Bringing Heaven Down to Earth

August 9 , 2006 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Popular pictures of heaven often invoke images such as angels, halos and harps.
 And while such scenarios may be serene, Calvin College author Nathan Bierma
says they miss the mark.

"They may be beautiful," he says, "but they are too vague and exotic to give us
a meaningful idea of what eternal life will really be like."

Bierma explores that idea, and more, in his new book Bringing Heaven Down to
Earth: Connecting This Life to the Next (P&R Publishing).

Surveys show, says Bierma, that the majority of North Americans believe there
is a heaven. But few people, Bierma says, have a clear idea of what heaven will
be like, and few live with hope for heaven in their daily lives.

"Heaven is an odd element of the Christian faith," Bierma writes. "We profess
it to be eternally important and then live as though it doesn't exist. We are
runners who fear the finish line."

Bierma graduated from Calvin in 2002 and is now communications coordinator for
the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

He believes that a closer look at prophecy in the Bible provides some key
pieces of the puzzle of heaven that we tend to ignore. Although heaven is
ultimately a mystery, he says, by recapturing some of these key biblical images,
Christians can live with a greater sense of purpose.

"The Bible says our eternal life will somehow resemble our current life more
than we tend to think," Bierma writes. "It will be on earth, in human bodies,
among culture, and in relationships. Our current lives, and the things that make
up our current existence, are not just temporary distractions before an eternity
of fluttering about on clouds."

He says that the idea that Christianity is mostly about saving souls from hell
is a relatively recent idea.

"In the Reformed tradition," he says, "we preach what I call a 'big gospel,'
the restoration of all things -- nature, culture and human relationships. This
broader vision for a new earth, despite all its remaining mysteries, can give
more meaning to our life on this earth."

Contact Bierma (BEER MA) at 616-526-6590 or nbierm65@calvin.edu
For the complete story, including links to JPGs, see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2005_06/heaven.htm

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Received on Wed Aug 9 12:06:33 2006