Reading about the Afterlife

Scott Lamb:

Eight? How could Walmart stock eight different books, non-fiction books to be precise, all on the topic of the afterlife?

The kind of books that Walmart sells are the kind of books that sell. The discount retailer moves a heap of books out the door by stocking titles with “buzz” already surrounding them.

Lined up face-out on the shelf, they each promised to give me something I needed to know about heaven or hell. I scanned and skimmed them, and found four variations on the theme:

Heaven exists. I’ve seen it. Or, my kid has seen it.

Heaven exists. I’ve read about it in a sacred book.

Hell exists. I spent 23 minutes there.

Hell (sort of) exists. But love wins in the end.

...

Whatever happened to secularism? The fact is, many people are reading and talking about the afterlife these days. This is consistent with survey results that report more than 80 percent of Americans believe in some sort of life after death. This belief may take Buddhist, Baptist, or Oprah Winfrey form, but the belief is out there nonetheless.

One may counter by saying that this conversation exists because these books are published, and I would agree with you to a point. On the other hand, shrewd publishers find and print books in response to existing cultural chatter and consumer desire.

Either way, Christians must not miss taking note of and acting upon this very simple leading cultural indicator: People really want to know what happens after death.

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