"You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do." - Olin Miller

Want a quicker elevator ride? Get in and press the "close door" botton and hold it. Then press your floor number button and also hold it. Release both buttons once the elevator starts to move and you'll go directly to your floor without any stops in between. That little old lady who has been waiting on the 7th floor will wonder what just happened.

A friend asked me to share my thoughts on this week's TIME cover story, "Rethinking Heaven." I've sent him an email with my reaction to its content. Here I'd like to react to the bigger picture suggested by the appearance of an article like this in what is probably the biggest weekly news magazine in the country. What does it say that TIME chooses the topic of heaven for its cover story when they had so many other options, almost all of which were more timely (pun intended). We're entering the final stages of a Presidential campaign, North Korea is thumbing its nose at the nations of the world, including their allies, and the mess in Syria gets more complicated every day as the revolutionaries are increasingly at odds with each other.
A cover story on the Christian view of heaven?

TIME is a for-profit news publication that long ago realized a black number at the bottom of their ledger sheet requires some stories from the soft side - items about music, fashion, sports and culture. Only so many readers care about the State Department's approach to the turmoil in Mali, especially compared to the number who want to read about the making of Hunger Games. TIME certainly carries more substantive stories than its sister publication, PEOPLE, but they also understand the dynamics that keep their circulation numbers well about those of, say, The National Review.

So we have to begin by understanding that "Rethinking Heaven" was not an effort to provide a thoughtful analysis of that aspect of Christian eschatology. Nobody spoke up in a meeting of the editorial board and said, "This is an under-reported issue of national or international significance and we should devote the resources of our reporting staff to get to the bottom of it." My guess is that somebody had a conversation or read something that alerted them to what is a relatively minor blip on the theologians' current list of discussion topics and concurrently realized that most Americans believe in and want to go to heaven, whatever it looks like. Put those two together, make it the cover story, and watch sales figures for the predictable spike. (The other option at this week's meeting was Facebook's purchase of Pinterest, but Zuckerburg has already had too much coverage.)

To TIME's credit, they gave the assignment to someone named John Meacham who self-describes as a Christian, though that's a very ambiguous term. But the article itself had surprisingly little substance. Actually, I had a little trouble following the writer's train of thought, which certainly wasn't linear. He mentioned the two different views of heaven (an over-simplification of the situation) and some of the proponents of each. Some, especially the underclasses, have traditionally seen heaven as a place somewhere out there where God is and where believers will one day be. This fits their desire to escape the struggles of their present life here on an earth that will one day be consumed by God's wrath.

The other view, more popular among contemporary theologians and younger Christians (again, that's a fuzzy term) is that the next life for the faithful will be here, on an earth re-formed, renewed by God at his return. Those who hold to this view are inclined to be more socially engaged because they're not looking for an escape. They don't see the complete disconnect between this world and the next.

I was struck by the total lack of biblical citations in the article. There were a couple of allusions to the teachings of Christ but no quotation of even a part of a passage in the Bible that speaks to the topic. Telling, methinks. There were, however, several references to and quotes from N.T. Wright. If you don't already know it, learn that name.

It doesn't really matter for these purposes who he is or where he comes from - though that's plenty interesting. N.T. Wright is the Christian celeb de jour. Two years ago it was Rob Bell, who got a TIME cover story about his best sellers and "new" take on historical Christianity. He's pretty much faded from the scene. Before Bell it was Rick Warren of "Purpose Driven Life" fame (again, best-selling book and TIME feature story). Warren managed to make it back into the news this week when he told an interviewer that those who don't believe Christ died for their sins will go to hell but their dogs will be in heaven. Atta boy. Before Rick Warren it was Bruce Wilkerson and his "Prayer of Jabez." You don't even remember that, do you. Please tell me you don't.

And herein lies the real problem, IMHO. People are quick to snap up the latest book about the Bible instead of the Book itself.
Note: I have NO problem with (good) books about the Bible. I have shelves full of them. But I suspect it's likely that more people spent more time reading Warren's books, or Bell's books, or more recently Wright's books than they spent reading their Bible. The TIME article is a reflection of the situation at large. What the Christian author de jour says about the Bible's teachings captures more interest than what the Bible itself says. For the TIME author it was more convenient, and easier, and more likely to keep the reader engaged to quote Wright than the Apostle Paul. Wright may help me understand a particular biblical passage, but only if I've actually read the passage and have at least a preliminary grasp of its content. Without having done that I'm liable to be led into who-knows-what kind of nonsense. And if (since) I believe the Bible to be God's Word it warrants my time and attention as no other book does. It's not surprising that we're told the Bible can effect a supernatural transformation within us (2 Tim. 3:15-17), a claim none of the above authors would presume to make.

One of my fond childhood memories is of my grandmother. I was probably in my early teens and had gone to her house in Everett to spend a few summer days. I came downstairs one morning to find her sitting at the kitchen table, head bowed and hands at her forehead folded in prayer... with her Bible between her elbows.
It's not a coincidence that she was a godly woman. She spent time at the beginning of each day listening to him speak through the written Word.
Less time in the books, more in the Book.