Andy Anderson on the "Overcomers"

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

I meet with a very good non denominational group in NYC after leaving the LRC. My kids went to catechism class where they were taught that when Christians die they go to heaven, among other things. I asked the woman running the classes to show me the verse reference for this. When she saw that no verse actually says that she became very "brittle" in her attitude. Does this make her a "false teacher" or merely misinformed?

The answer to that last question is neither.

Long time lurker here. I couldn't resist writing about this, one of my many pet peeves about the LC.

Yes, Christians can over-emphasize "going to heaven," but the LC went way overboard in rejecting heaven. Before I left, I remember RK boasting that an upcoming issue of Affirmation and Critique was going to expose "the leaven of heaven!" When he made that announcement, there were shouts of zealous joy (this was during an Anaheim training). It was the usual "we're so much better than those shallow Christians in poor blind Christianity."

Well, Jesus said to pray, "Our Father, who art in heaven..." When Stephen was martyred, he saw the Son of Man standing in heaven. There are way too many examples to list here. So heaven is a real place (not just a "realm" but an actual place). The Bible says so. God the Father dwells there. Jesus the Son dwells there. The Holy Spirit was poured out from there. Why mock heaven and use it to condemn other Christians?

And in the end, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we (believers) will all dwell in the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. Regardless of whether you consider the end of Revelation to be a physical or metaphorical description, it's a real place. What's wrong with calling it "heaven"? Maybe Christians should be more specific, it's a heavenly city, but so what? Is it wrong to say that after they die, they'll be with Jesus in heaven, and they'll see their loved ones again in heaven?

I guess I'm just reacting to Z's post, because for so long the topic of heaven was used by the LC to look down on other Christians. The same way they actually belittled the death of Christ as "merely" judicial redemption, but not as "deep" as organic salvation. (Mocking Christians for focusing on the death of Christ???)

Yes, being a Christian is much more than "going to heaven when you die." But being with God and with Christ in the heavenly city for eternity is kind of a big deal.