“Death is a conjunction followed by a destination,” according to Tony Evans, chaplain of the Dallas Mavericks and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. In his short work, Eternity: Understanding Life After Death, Evans discusses the failings of the human concept of time, scriptural evidence of what eternity will look like, as well as what we will do to pass the never-ending time.
This short publication, more like a single sermon in print form, is organized by points Evans argues as definitive, such as that “heaven is a particular place,” not, in fact, some ethereal, cloud-dotted patch of sky and that “[it] is a place of perfect knowledge” in which all inhabitants will be akin to Bradley Cooper’s character in Limitless, hindered by neither mental laziness or lack of ability to understand any concept. He also describes, based on biblical evidence, different organizations and sects within the new Jerusalem and the manner of fulfilling work that all will be doing, in contrast with the widely-presented vision of heaven as a place of leisure, absent work or goals.
Evans’ book is simple and clear and could prove a good tool for youth pastors to refer teens to. I, however, found it unoriginal and limited in both its scope and intended audience. Evans others non-Christians throughout and addresses men directly, even referring colloquially to women as “girl(s)” in one anecdote. His ultimate goal for Eternity: Understanding Life After Death is to help readers bring others to Christ but his technique is a bit too old school fire and brimstone for my tastes.
*- I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
bookworm_shawn 