She came into the office visibly upset; and, she wasn’t the type who’d be easily upset. In fact, if I were going to use a word to describe her, it would be “tough.”

This hardened, world-wise gal had just finished reading a book called “The Shack.”

It was tearing her apart.

She hates God, Christianity, church, etc. When I say “hate,” I really mean hate. “It’s a farce, a lie, hypocritical. God doesn’t care. Jesus is a joke. The devil was simply invented to scare people into submission.” Statements she’s made over the less than one year I’ve known her. She is really good at rolling her eyes when the topic comes up.

But on this day, she was struggling.

“There’s only been three people who have convinced me that Jesus is real and you guys are two of them!” She almost screamed it as an accusation. “And now, this!” in reference to the book. “How can I explain this?”

You know what is ironic? Many in the church have been lambasting The Shack as a godless piece of poorly, and heretical, written theological treatise. I’ve read pieces condemning the poor, unsuspecting believer to hell if they so much as thought about reading it.

And this book is on the verge of convincing this gal of the possibility that a loving God exists, that Jesus is real and the Spirit is available to help us. She says she sees it playing out in us, just like the book portrays it. That intrigues her.

But she is terrified of the church.

Hmmm…