Rejected by 26 different publishing houses, Paul Young’s book about spirituality and loss was never intended to reach the general public. The Warner Pacific College graduate wrote the book for his six children.

“I had no agenda writing this book other than to communicate to my six children my understanding of the nature and character of God and the implications for living in a world of great sadness.”

Young is stopping in Salem to promote and sign his book from 2-4 p.m., Dec. 2, at the State Capitol Building gift shop. Other Oregon authors will be on hand as well.

The book examines the story of Mack, whose 5-year-old daughter is abducted, her body never found. Mack goes to meet God in the shack where it is believed his daughter was murdered. They have a lot to talk about.

After reading copies, Young's friends helped him put together enough money to self-publish the book. With the help of a website and word of mouth, Young’s little book about great sadness attracted an immense audience.

As the book gained followers, it also gained enemies. Christians the world over found Young’s book offensive. They were disturbed by his representations of the Holy Trinity as multi-gendered, multi-ethnic people who were companionable instead of intimidating in their omnipotence. Many considered Young's theology to be heretical, putting words in God’s mouth that are not found in scriptural doctrine.

Asked if he believed there was any way his book could do harm to Christians, Young hoped it would.

“Many of us have very restricted religious ideology that deserves to be tampered with a bit. If you treasure false ideas that are inhibiting you from living in the freedom of God, wouldn't you want them challenged?” Young said.

He said he understands the fundamentalist irritation some have voiced, but that it shouldn't prohibit discussions of the true nature of God.

"The challenge to think and enter a conversation can be quite annoying. Because of it, I think more people are reading the book and entertaining ideas of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit than would otherwise. I do think that no one who has not read the entire book for themselves has any intelligent ability to make analysis or accusation, but that has never stopped religious people before and it hasn't in the case of The Shack,” he said.

Young credits many things with the astonishing success of his book. He agrees that some components of his novel may not have met with such success a generation ago. People‘s ability to believe in a “Because I Said So“ God is waning, he said.

"Over the last fifty years authoritarian systems have been exposed as abusive and damaging. We all know that just because someone says it's so, or says God says it's so, doesn't automatically make it so,” Young said.

The Shack, by asking difficult questions to an approachable deity, is perhaps this departure from blind faith to a more inquisitive, even speculative spirituality that some may not want to abide.

Young believes the popularity of the book lies within the modern disillusionment of organized religion.

“We are so tired of religion promising us a relationship with God and never delivering. Religion is good at telling us how badly we are failing and pointing out the people we are supposed to hate, but it has never healed any of us," he said. "I personally believe that there is a God who is a relational being (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), who is good all the time and involved in the details of each person's life including our great sadnesses.”

Young created a dialog with God that many people have wanted to have, and teased out answers that will appeal to many. Dissenters will point out that Young filled in God’s answers for Him, followers of the book believe that the evidence for Young’s conclusions are undeniably real.

“I believe that every individual matters and has incomparable value and that God respects the human creation in a way humans themselves do not. As a result God does not stop the evil and harm we do to each other, but promises to show up in the middle of our messes to redeem. This story has opened the door to many to hope and wonder, to a relationship with God that is not one guilt/fear driven performance," he said.