Review: Heaven by Randy Alcorn

Book: Heaven - Part 1 "The Theology of Heaven"

Author: Randy Alcorn

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries, which is a non-profit organisation which reaches out to teach about Christ primarily to the disadvantaged and to the needy, including pro-life and overseas mission work. Before this he was a pastor for fourteen years. He has also written many other books and novels, some of which he mentions and quotes fairly frequently in this book.

Topic: Heaven

Surprisingly enough. However, as you will find out if you read the book, this word is far too simple to explain what he is actually talking about. He outlines his bible-based beliefs that the word 'Heaven' is not what our culture and society think it is. His topic is to show what 'Heaven' means biblically and answer the big questions that come along with it. This first part is entitled "The Theology of Heaven" which does what it says on the tin. He outlines common thoughts about Heaven and goes about dispelling the view that Heaven is a fluffy, cloudy place where we will be bored for all eternity. He focuses mainly on Heaven being a physical place, and talks about where this physical place will be: this Earth in it's redeemed form. Towards the end of this part he also starts to look at what it will mean that God will dwell with us, as the bible promises, and some of the other promises which the bible tells us about our eternal future.

Length: Doesn't look that long...

...but, boy, did it take me a while to get through. I'm not sure that was really a length issue, which I talk about a bit more later. There is a preface, an introduction and 23 chapters in this part. Each one probably takes about 20-35 minutes to read, depending on whether he wrote 14 or 8 pages on the topic. However, it has taken me seven months to get through those chapters.

Style:  Academic, or leaning towards it

It's worth stating that this is not a 'Christian Living', easy to read book. Or at least I didn't find it to be. The first few chapters were absolutely absorbing. In these he had a brilliant way of pre-empting my questions.  However, as it starts to get a bit more in depth the style seems to shift. It gets slightly more intellectual, or at least tries to be. It possibly feels a little repetitive as he keeps trying to convince you of his argument. But it does have a great multitude of bible references which is wonderful, especially as the first subheading in the whole book says "Test this book by scripture".

Why this book?:

My husband received this book for a birthday and found it to be really good, so I was really up for reading it. It's nice to wrestle with questions about the New Creation and/or Heaven and since I became a Christian I've had lots of them so I knew this would be a good book for me to look at. As ever, though, there was a more pressing reason for reading it:

For a long while now the thought of Jesus' return has terrified me. I will be perfectly honest, the thought of that day really frightened me. It still does to a certain extent. However, I have come to realise that the feeling may actually be a good thing. It will be a terrifying day. But for those who are saved it will also be glorious. We will finally see our Saviour! The thought of that day no longer scares me so much that I can't think about it - in fact I am really looking forward to living forever in the New Creation.

It's taught me:

That I didn't have an incorrect theology of Heaven in the first place. I thank God that the church that I attended just after becoming a Christian taught biblical truth very powerfully, and sometimes very intellectually. This has been a wonderful thing; my theology is biblically based and therefore I had quite a good starting point. The book has certainly put some new thoughts in my head which I'm still pondering on and working through, such as the issue of human rule in the New Creation. I know that God created us to rule over the Earth and through Jesus' parables we learn that we will again be given things to rule, but the thought of what that will look like is something my mind is still happily mulling over. There are many other new concepts and thoughts beside this, but as they are still in the mulling-over phase it's hard to pin down what it has taught me just yet.

Favourite quotes:

"If God wasn't willing to forgive on the basis of Christ's sacrifice, Heaven would be empty."

"Christ's redemptive work extends resurrection to the far reaches of the universe. This is a stunning affirmation of God's greatness. It should move our hearts to wonder and praise."

"In Heaven we'll at last be freed of self-righteousness and self-deceit. We'll no longer question God's goodness: we'll see it, savour it, enjoy it, and declare it to our companions. Surely we will wonder how we ever could have doubted his goodness. For then our faith will be sight - we shall see God."

"Christ is not simply preparing a place for us; he is preparing us for that place."

Who is this book for?:

Anyone, and I mean anyone, who has questions about Heaven. If there was someone, including those not convinced by the Christian faith, who was willing to look into the concept of Heaven I would give them this book. Possibly with a warning of how long it might take to read, but I would still happily give it. Of course, a lot of the scripture used to back up Alcorn's argument is from Revelation, the Bible's book on Heaven, the Second Coming of Christ and judgement. I would recommend having a read of Revelation all the way through before delving into the chapters on the present Heaven, and having a clear idea in your mind of what you think is allegorical/imagery. But also pray that God will open your mind to the truth.

If you want to read this book then you need to be aware that it is a bit of a commitment. Unless you are someone for whom reading big books on theology is a very speedy process, it may take a while. 

Final Thoughts:

It's worth mentioning at this point that it is clear throughout the book that Alcorn is a pre-millennialist. It takes him a while to explain what that means, and the different viewpoints surrounding the millennium which could leave you a little confused, or even worse, accepting of whatever he says. He does put across quite an unbiased view, taking into account the differing ways in which people interpret some bits.

It is also a big hefty book. He tells the story about how, when a pastor asked him what book he was writing, his reply was 'a big book about Heaven'. It is just exactly that - a big book on Heaven! This is not really one to put in your handbag for a quick glance at - it will need time and possibly wrist supports.

This is a good book. It's taken looking back over my notes and my comments to persuade me of this. I think for someone for whom the argument that God will not be doing away with the physical world is not too foreign may, like me, find some of the later chapters a little repetitive. I also struggled a little to find a running theme throughout the chapters; it often felt a little like there was no continuity save the pervading argument he is putting across. However, as I say, having looked back over my notes there is plenty to be really excited about and lots of thought-provoking ideas which he brings out. I'm really looking forward to the next part which answers some questions about Heaven.

What's next?:

I'm taking a short break from Heaven to read a smaller book. This will be 'God's Big Picture' by Vaughan Roberts. It has been on my bookshelf for about five years and hasn't been read yet and I feel it's good to have a break from 'Heaven' before diving in again. A review will hopefully follow within the next month.

If you would like to also read 'God's Big Picture' you can get it from 10ofthose.com:

https://www.10ofthose.com/products/80/Godrsquos-Big-Picture/

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Review: The Cross Centred Life by CJ Mahaney

Book: The Cross Centred Life - Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing

Author: C J Mahaney

C J Mahaney is currently the Senior Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Louisville and is a co-founder of Sovereign Grace Ministries.  He was previously the Senior Pastor at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland and there he mentored Joshua Harris, a name many of us will recognise from student weekend-away book reviews and in depth discussions on singleness and relationships. 

Topic: The cross and living in light of it.

Duh, I know. So now for something a little more informative. The book focuses on 2 Timothy. As this was Paul's last letter we expect to see the answer and the great truths he's known all along to come out. And so the great truth that comes out is... The Cross. The one great truth. Mahaney goes on to explain how having this cross centred focus is the most important thing of all and how it can free us from the traps of legalism, condemnation and subjectivism. These are particularly helpful chapters.

Length: Short

The first time I read this book it was on a plane from Newcastle to Bristol which took an hour and a quarter. I started at take off and finished as we landed.  This time reading it took a little longer, but that is only to be expected from a more in depth and thoughtful study.

Style: Casual, very easy read

If you are person for whom, like myself, big books on theology take a lot of time and effort to read and get your head around you will find comfort and joy in this little book. Mahaney writes in a  way that is very understandable and approachable, using honest examples from his own life,  without compromising thoughtfulness and intellect. There will be sentences that you want to read again to make sure that you understood, but understanding will come quickly. He also asks lots of questions throughout his book which could be sometimes read as hypothetical. They often aren't, however, and are designed to really get you thinking and questioning where you are at. Overall, there is a great balance of theology, exegesis and application in this book. You will start by understanding more and then be encouraged as you are taught ways to apply this great truth to your life.

Why this book?: Honestly? Convenience.

If I'm perfectly truthful, I read this book because my husband and I were going away for a long weekend and we had decided to dedicate some time to reading Christian books. I am currently making my way, very slowly, through Heaven by Randy Alcorn and was aware that I should probably review something in the meantime because it was taking me so long. However, that lovely weekend away (we have a very good suggestion of a B&B in Wales is anyone is interested) was last October and I still haven't written this review until now. Please forgive me!

However, there is a secondary reason this book was the one instead of any other little book. I want to keep my eyes fixed on the cross. This is one of the most important things I can do as I try to live out my life under God's rule. I need a constant reminder of the cross, and as I'm currently reading through the Old Testament in my daily Bible reading time it was good to have a little book which was so focused on the cross to remind me of what the OT is pointing to.

It's taught me:

This little book has taught me to think again on the cross. We can all get complacent in our daily Christian lives. But this is not what God has for us. He has promised  to renew us daily, and for this I, CJ Mahaney and the apostle Paul believe we need to be looking to the cross. In fact, CJ Mahaney even starts this book with a chapter entitles 'Restating the obvious', going on to say that it is often the most important thing that is the easiest to forget. This book is all about our salvation, which we can only have through the cross. It has also taught me that it is a loving thing to teach that we are all sinners who desperately need the substitutionary death of Christ. This was especially good to remember recently in conversations with non-believing family.

Personally, the part I found particularly helpful was the chapter on condemnation. I must admit to putting myself under condemnation every day and not looking to Jesus who has been sacrificed for me, has saved me and has taken all this baggage that I insist on placing on myself. In my notes on this I have written: "I should not waste any time feeling condemnation but be amazed and joyful because I do not have to! Christ has taken it all!" A few months down the line and I am glad to say that God has been changing me in this area and making me more joyful and much less self-condemning.

Favourite quote:

"A cross centred life is made up of cross centred days."

A bit cheesy I know, but very good to remember.

Who is this book for?

This is actually quite a difficult question. In simple terms, the answer is all Christians. Again, I feel this may not be the best book for someone who is just questioning as it assumes that you are a believer already. But with regards to who would particularly benefit from this book I feel there are a few categories of person:

1) A new/'baby' Christian - During the first few years after coming to Christ I would call myself a 'baby' Christian. All I meant by this was that, as a child, my understanding was not as fully developed as I would hope it would one day be. I feel that this book would be good for someone with a basic understanding. Even if, as is the case with many new Christians, they are not struggling with the issues presented in this book such as legalism, condemnation and subjectivism it is a great starting place for them. If we put the gospel at the centre of our lives from early on in our walk with God then it can only be a good thing.

2) Those who haven't seen spiritual growth for a while - When we do not grow as Christians we are sometimes tempted to think that it is God not holding up his end of the bargain. However, there is no bargain. We have done nothing to deserve growth and closeness to God. If we are able to realign our thinking  to God's, to his gospel, then we are bound to see growth.

3) Old Testament dwellers - By this I only mean people who maybe are, like myself, reading their way through the bible in a year (or three...) and have got a lot of Old Testament still to go. There often isn't time in our day to read both our daily reading and a bit of a gospel or the New Testament, but we do often read a book alongside our daily bible reading. This book will help us see some core truths from the New Testament and not forget about the culmination of the Old.

Final Thoughts:

I first read  this book when it was the  topic of a student weekend away. It was fantastic to read then, and really impacted me, and it is still very good to read. However, for me, as my theology and my thinking has developed I do feel it does often miss out the resurrection. The cross and the resurrection together should be the most important thing. This is just a small note to make for anyone who wants to read it - just think on what came after the cross as well as the cross itself.

I found this book very helpful. It helped me to realign my thinking with God's and to keep the gospel message in mind. This has been great while I'm reading through the Old Testament. It was great to try and answer the questions that Maheney posed to try and evaluate if I truly do keep the gospel at the heart of my Christian life, and I can say that God is doing some really great work in my life. Praise be to Him!

Do read this book. It's only little. It won't take very long. It's wonderful to have in your bag when you have a short-ish train/plane journey ahead.  And if you really love it then there is an extended version called "Living the Cross Centred Life" which will continue to keep your heart fixed on Jesus.

What's next?

I'm still going on Heaven by Randy Alcorn. I apologise that it is taking me so long. If you are really interested then my delay is partially due to new work commitments and due to my newfound creative streak. I have started knitting and sewing, and I'm afraid I have, over the past few months, found my knitting needles in my hands more than my books! I seem to be finding more of a balance now and so I hope that my review of Part One of Heaven will be with you in the next month or so. Thank you for your patience, and you can place your orders for knitted garments or accessories in the comments box below.

Review: The Prodigal God by Tim Keller

The Book: The Prodigal God - Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

Author: Tim Keller

Keller is the founder and pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which has grown to draw about 4000 congregants on a Sunday, mostly in the 20s and 30s age range. From what I know of it through reputation it has done amazing work towards changing the work of inner city churches and for bringing the gospel to young ambitious professionals, a group which it has been difficult to reach thus far. Redeemer has also planted about 100 smaller churches in the Manhattan area and has just bought some property to start building its own church building.  http://www.redeemer.com/

Topic: The Gospel!

As you can probably tell from the title the book focuses on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or as Keller renames it, the Parable of the Two Lost Sons. By about page 2 you'll realise why he does this. As Jesus does, Keller tells the gospel through the story, identifying characters and moods that you may not have considered before. He uses it mainly to spell out the Christian message,  to help us realise if we can relate to the characters in the story, and therefore see if we are held back in our relationship with God. There is also some very helpful commentary on what the different types of characters mean for our churches today.

Length: Short

 I would say that I read at an average pace, not very quickly, but also not too slowly. It took me three weeks to get through the book. I didn't read every day, but when I did read I read for about 20-30mins. Sometimes this is long enough to get through a chapter, but there are two particularly long chapters which you can't get through in this time. This is a bit of a shame as we all know that life is busy and sometimes we only have 20 mins to sit down with a good book and it's nice to get to the end of a chapter or section so we can think about the whole picture it portrayed. However, the longer chapters are split up with lots of subheadings so it is very possible to break up the reading so you don't get lost in the middle of a paragraph.  If you are committed to reading about 20-30 minutes each day then you'll have read it in under two weeks.

Style: Easy reading, but thinking required

If you want a book which you can read without really thinking and still take something in, this isn't it. With Keller you have to think. That is what he intends you to do and he is very good at achieving that goal through his writing. Having said that, it is easy to read (with one quote from C S Lewis which I needed to read again to see what it was on about!) and I didn't have to look up any words in the dictionary. Still, it is not a book you can drift through and still take in what that author intends you to. I would say that, if you are anything like me, this is a book for when you have not read anything in a while, or when you've just finished a similarly easy to read book. It probably isn't one for when you've just work your way through a big, hard-to-get-your-head-around book and you are wanting a break. Be warned also Keller has the American tendency to quote films. It's amazing how quickly he can change from writing about the socio-political state of the church to quoting from Lord of the Rings.

Why this book?:

If I'm honest the reason I picked up this book is because I felt like my spiritual life was a little lifeless. All I could do was think back to just over five years ago when I first put my trust in Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I remembered how much I got who Jesus was, how amazing the gospel was to me and how on fire I was for spreading the gospel, living for Jesus and serving his people and his church. And then I looked at my life now. A life still full of trying to tell people the gospel, trying to live for Jesus and serving in the church, but it was flat. There was very little joy, apart from when serving in children's work, which is just joyful because of the small people! I wanted to go back to Jesus. To who he was, because, as Keller points out in his introduction, unless we get that then we don't get the Christian message.

Keller also stated that it is a sign that we probably haven't got it fully if we are sure that we have. It's one of those amazing, wonderful things that we shouldn't be able to get our head around properly. It's too great for us to really be able to! So I was looking for a book, apart from the Bible, which would get me back to basics. A book that would help me see Jesus and his message, and once I saw that help me to keep going in faith and with joy in Him.

What it's taught me:

I know I put too much store into books. I'm a book person. However, even though it's a failing, I'm glad I realise this about myself because it means that I also know that a book can not change my life. But Jesus can, and the book has given me good things to think about and pray about. It has taught me that I'm uncomfortably close to being one of the characters in the parable Keller explains to us. I have been greatly challenged on the way I go about my Christian life, about serving, and about my relationship to God. I have also been shown what a serious, dangerous and spiritually desperate state this was to be in.

In all honesty I was quite sad by what the book taught me in the first 6 chapters. This is because God was challenging me through this book that I must change. It's never that much fun to be challenged in that way. But I see that God wants me to change into the person that He would have me be and to draw closer to Him, which is amazing. God is inviting me to do this and telling me that I can draw nearer to Him! The God of the whole universe is saying to me 'Come in', just as the father in the parable does. I think I've only just got how incredible that is while writing this review. 

In the 7th chapter Keller turns to the practical, describing the four ways our life can be changed by our salvation. He offers what I believe is very godly advice into how we can change. I don't want to give it away - I want you to read the book -  but the gist is that we need to think about Jesus. Not that surprising, is it?

Favourite quotes:

"Jesus's purpose is not to warm our hearts but to shatter our categories"

And

 "We can only change permanently as we take the gospel more deeply into our understanding and into our hearts"

These seem simple, but show a good outline of the book. The first is found in chapter 1, and the second in chapter 7 which is the final chapter. Keller starts by helping us to see how Jesus shatters our categories. At the end, after having had our categories shattered, he shows us what Jesus wants us to know and offers help for how to go about doing it.

Who is this book for?

It seems this book has taught me a lot. I would encourage everyone to read it, especially if, like me, you have ever felt like your spiritual life was a little flat or lifeless.  This would also be a good book to give someone who has had an interest in Christianity for a while but has not yet made the commitment to trust in Jesus for their salvation. The book is not without Christian jargon, so it is probably not a book to give as an introduction to Christianity. 

When you read this book pray to have your categories shattered, and prepare to be challenged.

Final thoughts:

I have really enjoyed reading this book and writing this blog. It's taken me a while, partially because it was the first time I have written anything like this, but also because I didn't want to force myself into writing. If I had done that this review would not have been written from the heart. It would have been more utilitarian than personal, which is not what I wanted. As has become clear, this first review has helped me achieve one of the reasons I wanted to start writing. While writing this review I realised the amazing truth that God is inviting me into his house, to share in being his child, by challenging me through reading the book. So writing has really helped me to take in what I have read and apply it to my life. I just hope that this review can also achieve the other reason I wanted to write; I hope that it has been helpful to you, my friends.

What's next?

Next I am diving in at the deep end. I will be starting to read 'Heaven' by Randy Alcorn this week. If you would like to join me in reading it you can buy it from 10ofthose.com: https://www.10ofthose.com/products/2242/Heaven/

Anyone who has seen this book will know it's not the shortest. It is split into three parts though so I will review each part as I finish it so there hopefully won't be too long in between each post. 

Introduction

For those that don't know me I am first and foremost a Christian, saved by the grace of God and the death and resurrection of Christ. I am also a wife; I have been married for just over a year to my wonderful husband and I couldn't have asked for a better man to be married to. Other than those two things I'm not sure what else defines me. I sing, I read, I enjoy children's films, I bake (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) and I look forward to being a housewife one day, but I don't always like doing things if I can't see the point of doing it.

So why am I blogging?

I should say that I intend this blog primarily to be a forum for Christian book reviews. There are many reviews available; just look on The Good Book Company and Amazon to name but two places. However, there are a few reasons why I feel like I should like to write them. 

1. I humbly hope and pray that my reviews could be of some help to others
2. It will help me to take in the books I read, being mindful of it all, and not just skimming over sentences without realising

The first of these two points is my main reason for wanting to write. 

I am often convicted that I need to address certain issues – these change and the list grows regularly – which are holding me back in my relationship with God. Usually something strikes me in a sermon, my own bible reading or just in conversation which makes me want to read up on the topic. I am aware that the Bible alone can tell me the truth, but I look to the wisdom of older, wiser and much more knowledgeable Christians who have written books for the benefit of others to be able to learn more.

I am a Christian who hasn’t done any official theology training/courses and I am writing for just those people. I am hoping these reviews can be the equivalent of a recommendation from a friend of what book to read when you are struggling with a particular issue or just looking for a good read.

The second of the two points, while not my main reason for writing, is still incredibly important.

Often after reading a book I will remember a few points from it. This is a good thing as it means I have taken something in and usually what will help me at that particular time to grow closer to God and to learn to live more like Jesus. However, I’m not really content with the amount I am able to remember from these books. I feel like I would have to re-read them constantly to be able to remember and apply all the helpful wisdom they offer. Therefore I figure that if I am reading them with the mindset that I would like to be able to write about them afterwards I will take a lot more in. That mindset certainly helped during my time as a history student.

The first book I will review will be The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. If you want to join me in my read and have a discussion once I have written my review then that would be most welcome.

Here is a link to the Good Book Company who stock this book: http://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/the-prodigal-god-paperback 

It can also be found in paperback and for Kindle on Amazon.co.uk, but where possible I feel it is good to support Christian companies.

I hope that these reviews will be helpful to someone. If not I know they will be helpful to me and I feel that God has called me to do something along these lines. I am praying that I will keep it up and that it will all be for God’s glory.