In Church as It Is in Heaven

"Jamaal Williams and Timothy Jones do the body of Christ a great service with their book. It allows readers to consider the joys and challenges of creating a multiracial Christian church and ministry. Such ministries are badly needed in a post-Christian America that is racially divided. But these ministries need to be accomplished with careful thought and planning. In Church as It Is in Heaven provides great insight that allows for such thinking and planning to take place."

-George Yancey, professor of sociology at Baylor University and author of Beyond Racial Division

"As the authors express in this book, my heart and hopes for churches on earth have been guided by the eschatological vision of the church in heaven found in Revelation 7. In Church as It Is in Heaven helps us get there. It is outstanding; I could not put it down. Any church or Christian captivated by God's promise for his church in eternity will be blessed, convicted, edified, and encouraged by this work. Thank you, my brothers. What a gift you have given us."

-Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Some have given up on a biblical vision of racial justice, morality, and reconciliation. Jamaal Williams and Timothy Paul Jones have not. This book is a practical guide that gives up neither sober realism nor kingdom hope."

-Russell Moore, editor in chief of Christianity Today

"What I love about this book is how Williams and Jones encourage a communal solution to a communal problem. So many treatments on this topic ask what people can do individually and don't seek larger transformation. Framing the book around liturgy and the habits that form us was a compelling contribution. I encourage all who long for unity instead of division to pick this book up. May it be in the church as it is in heaven."

-Patrick Schreiner, associate professor of New Testament and biblical theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World

"In Church as It Is in Heaven casts a biblically and theologically grounded vision of a multiethnic community. Neither Williams nor Jones sugarcoat that vision. For them, being authentically multiethnic means intertwining dreams and broken dreams, rich and nearly-impossible-to-maintain crosscultural relationships, promises and betrayal, stereotypes surfaced then broken. Many churches like the idea of being diverse but ditch the process when the road gets too bumpy and costly; a minuscule handful are authentically multiethnic in the fullest sense. In Church as It Is in Heaven is the still-unfolding story of one church in Kentucky that is refusing to abandon the process."

-Paul Tokunaga, founder and president of MELD: Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development