William Paul Young (author of “The Shack”) on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

I have seen a number of different television and web site interviews with Paul Young and went to one of his "Wm. Paul Young in person" speaking engagements. I had read the book when he had sold a couple of million copies and he was scratching his head about that, amazed. Now he is beside himself going into 8 million copies worldwide in 24 languages, with little more than church to church and person to person personal recommendations. A good part of the people who go to his interviews have read the book and want to know what kind of man this is that has no publishing techniques, not publishing or distribution methods and has spent about 300 dollars in advertizing. After a while you see this not to tall, ordinary, humble man who has been destroyed by the events in his life and a once lost and miserable man with little to live for, to a man completely given to God. Its as if God waited until he was at deaths door to finally pick him up and say, "Now I will answer your tears and cries for help, you are where I want you, back to a child and moldable." His story is gut wrenching and nothing but an ongoing miracle The Shack is a book that is a novel and yet true in what it represents. In the same way that Jesus gave the parables in scripture to picture other truths, God is using Pauls works that are also truths and giving the sinner hope, many who are prisoners and the down cast. I have never read anything like it in my 68 years. Thanks for this web site and the opportunity to review another interview that is a testimony of a God thing.

George is awesome... Makes me miss my interviewing days. He graduated from Humber, so we see him talked about in the Humber paper a fair bit at school too. ha. I really enjoyed The Shack... Great book.

That was a great interview. I always love watching George squirm when someone asks about his spiritual life. Same thing happened with the Tony Campolo interview. His honesty and willingness to approach subjects normally out of the mainstream's eye will get him far.

Whatever you think of WM Paul Young, his book touched a tonne of people. I thought that he did an amazing job of communicating his message with honesty and humility. I don't know if Strombo is just that good of an interviewer, but, it seemed George was really listening to what Young was saying. Like, as if, it was the first time, he had heard Jesus and Christianity presented that way. Best line was when Strombo was asking him about Young being tied to "Christianity" and Young answered with (paraphrased) "Tell me what you mean when you say "Christian'." I heard him (Young) on the John Moore show on CFRB 1010 last week, and Moore said he really enjoyed the interview. I think Young is doing something amazing....showing the secular world, there is more to "Christianity" then George Bush, Televangelists and Angry Evangelicals.

Thanks for this Chris. I haven't paid much attention to the Shack because I'm not much of a fan fiction books, specifically Christian fiction. I think I might pick this book up now, more because of the back story. I appreciate the heart of where this book came from - from the roots and not after a spot on a list. That said, seeing how well he represented himself on the Hour, I have to say I admire him and what's he done. Thanks Chris, thanks for helping open my eyes a bit more. Matt