Introducing Paul Young

I gave the following brief remarks to introduce author Paul Young, author of The Shack, at the Brite Divinity School Minister's Week Conference on Feb. 11, 2010.

Good morning, and welcome to the 2010 Scott Lectures at Brite Divinity School.

Through a quirk of circumstances, I just happen to have known Paul Young before he became famous. Back in 1997-2000 I lived in Portland, Oregon. Paul was also living in that area, and we met each other as participants in a discussion group for Christians from different churches. Back then, my impression of Paul was that he was bright, articulate, and well educated in theology, but I had no clue that Paul would one day write a book that would sell millions of copies. I'm sure that most of you are aware of the subsequent story: Paul wrote the manuscript of a novel, intending to give a few copies to family and friends. He and a small group of friends created their own imprint for the book, and it quickly rose to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

The most vociferous objections to the book seem to be coming from certain conservative evangelicals who claim that it teaches dangerously heretical doctrines. Such critics could benefit from reading The Art of Rhetoric, in which Aristotle says that there are three main forms of persuasion: logos (the logical force of the argument), ethos (the authority and charisma of the author), and pathos (the emotional impact that the work has on its audience). Those who criticize the alleged theological errors in the book make the category mistake of treating it as if it were a doctrinal treatise, an example of logos, which it is not. The book is not an example of ethos either, in the sense that Paul Young was not a person who had name recognition as a charismatic leader prior to the book's publication. The book's success is purely a result of the impact it had on its readers; it is an eye-opening example of what Aristotle called pathos.

Many readers have resonated deeply with the book's message about God's love for wounded people, and we are all wounded in various ways. The book challenges pastors in particular to ask themselves whether our churches and our religiosity are turning people away from God, or opening up people's spirits to truly hear the Gospel. Even if we are not contributing to the problem, is it the case that our preaching and teaching lacks persuasive power because it does not reach people where they are? Is there a deep spiritual hunger in people, for which we have very little nourishment to offer? These are the types of questions that we should be asking.

So without further ado, I present to you the accidental author, Paul Young.