SPIRITUAL FOCUS ON BOOKS September 29, 2008 Issue

ARE EVILDOERS BEYOND SALVATION?

ROSALIE E. DUNBAR, NEWS EDITOR

ONE WOULD HARDLY EXPECT a novel about one of a parent's worst nightmares—the abduction and murder of his youngest child—to become a runaway Christian bestseller. But The Shack, by William P. Young, has done just that. It has been at the top of The New York Times bestseller list for weeks and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

In fact, its publisher, Windblown Media, estimates it has sold more than a million of the books. Many of these sales have been to Christian churchgoers. While not for everyone, the novel attempts to address in traditional Christian terms feelings that many people are grappling with in what seems like an increasingly violent world.

William P. Young began his manuscript in 2003 as a way of showing how a new relationship with God had healed him. After the people to whom he gave copies wanted some to give to their friends, he began to think it might have appeal for a larger audience. Two pastor friends worked with him in refining the book and its message. Each of them was also willing to put up $15,000 to help publish it. The result has been not just impressive first-sales but also people buying multiple copies to give to friends.

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