Warning: this article contains spoilers
A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to see “The Shack”, a movie about a man struggling with his faith. I had high hopes for the movie, but I worried that some parts would make me cringe—whether it was from unrealistic portrayal of Christians or bad casting decisions. However, I was blown away in the best of ways. Here are just some of the things “The Shack” did right.
It dealt with real issues in faith.
When Mack’s daughter is killed, he feels betrayed by God. Later on when Mack meets God, he doesn’t have this immediate moment of understanding. As a matter of fact, it takes Mack the entire movie to completely trust God and believe that God cares about every human. This is applicable to real life: after an enormous tragedy or hardship, not everyone suddenly “forgives God” and has closure about what happened. The movie portrays this aspect of life in a very realistic way.
Jesus was portrayed as Middle Eastern.
That’s right. Not a white-washed, American version of Jesus. An actual, true-to-the-Bible Middle Eastern man.
The actors were diverse.
The protagonist, Mack, is a white man, but all of the Holy figures in the movie are different races. The different characters are played by African American, Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Native American actors. This choice emphasizes the reality of Christianity: it’s not all about white Americans. Christianity is supposed to be diverse.
It reminds people not to judge others.
In a scene where Mack has to play God and decide who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell, he is quick to judge his abusive late father. Moments later he is exposed to a scene from his father’s childhood depicting him being beaten by his own father. Mack then realizes that it is not his place to judge people, because there is always more to the situation. It’s so easy to judge others, but this scene is an important reminder that it is not our place to do so.
It was nondenominational.
A particular standout moment of the movie is when Jesus mentions that religion is where things get messy. He even states that he does not want slaves, he wants friends. This call to the true core of Christianity is something that a lot of Christians seem to overlook—one particular denomination is not the only “right” way to worship God.
It had important nonreligious themes, too.
Obviously “The Shack” is a Christian movie, aiming towards a Christian audience. However, themes emerge that can be applicable to any spiritual belief (or lack thereof). Mack learns to forgive those who hurt him, to cherish his family, to not judge others, and to grow as a person after difficult events in his life. These themes provide important takeaways to audience members, Christian or not.
If you’re on the fence about seeing “The Shack” I would highly encourage you to check it out. This movie is a great example of how Christianity should be portrayed and shines a light on the core values that are so often overlooked.
