After reading Mr. Young's first controversial book, "The Shack," I was wary to pick up "Cross Roads." I found it to offer much of what I expected, though - highly skillful, well-written, entertaining fiction combined with very questionable theology. Although the story is different, the general format of the book is very similar to "The Shack" - a man in desperate need is given the opportunity to commune with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, though in forms that are difficult to recognize. Honestly, the book is so well written I couldn't put it down; but I would encourage anyone reading it to have a Bible nearby and double-check Mr. Young's theology against Scripture. I also wouldn't allow children or young teens to read until they are solid in their faith and practiced in apologetics - the dialogue that is theologically questionable has just enough truth to it to make the fallacies difficult to spot. Bottom line: this author is extremely talented, but I can't help but feel that he's created a personal theology that caters to his own beliefs and desires.

When "The Shack" came out, it challenged the perception we have of God, the Father or "Papa". In fact, I know of no other Fiction book that has caused as much controversy as "The Shack" had caused. (Not counting The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.) So with WM Paul Young's new book "Crossroads", expectations for what is written is high. I would like to first start off by saying that this is a FICTION book and you should keep that it mind as you read it. Any theological questions posed in the book should be treated as such. *SPOILERS* "Crossroads" follows a man named Anthony. Anthony is not a very nice guy as you learn. He is selfish, conceited, and a little paranoid. He has pushed everyone that is close to him as far away as possible. You learn through the book some of the things in his life that has made him the way that he is. Tony ends up having a tumor in his brain that causes him to slip into a coma. In his coma he finds himself in a land that represents his soul. He meets Jesus in this place and Jesus sends him on a joureny of self discovery so to speak. He meets the Holy Spirit here as well who is referred to as "Grandmother" throughout. There is no room in his soul for God the Father. Jesus, however, makes sure that Tony knows if he knows Him, he knows the Father, for they are One. In fact, I believe the author does a good job explaining that the Trinity is One, that God the Father is God the Son is God the Holy Spirit. Through his self discovery, Tony is told that he will have the ability to choose one person to heal, not by his power, but through Christ who will be with him. Being the selfish man that he is, Tony immediately knows he wants to heal himself, but Jesus sends him into the mind of a young man that has Down Syndrome. Tony can talk to the young man and he can here Tony but no one else can. It is later discovered that he can "slip" into each person through a kiss. The family with the Down Syndrome kid also has another sybling that is dying of leukemia as well. It is pretty evident that Tony is ressisting the fact that maybe he should help this family and not himself. Tony slips back and forth between his soul and others heads. He continues to clear his soul of the walls, barriers, and weeds that have made him who he was. The end of the book has Tony going into the "Life-After" with Jesus and Grandmother. I gave this book 3 stars for a few reasons. 1) The book uses some scripture and makes valid points and challenges to our perceptions of The Trinity as well as traditional thinking. 2) Because of that, the author uses Romans 8:38-39 as the backbone of the story, that even though Tony was never a believer (by his own account) in Christ, he was given the oppurtunity to experience His love in the "Crossroads" and given the oppurtunity to enter eternal life with Jesus. I know of no scripture that can back that claim, in fact I find many that counter it. 3) As a FICTION book, I felt that there were many times that I was laughing or on the verge of tears, yet there always seemed to be something missing, whether charater development or something else. Everything Tony did was predictable and the theology presented throughout had me guessing what would happen in the end with Tony's soul. "Crossroads" is a good book, but to me, not as heart wrenching or as well written as his previous book, "The Shack." The theological ideas presented in this could cause someone to base their own personal theology on what sounds right instead of what is scripturally right. But as I have said many times before, this book is FICTION. -Sam Madewell Store Manger Mardel Longview, TX