Books
Review

Picturing Paradise: A Review of ‘Heaven in the American Imagination’

How conditions on earth shape our views of the afterlife.

In Heaven in the American Imagination (Oxford University Press), Gary Scott Smith surveys the vast landscape of religion in the United States, showing how changing historical circumstances have influenced ideas and portraits of heaven. From traditional Christian theology and sermons on hell’s eternal torments, to popular culture, near-death experiences, and New Age perspectives, Smith highlights important currents of reflection on the afterlife. His research, which draws upon sources ranging from art and literature to music and cinema, should appeal to a variety of readers. And while his overviews simplify complex matters of theology, the end result is nonetheless valuable, scholarly, and deeply informed.

Heaven in the American Imagination

Heaven in the American Imagination

Oxford University Press

360 pages

$63.00

Smith focuses primarily on Protestant and evangelical conceptions of heaven. Beginning with a detailed study of Puritan beliefs, he analyzes the impact of Jonathan Edwards, George White-field, and the Great Awakenings. Early evangelicals associated heaven with splendorous beauty, the grandeur of God, and the astounding eternal love the saints would share with their Lord. Nineteenth-century slaves, on the other hand, anticipated heavenly rewards of freedom, justice, and compensation for suffering. Before the Civil War, descriptions of heaven stressed themes of domesticity, family reunion, and leisure. Later, during the Gilded Age, heavenly visions tended toward pictures of ongoing personal growth, work, and service.

Unitarians, deists, freethinkers, Mormons, and Social Gospelers offered their own very different portrayals of heaven. More recently, in an era marked by greater religious plurality, thinking on heaven has evolved significantly, as Smith amply demonstrates in a chapter revealingly titled, “Heaven in a Postmodern, Anxiety-ridden, Entertainment-oriented, Therapeutic, Happiness-based Culture.” Yet Smith explains that the New Atheist movement has neither weakened confidence in heaven’s existence nor altered the substance of believers’ expectations.

Smith insists that American visions of heaven have always accentuated and reflected the dominant societal trends of the age, as well as the hopes and expectations people have about ultimate human fulfillment. Still, despite such variations, he concludes that Christians have remained remarkably consistent in maintaining that heaven will be more beautiful, enjoyable, and spectacular than anyone can imagine.

As for who can enter heaven, and how, passionate debates persist between different branches of Christendom. While Catholics and Protestants both affirm the need for grace, they continue to disagree about the existence of purgatory and the relationship between faith and good works. Within the Protestant fold, Calvinists and Arminians debate the nature of salvation, wrestling over the interplay between God’s sovereignty and human free will.

Smith contends, however, that last century’s dominant theological controversy pitted traditional, conservative views of heaven against liberal challenges. Is heaven an otherworldly paradise into whose comforts one gains admission through faith in Jesus Christ? Or is heaven a matter of achieving justice here and now, of “bringing heaven to earth” through political and social reforms?

Advocates of feminist, Latin American, and black liberation theologies have more or less adopted the latter perspective. But Smith, in closing, offers a partial defense of the older view. Even if concentrating on heaven sometimes leads to apathy, many of those who keep the afterlife firmly in sight not only strive after personal holiness, but also work diligently to better our world.

Bill Walker is a doctoral student in philosophy of religion and theology at Claremont Graduate University.

Copyright © 2011 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Previous Christianity Today articles on heaven include:

Heaven, Hell, and Rob Bell: Putting the Pastor in Context | He’s not the first to try to resolve old biblical tensions in new ways. (March 2, 2011)

Dwelling in Heaven’s Suburbs | Creating a culture of resurrection is key to full-orbed ministry. (September 28, 2010)

How the Early Church Saw Heaven | The first Christians had very specific ideas about who they would meet in the afterlife. (August 8, 2008)

Heaven is not our Home | The bodily resurrection is the good news of the gospel—and thus our social and political mandate. (March 24, 2008)

The Hope of Heaven | Have Christians forfeited their rightful anticipation of eternity? (June 1, 2003)

CT has more music, movies, books, and other media reviews.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

Refocusing on the Family

My Top 5 Books On Heaven

Jesus: Democratic King

Joy in the Midst of Terror

Back to the Garden

City Parish: An Australian Builds NYC Networks

The Power and the Glamour

The Paul We Think We Know

News

Youth Movement: Finns Seek Renewal

Dying Decisions: Should Relatives Intervene?

A Second-Coming Christian

Harry Potter Is Here to Stay

News

A Liberating Woman: A Reflection on the Founder of Christians for Biblical Equality

Review

Common Grace and Amazing Grace: A Review of David Brooks's 'The Social Animal'

Books to Note

India's Grassroots Revival

News

Syria's Christians Back Assad

Readers Write

Excerpt

God Behaving Badly

Q & A: Bishop Kallistos Ware on the Fullness and the Center

News

Go Figure

News

Ministerial Murkiness: Biggest Religion Case in 20 Years?

A Change of Focus

Family Talk, Family Business

News

Christian President Retains Office, Pastor Kidnapped in Mexico, & Other News

News

Passages

News

Quotation Marks

YouVersion's Volunteer Army

News

Should Marital Infidelity Disqualify a Candidate from Office?

News

Multi-Site Churches Go Interstate

News

Renewal Groups Strategize after the PC(USA) Drops Celibacy Clause for Gay Clergy

Editorial

Harold Camping Is (Sort of) Right

View issue

Our Latest

Latino Churchesโ€™ Vibrant Testimony

Hispanic American congregations tend to be young, vibrant, and intergenerational. The wider church has much to learn with and from them.

Review

Modern โ€˜Technocultureโ€™ Makes the World Feel Unnaturally Godless

By changing our experience of reality, it tempts those who donโ€™t perceive God to conclude that he doesnโ€™t exist.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

News

Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death

Canadian pastors are lagging behind a national push to expand MAID to those with disabilities and mental health conditions.

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

What Would Lecrae Do?

Why Kendrick Lamarโ€™s question matters.

No More Sundays on the Couch

COVID got us used to staying home. But itโ€™s the work of Godโ€™s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive Godโ€™s Wordโ€”together.

Review

Safety Shouldnโ€™t Come First

A theologian questions our habit of elevating this goal above all others.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube