Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things

Heaven: Why It Matters Here and Now

Have we forgotten heaven?

Bestselling author and pastor Brian Zahnd invites us to remember heaven, to experience and embrace the divine mystery of the spiritual realm in this lifetime. This slow and steady progression of a deeper Christian faith that draws us nearer to God--a "pilgrimage of the soul"--fosters in us a love for both the heavenly and the earthly.

For too long, the conversation about heaven has been caught between two extremes. On one hand, there is the shallow "escapist" theology that reduces salvation to a reservation for the afterlife, unconcerned with God's good earth or issues of justice in the world.

On the other hand, many of us have overcorrected, hyperfocusing on the here and now and losing sight of the spiritual reality beyond--a fatal mistake if our Christianity is to have a compelling message in the twenty-first century. Our faith must once again speak confidently and humbly about the reality of the spiritual world--the reality of unseen existences.

In Unseen Existences, you'll find

• a fresh way of looking at heaven that pushes back against extremes,
• a vision for life as a pilgrimage to our true home in heaven and union with God, and
• encouragement to persevere through the injustices of this world with hope.

Unseen Existences will help you renew your faith, expand your perspective, and re-embrace the divine mystery of heaven. Though life can be uncertain and unjust, our pilgrimage is preparing us for the world to come, where we will see Christ face-to-face. With the company of our Helper, Advocate, and Comforter, we press on, trusting he will lead us home.

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for his theologically informed preaching and his embrace of the deep and long history of the church, Zahnd is a frequent speaker at conferences, universities, and seminaries around the world. As a pastor-theologian, he is the author of numerous titles, including The Wood Between the Worlds, When Everything's on Fire, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, A Farewell to Mars, and Beauty Will Save the World.