To Gaze upon God

Today, the doctrine of the beatific vision has been woefully forgotten within the church and its theology.
Yet, throughout history Christians have always held that the blessed hope of heaven lies in seeing and being in the presence of God, of beholding the beatific vision. With lucidity and breadth, Parkison reintroduces the beatific vision and affirms its centrality for the life of the church today. Parkison argues for the beatific vision's biblical foundations and reminds us—through close readings of theologians such as Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, Gregory Palamas, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards—of the doctrine's historical and contemporary significance. The beatific vision is about seeing God,and as Christians have acknowledged across the tradition, seeing God is our ultimate end.

Samuel G. Parkison (PhD, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Philosophy at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including To Gaze Upon God, The Fountain of Life, and The Unvarnished Jesus. He and his wife, Shannon, have four children and live in Kansas City, Missouri.