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HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interiorHo w4/1/104:57 PMGoodis good enough?Li f e C h a n g eBo o k sAndy StanleyMultnomah BooksPage 1

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interior4/1/10HOW GOOD IS GOOD ENOUGH?published by Multnomah Books 2003 by Andy StanleyInternational Standard Book Number: 978-1-59052-274-5Image Tom Collicott/GraphistockUnless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from:The Holy Bible, New International Version 1973, 1984by International Bible Society, used by permission ofZondervan Publishing House.Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of theCrown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.MULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarksof Random House Inc.Printed in the United States of AmericaALL RIGHTS RESERVEDNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.For information:MULTNOMAH BOOKS12265 ORACLE BOULEVARD, SUITE 200 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80921Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataStanley, Andy.How good is good enough? / by Andy Stanley.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 93).ISBN 1-59052-274-5 (hardback)ISBN 1-59052-401-2 (paperback)1. Christian life. 2. Conduct of life. 3. Heaven. I. Title.BV4501.3.S732 2003234—dc21200301246510—10 9 84:57 PMPage 2

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interior4/1/10Dedicated To Helen Waldrep,a great grandmother in the truest sense4:57 PMPage 3

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interior4/1/10ContentsPa r t IHo w D o Yo u G e t Th e r e f r o m He r e ?1. Everything’s Fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112. A Dangerous Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173. “God Is Great, God Is Good” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234. More Input Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315. Didn’t Mo’ Know? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396. Grading on the Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457. Liar, Liar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498. Bad Guys Finish First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Pa r t I ITh e Alt e r n at i v e9. Long Story, Short . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6510. A Question of Fairness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7711. The Fairest of Them All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 934:57 PMPage 5

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interiorPA R T4/1/104:57 PMIHo w D o Yo u G e tTh e r e f r o m He r e ?The story is told of a Sunday school teacher whoseassignment was to explain to the six-year-olds in his classwhat someone had to do in order to go to heaven. In anattempt to discover what the kids already believed aboutthe subject, he asked a few questions.“If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale,and gave all my money to the church, would that get meinto heaven?”“NO!” the children all answered.“If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard,and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get meinto heaven?”Page 7

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interior8A n dy4/1/104:57 PMSta n l e yAgain the answer was, “NO!”“Well then,” he said, “if I was kind to animals andgave candy to all the children and loved my wife, wouldthat get me into heaven?”Again they all shouted, “NO!”“Well then, how can I get into heaven?”A boy in the back row stood up and shouted, “YOUGOTTA BE DEAD!”Dead SureTherein lies the problem: You gotta be dead to go toheaven. Consequently, you gotta be dead to know muchabout the place, as well.The people who seem to be most confident aboutwhat heaven is like are those who claim to have died andcome back to talk about it—and write bestselling bookson the subject. I have read a couple of those books, andI’ve heard a couple of “returners” interviewed on television. Their stories are interesting. But they never give astraight answer to the questions we are all asking: “Howdo you get there? What can we do on this side of deathto assure ourselves a spot in heaven?”Most agree that death is a prerequisite, but that’spretty much where agreement ends and speculationbegins. In these pages, we are going to look at an ancientPage 8

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interiorHo wG o o dIsG o o d4/1/10E n o u g h ?4:57 PM9but popular theory regarding who goes to heaven. I sayancient, because the idea has been around since thebeginning of civilization. In terms of popularity, it iswhat most world religions espouse.So why did I bother to write a book about it?Because in spite of its immense popularity and longstanding, it doesn’t make a lick of sense.Seriously. Smart, educated, accomplished men andwomen from just about every nation on earth are banking their eternities on a theory that doesn’t hold up undereven the slightest scrutiny.Why? Well, I’m not sure. My assumption is thateverybody is preoccupied with making a living, falling inlove, having kids, and whatever else they are doing.Nobody’s got time to think about heaven. So they don’t.Th e G r e at Eq u a l i z e rBut every now and again we are confronted with ourmortality. When that happens, we mentally take hold ofsomething that gives us assurance. For most people onthis spinning ball of minerals and dirt, assurance is foundin an assumption they have never tested. And it bringsthem the assurance they need to jump right back into thegame of life.So what is this internationally held assumption?Page 9

Good people go to heaven.The logic flows something like this: There is a goodGod who lives in a good place reserved for good people.This God goes by many names. He is behind all majorworld religions. Therefore, all major, and possibly minor,religions provide a legitimate path to God and, therefore,heaven. The criterion for making it to this good place isto be good. Each religion has its own definition for

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interior4/1/104:57 PMChapter 1Ev e ry t h i n g ’s Fi n eIf you are like most people, you believe that everybodylives forever somewhere, that once you die, your soulgoes somewhere. Most Americans believe in heaven. Asmaller percentage believe in hell. In other parts of theworld, the prevailing belief is that the soul comes backaround for another lap—we just start over as someone(or something) else.In spite of all their differences and peculiarities, thereligions of this world share one common denominator:How you live your life on this side of the grave determineswhat happens next. Western thought has all the goodpeople going to heaven. In other parts of the world, thegood people come back around as even better people, orat least with the opportunity to become better people.Page 11

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interior12A n dy4/1/104:57 PMSta n l e yTh i n k Ab o u t ItHere’s something to think about: If God appeared to youand asked, “Why should I let you into heaven?” howwould you answer? If you’re like most people, youranswer might run something along these lines:“I’ve always tried to ”“I never ”“I do my best ”Whether I am talking to Muslims, Hindus, orChristians, the majority of the answers I receive to thatquestion go back to an individual’s attempt to live a goodlife. Why? Because most people believe that good peoplego to heaven.The moral? Behave yourself now and you don’t reallyneed to worry too much about what happens next. Theend. Now let’s get back to work, golf, Little League,PTA—the pressing issues of this life.Pa c k e d a n d R e a dyBut then every once in a while something happens thatforces you to seriously consider the question of what’snext—a funeral, a health scare, a birthday, a glance in themirror. You don’t like to think about it. You rarely ever talkabout it. But it is always there. And the older you get, themore often you find yourself pushing it from your mind.Page 12

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interiorHo wG o o dIsG o o d4/1/10E n o u g h ?4:57 PM13The fact is, the mortality rate for humans is 100 percent. And that bothers you. In spite of the fact that youbelieve there is something better on the other side of life,you are not at peace. And for good reason.You see, as good as you are—and you are prettygood—you aren’t really sure if you have been goodenough. You hope so. And you are certainly betterthan well than certain people you know.But how good is good enough?Where’s the line? Who is the standard? Where doyou currently stand? Do you have enough time left tostash away enough good deeds to counterbalance yourbad ones?And while we’re asking questions, I’ll go ahead andthrow one in that perhaps you’ve wondered about butwere afraid to ask: Just who is in charge of this operation?God? If so, he ought to have been a bit clearer about howthis whole thing works. If our eternal residence hangs inthe balance based on how we live, we could certainly dowith some direction. A standard. A mile marker or two.Perhaps a midterm.“But wait,” you say, “isn’t it the job of religion toanswer those questions for me?” Sure. Most of the variousworld religions and their books do exist to answer thosequestions. Teachers, preachers, ulema, rabbis, priests,Page 13

HowGoodIsGoodEnoughHC int.qxp:How Good interior14A n dy4/1/104:57 PMSta n l e ylamas—they are all in the business of getting us safely tothe other side. Specifically, they are responsible for helping you and me understand how to live in such a way asto ensure a happy ending.So why are you still unsure? You’ve been to church.Perhaps you attended a few religion classes as a child.And yet, if you are like the majority of people I talk to,you still are not confident where you stand with God.I ran across an interesting quote by Gandhi thatunderscored the universal uncertainty associated withreligious belief. When questioned why he proselytized inthe arena of politics but not religion, he responded, “Inthe realm of the political and social and economic, wecan be sufficiently certain to convert; but in the realm ofreligion there is not sufficient certainty to convert anybody, and, therefore, there can be no conversions in religions.”1 Now that’s helpful, isn’t it? Even Gandhi didn’tfind certainty in religion.To G r a n d m o t h e r ’s Ho u s e We G oSeveral years ago my wife, Sandra, walked into ourkitchen, sat down on the bar stool, and announced thatshe wanted to make a special trip to her hometown forthe expressed purpose of talking to her aging grandmother, Helen, about eternity. I was surprised. HelenPage 14