Review: The Heaven Promise by Scot McKnight

The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible's Truth About Life to Come
Author: Scot McKnight
Genre: Nonfiction/Theology
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Description:

For far too long, we’ve talked about heaven as if it were a dream or someplace that only exists in fairytales. We want to believe it’s real, but with such an expanse of contradictory information, it’s difficult to know what to believe. 

To add even more confusion, we are left to sift through the tales of individuals who have crossed over and returned. With so many competing narratives and accounts based on what many think are beyond-death experiences, wouldn’t it be nice to have a straight forward examination of what the Bible has to say about heaven?

Best-selling author and New Testament scholar Scot McKnight thought so too, which is why he wrote The Heaven Promise.

McKnight, who has penned more than 50 books, including The Jesus Creed, has had a fascination with heaven since he was a child. As a professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, McKnight is no stranger to academic engagement and scholarly discourse. However; as an ordained deacon, McKnight is well accustomed with the concerns of the everyday thinker. The Heaven Promise represents the perfect blend of thoughtful research coupled with an easily digestible presentation.

“My hope,” McKnight shares, “is that people will be hopeful about heaven.”

The Heaven Promise offers an infusion of hope alongside a healthy anticipation of eternity.

After all, heaven isn’t just a dream; it’s a promise.


Heaven. Eternity. The Afterlife. You mention any of these concepts, and people of all ages and from all walks of life are certain to have opinions. Maybe that’s why there are so many books and movies that feature heaven-and-back experiences. But how can we know if those accounts are accurate?

How can we know for sure what heaven will be like?

Well, according to New Testament scholar and popular author Scot McKnight, all we need to do is to turn to Scripture to answer our questions.

Separating fact from fiction, McKnight helps the reader examine the witness of God’s Word in order to discover what awaits us on the other side of the grave.

Using the Bible, McKnight answers the most-frequently-asked questions regarding heaven, including:

1.      What about Near-Death Experiences?
2.      What about Rewards in Heaven?
3.      Who Will Be Allowed in Heaven?
4.      Is God Fair?
5.      Will There Be Families in Heaven?
6.      What about Children Who Die?
7.      What about Cremation?
8.      What about Purgatory?
9.      Will There be Pets in Heaven?
10.  Why Believe in Heaven?

Heaven isn’t the construction of a fairytale or some mythical narrative. It’s very real; it’s very good; and it’s very much the fulfillment of God’s promise to us. 

The Heaven Promise is a must-read for everyone who questions what happens after death. There are some who have specific questions about Heaven and others who are overwhelmed by the various stories and theories out there in today's world. Throughout this book, the author uses information from the Bible to answer the many common questions about Heaven - and he does it in an easy to understand way, so that anyone can get it (if they're religious or not).

I have personally been reading different books and watching movies such as Heaven is for Real for a long time now. It seems like there's a lot of overlap on some subjects, while other questions I've pondered have had controversial viewpoints. I try to stay objective while reading each book - looking at them purely from a factual point of view. There are so many books about the afterlife that I'll probably never get to read them all - and a large portion of these books are incredibly hard to read, let alone understand. The Heaven Promise is completely different - it's easy to read and understand, and it uses the Bible itself to back up their answers. No confusion at all - simply several questions people often have regarding Heaven and the afterlife and straightforward answers to these queries with scripture to help explain why they believe these things. It's a definite must read for everyone who has questions about life after death and/or Heaven - it doesn't matter if you're religious or not. I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough! Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy - you'll see what I mean from the very first page.