Young, whose latest faith-inspired book “Cross Roads” is on the New York Times best sellers list, will give a presentation at the Mabee Center on the campus of Oral Roberts University, 7777 S Lewis.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in northeast Oklahoma.

I had an opportunity to interview Young right before his last visit to Tulsa in 2009. We talked about the phenomenal popularity — and controversy — that followed  that his best-selling book “The Shack.”

That same year, I interviewed Christians who loved the book as well as those who had some serious concerns about the way some aspects of Christian theology were represented in the book. Either way, lots of people were talking about “The Shack” for a long, long time.

According to advance information about Young’s visit, the author will share stories about “Cross Roads” and “The Shack” with  the Tulsa audience.

For more information and tickets, go to www.mabeecenter.com.

Young is the author of the bestselling fiction book “The Shack.”

Hachette Book Group, the book’s publisher, says the book is set for Nov. 13 release. They are launching an extensive marketing campaign for the book that will include national print, television, radio and online advertising, plus outreach to churches.

The publisher’s recent news release said ”Crossroads” tells the story of a driven man who falls into a coma and experiences relational entanglements that allow him to revisit choices he made during his life. 

Young’s previous book “The Shack” resonated with many Oklahomans a few years ago. I talked to church groups both here in the metro and in the Tulsa area that were using the book as a focal point for sermon series, book club and Bible study gatherings. Young visited the state to speak about the book — attending a special event in Tulsa and one a Southern Baptist church in Enid.

As popular as the book was, I have to meantion that it also drew sharp criticism from some folks, including some in Oklahoma, who said the theology within its pages wasn’t sound.

I plan to start reading it tonight. It will be interesting to see how it compares to Young’s “Shack” and whether it also will draw both people who love it and people who feel just the opposite.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor