Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God [Paperback]

Michael E. Wittmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2004

I don't want to go to heaven. Not that I'm lobbying for the other place . . . ---Michael Wittmer This planet is more than just a stopover on your way to heaven. It is your final destination. God wants you to enjoy your earthly existence, and to think otherwise is to miss the life he intends for you. Exploring the book of Genesis, Heaven Is a Place on Earth gently but firmly strips away common misconceptions of Christianity and broadens your worldview to reveal the tremendous dignity and value of everyday life. Taking you from creation, to the fall, to redemption, and to glimpses from the book of Revelation, Michael Wittmer opens your eyes to a faith that encompasses all of life---baseball games, stock reports, church activities, prayer, lovemaking, work, hobbies . . . everything that lies within the sphere of human activity. To be fully Christian is to be fully human, says Wittmer, alive and responsive to the kingdom of God in all that you are and all that you do. Discover the freedom and impact God created you for. It starts with a truly Christian worldview. And its fruit is the undiluted gospel, powerful not only to save souls, but to restore them to a life that is truly worth living. Includes discussion/reflection questions after each chapter.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

I don’t want to go to heaven. Not that I’m lobbying for the other place . . . —Michael Wittmer

This planet is more than just a stopover on your way to heaven. It is your final destination. God wants you to enjoy your earthly existence, and to think otherwise is to miss the life he intends for you.

Exploring the book of Genesis, Heaven Is a Place on Earth gently but firmly strips away common misconceptions of Christianity and broadens your worldview to reveal the tremendous dignity and value of everyday life. Taking you from creation, to the fall, to redemption, and to glimpses from the book of Revelation, Michael Wittmer opens your eyes to a faith that encompasses all of life—baseball games, stock reports, church activities, prayer, lovemaking, work, hobbies . . . everything that lies within the sphere of human activity. To be fully Christian is to be fully human, says Wittmer, alive and responsive to the kingdom of God in all that you are and all that you do.

Discover the freedom and impact God created you for. It starts with a truly Christian worldview. And its fruit is the undiluted gospel, powerful not only to save souls, but to restore them to a life that is truly worth living.

Includes discussion/reflection questions after each chapter.

About the Author

Michael Wittmer is professor of systematic and historical theology Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and author of Heaven Is a Place on Earth. SPANISH BIO: Michael E. Wittmer, doctorado en Filosofia por el Seminario Teologico Calvino, es profesor de teologia sistematica e historica y director del departamento de teologia en el Seminario Teologico de Grand Rapids, donde ha ensenado desde 1996.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (April 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310253071
• ISBN-13: 978-0310253075
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatly Needed Book, May 11, 2004

By 

Jeffrey A. Swanson (Shelby, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God (Paperback)

Dr. Wittmer's book was a wonderful read. Not only was he witty (I found myself chuckling and reading out loud to my wife), but he delves into some deep philosophical and theological waters without confusing the reader. Dr. Wittmer understands these complex issues so well he is able to bring these down to a very understandable level for the average person. I have taught Worldview classes to both college and high school students and have struggled to find a text that introduces these complex topics in a creative and clear way. In Heaven is a Place on Earth, I have now found the best text I have seen for introducing people to the relevant topics of Christian Worldview.
Dr. Wittmer discusses why humans exist, where we are going to end up, and how we get there following the Creation, Fall, Redemption model of Scripture. He steers the reader away from the current gnostic cult in our contemporary culture which implies that anything physical is bad (and so we must baptize articles with Christian symbols) and that a Christian's goal is to leave this earth (see Revelation 21). Instead, he remains faithful to the biblical texts and demonstrates how God truly is Immanuel (God with us).
All in all, I believe this book is a necessity for anyone wanting to form a balanced and informed Christian Worldview.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sane Corrective for Christians Living in the World, May 3, 2004

By 

Erin Bartels (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God (Paperback)

Dr. Wittmer does modern Christians a great service in Heaven is a Place on Earth. Too long our view of how we should engage in the world has been skewed by non-biblical concepts and paradigms. His balanced approach to living in the world (and enjoying it!) is a welcome relief from years of confusion caused by well-meaning but misguided pastors and authors. His wit and voice make this book a joy to read and the notes, discussion questions, and case studies in the back make it a perfect text for small groups, Sunday school, and personal enrichment.

Many thanks to Dr. Wittmer who encourages all of us to enjoy life, creation, and other people in the way that God intends for them to be enjoyed. (I always suspected that God might want us to be happy.) A liberating and positive text that deserved heavier cover stock from the publisher. Highly recommended!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a theology of creation, March 7, 2009

By 

Brian Fulthorp - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God (Paperback)

Michael Wittmer's book on Heaven is a book about the meaning in life as opposed to the meaning of life. Well, it ends up combining the two but starts out developing the first and then integrates the second.

Wittmer seeks to help shape a proper Christian worldview about the world on which we live, otherwise known as Earth. Whereas the significant majority of Christian books discuss the meaning of life, Wittmer seeks to take it beyond all that and talk about what it means to be human and why we live on Earth. Those Christian books that discuss the meaning of life all address key aspects of the Christian life such as reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, sharing your faith with others and going to church (to name a few). These are all good things and are important but it seems it may be that God intends more for us in this life than just the practice of the spiritual disciplines. He writes in he preface:

"Instead, I want to examine what these "meaning of life" books typically overlook. They are right to tell us that we were created for worship, ministry evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship, but they are wrong to stop there. Look at that list again. While it more or less covers our responsibilities as Christians, it says little about what it means to be human. Does our purpose for life consist entirely in these spiritual activities, or is there also some value in showing up for work, waxing our car, playing with our children, or taking a trip to the beach - just a few of the many things we do, not because we are Christian, but primairly because we are human?

It is these distinctly human activities that this book seeks to address. Rather than encourage you to stretch forward to further pietistic pursuits (an important topic that has its place), I am more concerned here to renew our appreciation for the ordinary things we are already doing. In the process we will inevitably touch upon the meaning of life - that is, the purpose for our existence - but all the while our focus will be on the meaning in life - that is, the value within the normal, everyday activities that mark our human experience" (pg 12).

So, the two main goals Wittmer has in writing this book are to help the reader realize:

It is okay to enjoy life here on Earth and love God too.
Everything you do in life (work, family, church, etc) matters to God and should honor God.

For me personally, I need this. I need to realize it is okay to enjoy life (especially given I have a melacholy personality) and that it is just as important to take care of things and take care of the Earth God put us on as it is to pursue pietitistic activities - both are equally important. Why? Because Earth is our home.

The all too common Christian view is that the Earth is a evil and fallen place and nothing about it really matters since after all, it's all gonna burn, right? All we need to do is ask Jesus into our hearts, evangelize as many people as we can, and wait for the great escape (aka: the ratpure). How wrong this view is, and how much it must hurt the heart of God that his own creation calls evil what he called good (cf. Gen 1). This reeks of Gnosticism and Witter gets into that bit. Gnosticism never really died - it's still quite ingrained in some Christian groups.

To help us understand all this, Wittmer shows us the flow of the biblical story from the view point of creation - fall - redemption. Wittmer argues that for us to truely understand the depths of the fall, the necessity of redemption, and the end goal of redemption, we must first have a solid understanding of creation. When we realize God's original intentions for creation, all of creation and not just humans, it helps us see just how far we've fallen and how desparate is our need for redemption. So he starts with Genesis 1 and works his way through the Scriptures to the Revelation.

So, the flow of the book is he starts out explaining what a worldview is and why its imporant. He then explains who we are in the larger picture of creation and God's plan. We are made in the image of God. Moving on he talks about why we are here: to love God, serve others, enjoy the creation, and reap the benefits of our labor. Now you can't stop here and get all upset. Read the book - it works well. He talks about the effects of sin on the original creation and closes it out explaining God's ultimate plan for the world: the redemption and restoration/renewal of creation (the only humans to benefit from the renewal will be those who are "saved"). Finally, he ends the book with a section that answers objections and integrates the roles of discipleship and evangelism with the enjoyment of creation.

I faced many challenges in this book and its been weighing on my mind - I have to admit I grew up in circles that tended to despise creation and overemphsize the pietistic life. I tended to think the only truely spiritual thing to do was read the Bible and spend time in prayer when I needed to realize it could be just as spiritual to spend time with family and friends, to tend the yard and pull the weeds, go for a hike (and come home and take a nap -Wittmer talks about the Sabbath too) or even enjoy a good cup of coffee. We've so confused spirituality we've confused ourselves (well, some of us, certainly not all of us) about what it means to be human and to enjoy life. So, for me I have to realize sometimes the most spiritual thing I can do is get my nose out of a book (even the GNT or the BHS) and go play with my daughter!

So there you have - go enjoy life!