Searching for a Robust Theology of Heaven

Okay, I may as well say it.

Heaven doesn’t sound like such a great place to be.

I suppose I need to clarify this a bit.

Heaven as it is popularly imagined in Folk Christianity sounds pretty awful.

This would be more forgivable if the Folk Christian views had a strong challenge in more rigorous Christian Theology. This, however, is commonly not the case. If one looks at Faith statements of Evangelical churches and organizations, often they are pretty specific as to what Hell is like (even though their statements are quite speculative). Statements about Heaven from these organizations are far less speculative, but only because they are much more vague.

This matters to me for a couple of reasons. First, as an Evangelical Christian, who believes in the eternal state of the faithful, I have a vested interest in that conditions of that future state. Second, again as an Evangelical Christian, when I quote John 3:16 in church a call unbelievers to conversion, and give comfort to believers, it is my hope that people will have a similar understanding of what “eternal” or “everlasting life actually is.

Frankly, if I embraced the popular images of Heaven, I am pretty comfortable in saying I want no part of it. I don’t have a particularly strong fear of death. If the religions of the world were wrong and the result of death is unconscious nothing… I am pretty sure I would be okay with that. More correctly, I am okay with that possibility at this time… in death I would not be able to reflect on that state. If, however, not dying involves a state of boredom or misery, that is most decidedly not a better option.

Before I go on, I probably should give a bit of a self-disclosure here. I am not a party person. When I was a teenager I was one who would bring a book with me to a party so I had something to do to endure the frivolities. While I know better not to do that now, I can still relate in many ways to my teenage self. Therefore, if some of the points I make don’t make sense to you, understand that perhaps we don’t share a common perspective as to what is “totally awesome.” Still, if my view of Heaven sounds completely awful to you, and your view of heaven sounds completely awful to me, most likely both of us are wrong. If Heaven is for ALL the saints in Christ, then it should be “heavenly” for ALL the saints in Christ. Additionally, Paul (in I Corinthians 2:9) pretty much makes it clear that our perspectives will be incomplete, if not completely wrong

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Therefore, in Part 2 of this post chain, I will consider some popular imaginings of Heaven and consider whether these a sound theologically reflective view, and what such a view may say about us. Part 3 will explore some tentative views of what it may actually be like.

If you are looking for the thoughts of a great theologian or Biblical scholar, you need to look elsewhere. But the reflection here is good for me… and if you find value in it— all the better.