To Gaze Upon God
IVP Academic, 2024
By Samuel G. Parkison
WHO: Samuel G. Parkison, associate professor of theological studies at Gulf Theological Seminary.
HE SAYS: “The beatific vision, if appropriately considered, enlivens and enlightens the Christian life in the areas of prayer, corporate worship, missions, the reality of sin and sanctification, suffering and friendship.”
THE BIG IDEA: The beatific vision is central for the life of the church today.
THE PROGRESSION: In six chapters, the author uses readings of Aquinas, Dante, Calvin and others to remind readers of the beatific vision’s historical and contemporary significance.
“What do evangelicals stand to gain by reclaiming the doctrine of the beatific vision, and how might their theological distinctives stand to not only inform their reception of the doctrine but also enrich the great tradition more broadly?”
