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[royalan]

As if this election alone wasn't enough to shine a light on the motivations of The Evangelical.

The Shack is a Christian fantasy novel of the sort that gets published a lot in recent years, with the goal of modernizing the Christian story to reach younger, more current groups. However, in the pursuit of that The Shack does something a little different: It depicts The Holy Spirit as being an Asian woman, Jesus as Middle Eastern, and God as an older, maternal Black woman.

It goes without saying the book received some backlash when it was published in 2007. Now that a trailer for the movie has been released, showing Octavia Spencer in the role of God, some people refuse to keep it cute.

This depiction — God as a woman despite its gender-less designation in the Bible — has some critics incensed.

“Young’s pretentious caricature of God as a heavy set, cushy, nonjudgmental, African American woman called ‘Papa’ (who resembles the New Agey Oprah Winfrey far more than the one true God revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ — Hebrews 1:1-3), and his depiction of the Holy Spirit as a frail Asian woman with the Hindu name, Sarayu, lends itself to a dangerous and false image of God and idolatry,” Joe Schimmel, a California pastor and host of the documentary “Hollywood’s War on God,” told Christian News Network this week.

In the same CNS article, James B. DeYoung, a professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Western Seminary in Oregon, and the author of a scathing critique called “Burning Down ‘The Shack': How the ‘Christian’ bestseller is deceiving millions,” said Young’s message strays dangerously far from biblical teachings and promotes “universalism,” or the idea that in the end, all people will go to heaven.

He told CNS that concept is “heresy.”

“If the film is a faithful portrayal of the events and the theology of the book, then every Christian should be gravely alarmed at the further advance of beliefs that smear the evangelical understanding of the truth of the Bible,” DeYoung told CNS.

These criticisms aren’t unfamiliar to fans of the book.

When it first published, “The Shack” was called blasphemous and a “load of crap,” and one scholar opined that Young’s depiction was evidence that evangelicals “were succumbing to the feminist pressure to image God in feminine ways.”

Article at The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ritics-say-its-heresy/?utm_term=.25c6abbea936

Interesting introduction to the debate this book/movie has raised. As someone who was raised in the church, it has always infuriated me that near-blatant white supremacy has been able to mask itself as the Christian identity. I haven't been religious in a long time, but I think I'll buy some tickets to this movie.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Jesus as Middle Eastern

But Jesus is white! Blonde hair, blue eyes and all!

 

[Fury451]

It's been a long time since I read it, but thats exactly the same diverse cast as in the book too.

There's a plot reason for it of sorts also with how God appears.

The book is pretty out there though. Like The Lovely Bones or something.

 

[WeAreStarStuff]

The Bible is fake though.

 

[Kyonashi]

Being outraged at Jesus being portrayed as Middle-Eastern is kind of hilarious.

Also Octavia Spencer is great casting for God.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

God is clearly a white male landowner.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

first it was santa, now god!

also is that sam worthington

 

[Xe4]

To be honest, I'm not religious, and firmly beleive if God exists it is not human or anything we would be able to recognize, but if god was human, I do think it would be an elderly black lady tired of your bs, haha.

I'm glad at the diversity of the cast, and people giving this backlash need to grow up.

Also, lol at people being mad Jesus is middle eastern. Everyone knows Jesus was born in Norway and was crucified in London.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

I'm guessing they haven't heard of Dogma, huh?

 

[LionPride]

I've always pictured God as a Black or Hispanic or Latino woman if God ever took a physical form

 

[alfredofroylan]

Was there any controversy with these guys?

 

[SpaceWolf]

Why wouldn't God want to be a black woman? God isn't supposed to be a person in the first place but a cosmic, celestial force without true form. Why is one form considered more "true" than another?

This is so inane, why am I even commenting on this.

 

[BoosterDuck]

Why wouldn't God want to be a black woman? He's not a person, he's not even man...he's a cosmic, celestial force.

God's Galactus?

 

[Busaiku]

I didn't know there was an actual Christian News Network.
I thought that was just making fun of CNN.

 

[Ishida]

The Bible is fake though.

Well, that took 3 posts.

Longer than I anticipated, at least.

 

[EdibleKnife]

People barely actually know what Jesus looked like, western society just default depicting him as white, so I've got no clue why people have their dander up about a black female god who is a formless entity in general other than the fact that they have no actual worthwhile struggles or issues to address

 

[adj_noun]

 

[Oersted]

But Jesus is white! Blonde hair, blue eyes and all!

Wasn't he the guy who wrote the Second Amendment?

 

[Enzom21]

Why wouldn't God want to be a black woman? God isn't supposed to be a person in the first place but a cosmic, celestial force.

Because that doesn't support the idea of white supremacy, therefor it's blasphemy.
These people are white before they are Christian.

 

[-griffy-]

 

[B-Dubs]

God's Galactus?

I mean shit, dude's supposed to be all powerful so he (or she) can be whatever the fuck they want to be.

 

[Captin Quacker]

Made in his image my ass

 

[Nibiru]

It had some criticism sure but overall the book was very successful and promoted widely by the Christian community.

 

[Black Republican]

"I don't see race" "best qualifications for the job"

 

[Trouble]

This depiction — God as a woman despite its gender-less designation in the Bible — has some critics incensed.

I'm sure they are super upset when God is depicted as a man, too.

 

[Hexa]

Was there any controversy with these guys?

Yeah. I'm confused. Is this a new thing or not that big of a thing? Morgan Freeman has been god in a bunch of movies now hasn't he? And I don't remember any outrage over him.

 

[egruntz]

I see zero issues with this.

I can see Evangelicals being pissed how separately the three entities are depicted. But that's true to the book anyway, right?

Don't like it, don't watch it. Nothing to piss your pants over.

Wish some of those in my inner circle understood...

 

[EdibleKnife]

I mean shit, dude's supposed to be all powerful so he (or she) can be whatever the fuck they want to be.

I mean with depictions as a fucking dove and burning bush, I can't imagine getting angry at this beyond a "white is right" mindset just like that black Santa bs recently

 

[Vermillion]

Are they upset about God being a black woman, or just a woman? Maybe I'm super off-base, but no one seemed to have issues with Morgan Freeman before. Maybe because it was a comedy?

 

[DorkLord54]

Are they upset about God being a black woman, or just a woman? Maybe I'm super off-base, but no one seemed to have issues with Morgan Freeman before. Maybe because it was a comedy?

It's probably a mix of both, honestly.

 

[killertofu]

I saw this trailer earlier today and was kinda confused because it seemed like the main character jumped into Narnia for some reason

 

[SpaceWolf]

Yeah. I'm confused. Is this a new thing or not that big of a thing? Morgan Freeman has been god in a bunch of movies now hasn't he? And I don't remember any outrage over him.

Evidently, some people weren't happy with Bruce Almighty either.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

That's because all real religious people know that god really looks like Alanis Morissette

 

[Platy]

Very christian those comments in the article =P

Was there any controversy with these guys?

Not that I remember.

There was a controversy with Dogma, which has god as a white woman (alanis morrisete)

I sense a pattern ..

 

[BobLoblaw]

Jesus wasn't white, so why should God be? Heh heh

 

[Manu]

I watched Risen with my parents some time ago and this is the guy who played Jesus in that movie:

They even called him "Yeshua" and this was a Christian movie through and through. Was there any outrage over this?

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Was there any controversy with these guys?

Mainly with Burns playing both da gawd and say tan..

 

[Kthulhu]

God's Galactus?

Yeah, but more movie Galactus, not comic book Galactus. Jesus is also chrome like the Silver Surfer.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Are they upset about God being a black woman, or just a woman? Maybe I'm super off-base, but no one seemed to have issues with Morgan Freeman before. Maybe because it was a comedy?

Black: Ehh, iffy
Woman: This makes me uncomfortable
Black + Woman: BLASPHEMER!

 

[Air]

I actually really like the setup of the casting, but this is going to seriously rustle some jimmies.

Good.

 

[Easy_D]

I'm guessing they haven't heard of Dogma, huh?

Dogma was offset by the fact that she was white, I'd say Bruce Almighty was offset by the fact that he was a man (And really, who can't love Morgan Freeman?). If you're both black and a woman tho, damn son, them racists will get riled up.

 

[Enzom21]

Mainly with Burns playing both da gawd and say tan..

Welcome back you Melmacian bastard!

 

[Kthulhu]

Evidently, some people weren't happy with Bruce Almighty either.

MFW I saw this website:

 

[Corronchilejano]

Could the backlash from these groups have been smaller if god was represented by an animal? Serious question.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

As someone who grew up in an evangelical Christian church and presently works in a theologically conservative, if not specifically evangelical, one, just one thing I'd like to point out:

Being outraged at Jesus being portrayed as Middle-Eastern is kind of hilarious.

If you look at the actual quotes in the linked article, it doesn't mention Jesus being Middle-Eastern as a reason that these pastors and theologians are concerned:

“Young’s pretentious caricature of God as a heavy set, cushy, nonjudgmental, African American woman called ‘Papa’ (who resembles the New Agey Oprah Winfrey far more than the one true God revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ — Hebrews 1:1-3), and his depiction of the Holy Spirit as a frail Asian woman with the Hindu name, Sarayu, lends itself to a dangerous and false image of God and idolatry,” Joe Schimmel, a California pastor and host of the documentary “Hollywood’s War on God,” told Christian News Network this week.

There are a lot of differences between orthodox Christian theology and the vision of God as depicted in The Shack, which, as this pastor says, is much closer to New Age spiritualism than anything like historical Christianity; it can't be reduced to simply being offended about non-white pictures of God, though I am sure that is an element for some people.

 

[Wilsongt]

Were they pissed when God was black in Bruce Almighty?
Were they pissed God was a woman in Dogma?

Or are they just pissed God is a BLACK WOMAN, this time? Or are they just getting their panties in a knot because it's the in thing to do to constantly think they are being attacked?

 

[True Underdog]

Yeah. I'm confused. Is this a new thing or not that big of a thing? Morgan Freeman has been god in a bunch of movies now hasn't he? And I don't remember any outrage over him.

I don't know if there was public outrage but there were members of my family that were upset about god's portrayal in Bruce Almighty, and Bruce Almighty in general.

Social Media was less of a thing in 2003 so people were less likely to whip themselves into a frenzy about it.

 

[Illucio]

Well I mean Jesus was a middle eastern...

Ans anyone can play God or the Holy Spirit.

Man sometime i hate being white because I have to share an ethnicity with a lot of bigoted elitists.

 

[Trouble]

I watched Risen with my parents some time ago and this is the guy who played Jesus in that movie:



They even called him "Yeshua" and this was a Christian movie through and through. Was there any outrage over this?

Cliff Curtis is actually a New Zealander (Maori), so maybe he gets a pass.

 

[PSqueak]

I don't understand why people are bothered, a classic trope of god in media is "taking a form that people would find soothing", so why object to this form? Furthermore, i understand defaulting god to one gender for simplicity's sake, but i always figured an entity of the caliber of a monotheistic god would be beyond the carnal concept of gender.

Coincidentally, what was the reaction when south park depicted God as some strange animal creature that states he's buddhist?

Was it ignored on the grounds that "it's south park and they try to be offensive"? (even tho ironically the depiction of what god says and does is not really that offensive)