How Far Is Heaven?
Rediscovering the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now
- Christian Living
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2013
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Publisher's Description
In How Far is Heaven? Ronnie McBrayer explores the "kingdom parables of Jesus" and finds in them an urgent challenge for Christians to reassess the gospel they believe and the role their professed faith plays in the world today. He argues that the gospel cannot be reduced to apocalyptical escapism, whereby the true believers will one day be rescued from the sufferings of planet Earth; nor can faith be used as a type of benefits program, providing the individual with the privileged comfort of membership. Instead, the gospel audaciously enters the sufferings of this present world with transforming love, as Jesus can never be locked away "in our hearts." He, his message, and his followers break defiantly free to renew and reshape not only tomorrow, but also the here and now. Thus, the gospel according to Jesus is not just about a harp-playing, cloud-riding, pie-in-the-sky heaven. It is holistic, all-encompassing, redeeming deliverance for people today, not tomorrow. And the follower of Jesus is called to live out the active, participating presence of Christ in the world of now--right here where we live, work, love, and serve--because heaven is far closer than we think.
Endorsements (5)
“Ronnie McBrayer uses parables--ancient and new--to reveal the 'thin places' in our world, the places where the partition between heaven and earth is translucent, where the kingdom of God bleeds into this world. . . . To read this book is to be re-commissioned in that great enterprise of being sent into the world, to bear the image of God, and to announce to everyone that his reign is peaceable, just, and beautiful. And near!”
“McBrayer challenges us to implement Jesus' words every day. Waiting until one dies for some heavenly ever-after makes a selfish mockery of Christianity.”
“Ronnie McBrayer writes with wisdom, passion, and humor. He punctuates his theological insights with lively stories, bringing into contemporary focus the parables and the biblical good news. This book is a compelling invitation to readers to discern the heart of their belief--and to act boldly on their convictions.”
“Ronnie McBrayer challenges us to earnestly and actually do what Jesus did so God's kingdom can come and his will can be done on earth as it is in heaven. Reading this book makes one realize that heaven dwells close to home--really close.”
“Having seen God's new reality in Christ, we are called to be part of his new creation and to be light to the world. Ronnie McBrayer makes this insight come alive in the here and now with How Far Is Heaven? What a delightful and inspiring read. I encourage you to let your soul soar--as mine did--with the practical, life-changing insights Ronnie offers in this book.”
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