Description
What happens to us when we die? Will heaven be a place of fluffy clouds, angels and cherubs playing harps? Is the Christian faith just about securing a place in heaven when we die? In What on Earth is Heaven? James Paul explores the radical truth of what the Bible says about heaven and the afterlife, and its relevance for your life here and now on earth. Unpacking the biblical story of the separation and reunion of heaven and earth, he shows that heaven isn't a place somewhere 'out there' but a dimension of reality - the dimension where God's will is done. The Good News isn't that we get to escape to heaven, but that God invites us to be a part of his plan to bring the kingdom of heaven to our square inch of the earth. Insightful and accessible, What on Earth is Heaven? is a book for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of the Bible's teaching on heaven, or anyone who has wondered about the true meaning of finding heaven on earth. Life-affirming and uplifting, this book will fire your imagination as to how you can be a part of bringing heaven to the world around you.
In this down-to-earth book James Paul asks the question What on Earth is Heaven? Exploring whether belief in heaven is just pie in the sky, he reveals the radical difference heaven makes for our lives on earth now.
About the Author
Dr James Paul is director of the English branch of L'Abri Fellowship and before that he practised as a doctor in London, specialising in hospice care for the terminally ill. Many of the questions raised in What on Earth Is Heaven? are ones that people have asked him in these settings. He has been a speaker at Word Alive and European Leadership Forum, and regularly addresses university Christian Unions and the Christian Medical Fellowship students' conference, as well as speaking at L'Abri conferences globally.
Reviews
This is exactly what I want in a book of theology: a humble teacher, a good writer who reads (bonus points for frequent references to Lewis and Tolkien!), and a winsome love of Scripture. When I was a kid and became a Christian, I believed that I was saved, but I didn't know what I was saved for. Jim's book, like a companion to N. T. Wright's Surprised by Hope, is a rousing reminder of how good the Good News is. -- Andrew Peterson * singer/songwriter, author and founder of The Rabbit Room *
Profound, wise, insightful, inspiring. Jim (or James) Paul gives us a fresh and readable take on the great story-line of the Bible. Read this book and discover how we can start to experience the reality of heaven in the here and now. A fresh restatement of the deeply influential and compelling vision of L'Abri. -- Professor John Wyatt * neonatal paediatrician and author of 'Matters of Life and Death' *
On the face of it, Jim Paul might have been expected to share the view common to so many western contemporaries: the material world is the totality of existence, death is a brutal end, the afterlife is a deluded pipe-dream. As a trained medical doctor, he was fully immersed in modern scientific methods and ended up as an palliative care specialist in a hospice. But this would reveal both a lack of knowledge of Jim and, more significantly, a lack of deep engagement with the wonder of Christ. This book is a rich treasure, probing hope for our future that is grounded on the great truths of what God has already done. But most importantly of all, far from being an escape into fantasy, this exploration of the wonders of heaven is truly a journey into reality. -- Mark Meynell * Director (Europe & Caribbean), Langham Preaching, Langham Partnership *
Jim Paul is a has provided us a great service in What On Earth is Heaven. The idea of heaven as a fluffy place in the sky or home for the morally good has been so engrained in popular culture it can be hard to picture exactly what heaven is like. Paul cuts through the myths and offers a clear, biblical view of heaven as a dimension of reality - where God's will is done. Somewhere we can imagine for the future yet experience in the here and now. Paul is a steady hand and winsome guide. A must for all who long for the new creation and long to see it leak into our everyday lives. -- Alastair Gordon * artist and director Morphe- Arts *
Book Information
ISBN 9781789742213
Author James Paul
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint Inter-Varsity Press
Publisher Inter-Varsity Press
Weight(grams) 272g
In this down-to-earth book James Paul asks the question What on Earth is Heaven? Exploring whether belief in heaven is just pie in the sky, he reveals the radical difference heaven makes for our lives on earth now.
About the Author
Dr James Paul is director of the English branch of L'Abri Fellowship and before that he practised as a doctor in London, specialising in hospice care for the terminally ill. Many of the questions raised in What on Earth Is Heaven? are ones that people have asked him in these settings. He has been a speaker at Word Alive and European Leadership Forum, and regularly addresses university Christian Unions and the Christian Medical Fellowship students' conference, as well as speaking at L'Abri conferences globally.
Reviews
This is exactly what I want in a book of theology: a humble teacher, a good writer who reads (bonus points for frequent references to Lewis and Tolkien!), and a winsome love of Scripture. When I was a kid and became a Christian, I believed that I was saved, but I didn't know what I was saved for. Jim's book, like a companion to N. T. Wright's Surprised by Hope, is a rousing reminder of how good the Good News is. -- Andrew Peterson * singer/songwriter, author and founder of The Rabbit Room *
Profound, wise, insightful, inspiring. Jim (or James) Paul gives us a fresh and readable take on the great story-line of the Bible. Read this book and discover how we can start to experience the reality of heaven in the here and now. A fresh restatement of the deeply influential and compelling vision of L'Abri. -- Professor John Wyatt * neonatal paediatrician and author of 'Matters of Life and Death' *
On the face of it, Jim Paul might have been expected to share the view common to so many western contemporaries: the material world is the totality of existence, death is a brutal end, the afterlife is a deluded pipe-dream. As a trained medical doctor, he was fully immersed in modern scientific methods and ended up as an palliative care specialist in a hospice. But this would reveal both a lack of knowledge of Jim and, more significantly, a lack of deep engagement with the wonder of Christ. This book is a rich treasure, probing hope for our future that is grounded on the great truths of what God has already done. But most importantly of all, far from being an escape into fantasy, this exploration of the wonders of heaven is truly a journey into reality. -- Mark Meynell * Director (Europe & Caribbean), Langham Preaching, Langham Partnership *
Jim Paul is a has provided us a great service in What On Earth is Heaven. The idea of heaven as a fluffy place in the sky or home for the morally good has been so engrained in popular culture it can be hard to picture exactly what heaven is like. Paul cuts through the myths and offers a clear, biblical view of heaven as a dimension of reality - where God's will is done. Somewhere we can imagine for the future yet experience in the here and now. Paul is a steady hand and winsome guide. A must for all who long for the new creation and long to see it leak into our everyday lives. -- Alastair Gordon * artist and director Morphe- Arts *
Book Information
ISBN 9781789742213
Author James Paul
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint Inter-Varsity Press
Publisher Inter-Varsity Press
Weight(grams) 272g
