Heaven Is Not My Home

by Paul A. Marshall, Lela Gilbert

The clear azure sky was dotted with billowing clouds. Majestic mountains rose above the horizon. The sun set dramatically beyond ocean waves while dolphins danced across the water. God saw these things, and called them good. Then a snake spoke, a fruit core dropped to the ground...and we've been getting farther and farther from Eden ever since.

Today smog hugs city air. Children go to bed hungry. Work is unfulfilling, rest is elusive, play is costly. Overwhelmed, many Christians have turned their eyes heavenward, waiting for God to destroy everything and start over.

But Paul Marshall asserts that God is not seeking to destroy the earth; he plans to restore it to its original splendor. Heaven Is Not My Home shows us how the redemption of all things should shape the way we look at every aspect of our lives.

Genres: Theology

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 1999

About the author

Paul Marshall is senior fellow at the Center for Religious Freedom, Freedom House. He has lectured worldwide and is general editor of Religious Freedom in the World: A Global Report on Freedom and Persecution. He is the author and editor of 15 other books on religion and politics, including the best-selling and award-winning Their Blood Cries Out, and Islam at the Crossroads and God and the Constitution, both published in 2002. Dr. Marshall has published many scholarly and popular articles and his writings have been translated into Russian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Malay, Korean, Arabic, and Chinese. He currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[John Rabe]

Because rapture-obsessed modern Christianity is caught up in the idea of going to Heaven, it misses the manifest biblical teaching that the resurrection points to a future, redeemed life here on Earth. Because God is redeeming the creation, which will be consummated when Christ returns, earthly (which is not the same as worldly) work and activity is important and eternal.

A necessary antidote to the pervasive airy-fairy, gnostic picture of the eternal state.

[Jeremy Manuel]

I remember getting and reading this book either in college or seminary and enjoying it quite a bit. I was hoping that when I sat down with it again that it would be an enjoyable read because not all of the books I remember being good are still ones I enjoy. I am happy to say that I still enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Paul Marshall is basically looking at how so much of the Christian church has been focused on heaven, and particularly the idea that the goal of the Christian life is to leave our physical life and go to heaven in some perfect spiritual existence. Instead Marshall reminds us that we were created for the Earth that God made in creation. While this setup is marred by sin and evil it doesn't mean that the Earth is no longer where we were meant to be. Instead of looking forward to a detached "spiritual" Heaven, the Bible instead points toward a renewal of Heaven and Earth. If this is true it will change how we view of Christian faith and live it out.

I really enjoy the way that Marshall goes about this, it is all so very grounded. He doesn't ignore the reality of sin and evil, but still says that we were created for things like work, play, learning, rest, for being involved in politics and art and technology. I just liked how he was able to see both the positives and negatives of these things and how we as Christians are able to be involved with these aspects of life.

While admittedly, there were a few chapters that I didn't agree or didn't like how he put things, these chapters were in the minority. I also see that some people claim this is too shallow of a treatment, but I disagree. I think he gives you a lot to think about, but as he says near the end of the book he's not interested in giving his readers a list of rules on how to do these things. Instead he is trying to shift our general perspective of Christians and allow us to live our lives in this world for Jesus.

To me this book is a very needed message and was done in a very accessible way. I'm glad that my memory was correct and that this was an enjoyable read. It's certainly one I'd recommend for any Christian to present a different way of thinking about our faith and what the goal of our faith is.

[Daniel]

What a treasure! I have no idea who the author is; I was intrigued by the title and the plug from JI Packer on the back.

I am only on chapter 5, but so far, this book is a concentration of the teaching of Scripture that Christ is the Creator, Redeemer, and Head of all things in heaven and earth, and it's implications for His servants to take dominion of all lawful areas of life for our good and his glory. Of note: Matt 28:19, Col 1:15-20, Romans 14, the whole moral Law in all its particulars.....

(Contra the unfortunately all-to-common "the nations-are-headed-for-the-scrap-heap-of-history" idea.)

Hope it continues and finishes strong.

Finished as it started: Fantastic!

[Wesley Strebeck]

great intro that helps flesh out a kind of neocalvinistic worldview. great read for folks trying to see what some of those implications might be.

[Jacob]

This is a book about being human in this world, specifically what it means for a Christian to live in this world as a creature of God in light of what Christ has done and ultimately what he will do. The underlying premise behind this work is the theological notion that “grace restores nature.” In other words, the creation has fallen into ruin because of human sin, but God did not just wipe it all out and start over. Instead, he redeemed it through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This event marks the beginning of a new humanity, a new creation, one in which the true nature of humanity is restored or finally revealed in its fullness. While the consummation of this new creation awaits the end of history and the return of Christ, the restoration has already begun in history. Those who have placed their trust in Jesus and have received the Holy Spirit are already beginning to be renewed according to the pattern of this new humanity. Even in the midst of this fallen world, Christians are called to live in light of the resurrection, to live as redeemed humans in a creation that is still very much love by its Creator. This is the message that Paul Marshall seeks to expound and apply.
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Read my full review...

[John Henry]

To be on mission in this world, we must have a full love of the world. If you sing, "turn your eyes upon Jesus"...and... "the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace," are you turning your away from the creation God loves? We were created to be on this planet. Marshall shows how to love God and love our neighbor in this world, something we need to do in order to be on mission in the world.

[Jason Haynes]

A solid survey of how God's grand redemptive story influences how we live in the here and now. A great introduction that will lead the reader to further explore the cultural mandate and the eschatological implications of the holistic Gospel.

[Annie]

Recommended by Nancy Pearcey

[Mike Jorgensen]

Love the title and the concept but it didn't go as deep as I'd like it to. It kind of pecks around the surface of a very big issue and as a result is only ok.

[Nolan Croce]

Not sure if I agree with all of Marshall's philosophy but it is a very eye opening discussion.

[L W]

An important book for me that fundamentally changed how I understood salvation and eternal life - that it’s not about the ever-after, but instead began now. I return to this book regularly.