Bringing Heaven Down to Earth

Heaven is one of the central doctrines of Christianity. Not just as the place believers go when they die—but as the seat of God, the model society of which the Church is a flawed imitation that embodies our hope because it actually exists. Yet we tend to sublimate thoughts of heaven, to replace them with inordinate focus on the world as it is, to exchange hope of perfection for certainty of comfort.

Nathan Bierma calls us to shake off our apathy toward heaven and to live as citizens of God's country now, rather than letting the world and its pettiness distract us. He points out that in our society Heaven is often associated with death with all its negative connotations, instead of with eternal life in God's presence. We think about old people going to heaven, or children who die tragically, but seldom of ourselves—too much of life remains unlived, our sinful appetites distract us, we are simply scared of a future existence that seems so uncertain and so little understood.

Bringing Heaven Down to Earth is not a call to establish some kind of utopia here and now. Rather, it's a call to look forward to Heaven and to let that focus inform our life in the present. He comes to grips with the meaninglessness of modern existence, the hollow hope in technology as savior, the disparity and alienation of individuals. In response, he argues, it is our duty to permeate society with the hope that Heaven offers, hope of meaning, hope of progress, hope of unity and community.

If this sounds like pie-in-the-sky, that's because (with all due reverence) it is. Heaven isn't something we can comprehend or apprehend in this present life, it's a better country, God's country in the proper sense. Bierma urges us not to be afraid of heaven's uncertainties, but to rest assured they are incomprehensible because they are so much better than anything we currently understand or know. Part social criticism, part meditation, Bringing Heaven Down to Earth is an excellent source for renewing our hope in a place most of us seem to forget all too often.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.