, no, a thousand times no. He is not your wingman, buddy or pal. What He most certainly will be is your judge and we all better hope that He is our Lord on that day.
Well preacher, aren't you making too big a deal of this? I do not think so beloved. This movie is still a month away from opening and they have already prepared the church kits! Outreach Ministries Inc., which is one of the top resources for churches, has developed an entire curriculum for churches to teach and preach the heresies of The Shack! This church kit, which retails for a mere $59.95 includes clips from the movie to show in your sanctuary, customizable sermons so you do not need to seek the Holy Spirit, study and leaders guides, a campaign planning guide because this is a five-week campaign and not a one-time event, PowerPoint templates, web and social media graphics, and sample invitation tools. Sure sounds like they are taking it seriously! For another $22.95 your church can also order the small group study kit and study guide. Just consider this rousing endorsement:
"Perhaps the most profound description of who God is, how He works, and what faith and life is about, ever put into a film. Deeply moving and inspiring." -- Joel Houston -- Hillsong United
Just in case there was any doubt remaining that Hillsong is not a cesspool of false teaching and utter heresy. What was so inspiring Joel? The elimination of hell or the belief that no one needs to repent? In case you think this is contained to just Outreach Inc.; guess again. It was recently announced that CRU (formerly Campus Crusades for Christ) will be providing free tickets to Christian college students for this movie and encouraging them to bring unsaved friends. They even provided nine discussion questions for their victims, I mean students:
* What is the main emotion you felt after watching?
* What surprised you the most?
* What scene in The Shack had the most impact on you and why?
* Is there a loss or hurt in your life that has left you in pain?
* How did this pain or event affect your attitude towards God? In what ways has this drawn you closer to God or had you question His love for you or His presence in your life?
* In what ways do you need to forgive yourself and others?
* Did the message of The Shack change your perspective on events in your life?
* Who would you bring to The Shack and why?
* After seeing the Shack do you have a new perspective on God even when He may seem invisible? Did seeing the Shack build your faith?
Riveting. Did you catch what was missing though? Jesus. His Gospel. What emotions did you feel? Is this a group therapy session? Notice though what changes your perspective on the hurts in your life. Is it Jesus and His love, grace and mercy? Nope. It is The Shack. That's right; The Shack is now your Messiah delivering you from those painful moments that hold all of us back. Herein lies some of the disconnect beloved. The Shack is being presented as something that can help with the worst and darkest moments we have faced in our lives. A noble sounding purpose but entirely carnal and entirely of this earth. Jesus came for so much more than that. Just like His disciples wanted to be delivered from Rome, many of us want to be delivered from what happened to us when we were 8 years old, or fifteen, or the mistakes in our twenties. These are all directly related of course to the one thing no one wants to talk about anymore, sin. Jesus came to deliver us from sin. Once we are saved and thus are in the process of being sanctified we have a different view of not only the sins committed against us but those we have committed as well. So not only do we receive His grace for eternal life and His forgiveness for all we have done but we now are thus more able to forgive those who have hurt us in our past as well. With Jesus and the Gospel you get it all! With The Shack, you only get the carnal side of it. You never get to YOUR sins and what you need forgiveness for. Dear Lord, that something as trivial and heretical as this movie and book would change our perspective on life, is frightening! Once again, think of your unsaved loved ones seeing this and being asked these vacuous, silly questions. Think about them visiting your church and watching clips from this movie instead of actually hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ which we know is the only thing that can save them! Are we serious? Perhaps this quote from Outreach Inc. defines the utter cluelessness involved with this venture:
