{"product_id":"heaven-in-the-american-imagination-9780199738953","title":"Heaven in the American Imagination","description":"Does heaven exist? If so, what is it like? And how does one get in? Throughout history, painters, poets, philosophers, pastors, and many ordinary people have pondered these questions. Perhaps no other topic captures the popular imagination quite like heaven. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGary Scott Smith examines how Americans from the Puritans to the present have imagined heaven. He argues that whether Americans have perceived heaven as reality or fantasy, as God's home or a human invention, as a source of inspiration and comfort or an opiate that distracts from earthly life, or as a place of worship or a perpetual playground has varied largely according to the spirit of the age. In the colonial era, conceptions of heaven focused primarily on the glory of God. For the Victorians, heaven was a warm, comfortable home where people would live forever with their family and friends. Today, heaven is often less distinctively Christian and more of a celestial entertainment center or a paradise where everyone can reach his full potential. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on an astounding array of sources, including works of art, music, sociology, psychology, folklore, liturgy, sermons, poetry, fiction, jokes, and devotional books, Smith paints a sweeping, provocative portrait of what Americans-from Jonathan Edwards to Mitch Albom-have thought about heaven.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Gary Scott Smith\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 360\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.31lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.58h x 6.34w x 1.12d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199738953\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAward:\u003c\/b\u003e Christianity Today Book Award - Award of Merit\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/09\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2011 pg. 105\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooks \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2011 pg. 14\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2011 pg. 71\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Century\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/18\/2011 pg. 25\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGary Scott Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of History at Grove City College, in Pennsylvania. He is the author, most recently, of \u003cem\u003eFaith and the Presidency: From George Washington to George W. Bush\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press, USA","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":41100157124723,"sku":"9.7802E+12","price":112.92,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_1fdbb237-4da0-46d3-91ea-6baf2864d15c.jpg?v=1700142534","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/heaven-in-the-american-imagination-9780199738953","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}