The Shack author brings new “Reformation” to the church

In an interview with The Shack author Paul Young several years ago,  Bethel Redding’s Kris Vallotton asked, “Do you think that this book is really a catalyst for Reformation in the church?” [1] (27:13 in video)

Paul Young replied, “I think this is part of whatever this is that the Holy Spirit is doing in the world.” [2] (27:23)

In another interview, given around the time the movie was released, The Shack author said, “I think that’s a move of the Holy Spirit. … I think we’re on the cusp or inside the beginnings of a Reformation.”[3]  (emphasis mine)

Great changes have indeed occurred within the visible church due to his books, beginning with The Shack, and now with Eve and Lies We Believe About God. Yet, this is not a Reformation, but a Deformation. This is not a move of the Holy Spirit as the author claims, but an infiltration of unclean spirits.

Bethel Redding’s Kris Vallotton is not alone in his admiration for Paul Young. Popular Bethel Redding speaker Abi Stumvoll frequently promotes Paul Young, his book, or his movie. [4] Young’s heresies are apparently irrelevant.

On Mother’s Day, the influence of The Shack was very clear when a congregation worshiped “Mama Ghost” and the “Mother”. A church leader spoke about the “Mother Heart of God” [5] which is also the title of a Paul Young teaching. [6] Reformation indeed.

One of the heavy hitters within the Bethel Redding sphere is Shawn Bolz, who has featured Paul Young on his podcast. Incredibly, Bolz plugged Young’s latest book, Lies We Believe About God, a book where The Shack author confirms his belief in universal reconciliation, also known as Christian universalism!

This is the belief that Christ’s death means all can enter heaven–every atheist, Buddhist, and New Ager, anybody and everybody, whether Christ has been accepted as Savior or not. In other words, heresy. Yet Shawn Bolz blithely mentioned the book at the beginning of the podcast. He said:

So today we’re talking to William Paul Young, he’s the author of The Shack, Crossroads, and Eve, and he recently released a non-fiction book, his first one, called Lies We Believe About God. [6] (37 seconds in video)

It’s also there in print on Bolz’s YouTube channel (July 9, 2018) :

In this Episode, Shawn Bolz interviews William Paul Young, who is the author of The Shack and his newest book, Lies We Believe About God. [7]

How is this even possible? By the time of this interview, Lies We Believe About God had been out for months. In the book, Young states, “Are you suggesting that everyone is saved? That you believe in universal salvation? Yes, that is exactly what I am saying!” (pg. 118)

Far from confronting his guest, Bolz also brings up the “R” word:

And what I love about this is you not only wrote this book [The Shack] but you’ve been defining a thought pattern, I think I don’t know if that’s the right word, but you’ve been defining a Reformation of connection to God, and I think it’s very beautiful. [ 8] (23:06 in video)

Paul Young is being used to hollow out the church from the inside. By the time this is all over, there may be a Christianity that appears biblical on the surface, but is lost in heresies and errant teaching.

James B. DeYoung, a retired seminary professor, has been warning about the effect of Paul Young’s books on the Body of Christ for years. He has written a book exposing the heresies in Lies We Believe About God.

This book of DeYoung’s should be in the hands of  pastors and church members everywhere. It is badly needed.

The Shack author has been used to bring far more than the Mother Goddess into the church. Here is the link to James B. DeYoung’s Exposing “Lies We Believe About God”: How the Author of The Shack is Deceiving Millions of Christians Again.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6)