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Randy Alcorn

Author of The Treasure Principle

121+ Works 24,276 Members 221 Reviews 29 Favorited

About the Author

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a New York Times bestselling author of 55 books, including Heaven and Face to Face with Jesus. His books have sold over 11 million copies and been translated into more than 70 languages. Randy resides in Oregon with his show more wife, Nanci. show less

Series

Works by Randy Alcorn

The Treasure Principle (2001) 3,550 copies, 19 reviews
Heaven: Biblical Answers to Common Questions (2004) 2,879 copies, 30 reviews
Safely Home (2001) 1,610 copies, 18 reviews
Money, Possessions, and Eternity (1989) 1,375 copies, 4 reviews
Deadline (1994) 1,279 copies, 13 reviews
Dominion (1996) 868 copies, 5 reviews
The Purity Principle (2003) 816 copies, 2 reviews
Edge of Eternity (1998) 749 copies, 9 reviews
Courageous (2011) 671 copies, 10 reviews
Lord Foulgrin's Letters (2000) 655 copies, 10 reviews
Deception (2008) 595 copies, 6 reviews
Heaven for Kids (2006) 516 copies, 4 reviews
The Ishbane Conspiracy (2001) 475 copies, 3 reviews
Managing God's Money: A Biblical Guide (2011) 379 copies, 2 reviews
In Light of Eternity: Perspectives on Heaven (1999) 351 copies, 3 reviews
Happiness (2015) 261 copies, 5 reviews
Heaven: Study Guide (2006) 219 copies
The Chasm: A Journey to the Edge of Life (2011) 187 copies, 22 reviews
TouchPoints: Heaven (2008) 158 copies
Tell Me About Heaven (2007) 149 copies, 1 review
Wait until Then (2007) 104 copies
God's Promise of Happiness (2015) 74 copies, 1 review
Eternity (2013) 62 copies, 1 review
If God Is Good: Why Do We Hurt?: 10-Pack (2010) 58 copies, 3 reviews
Women under Stress (1986) 39 copies
Heaven - Bible Study Book (2006) 37 copies
Grace: A Bigger View of God's Love (2016) 30 copies, 1 review
Heaven [video recording] (2009) 16 copies
Life Promises for Eternity (2012) 10 copies
Grieving with Hope (2024) 7 copies
Safely Home (1600) 7 copies
Grieving with Hope (2024) 6 copies
Spar op i himlen (2006) 3 copies
NO MATARAS (ESTANTE 16) (2004) 2 copies
Esli Bog blag (2012) 2 copies
Acts Vol. 3: The Apostle (2020) 2 copies
السماء 1 copy
God Wins (2011) 1 copy
Store It Up 1 copy
The Real and Untold Cost 1 copy, 1 review

Associated Works

The Resolution for Men (2011) 685 copies, 2 reviews
For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper (2010) — Contributor — 598 copies
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas (2008) — Contributor, some editions; Contributor, some editions — 511 copies, 2 reviews
The Storytellers' Collection: Tales of Faraway Places (2000) — Author — 160 copies, 1 review
God and Money (2016) — Foreword — 131 copies
Why, O God?: Suffering and Disability in the Bible and the Church (2011) — Foreword — 69 copies, 1 review

Tagged

ABC (98) abortion (187) Adult Fiction (87) Apologetics (76) China (76) Christian (459) Christian fiction (341) Christian living (839) Christianity (227) Devotional (75) ebook (76) Eschatology (207) eternity (89) ethics (68) fiction (833) finance (99) finances (202) giving (166) heaven (613) Kindle (159) money (222) mystery (88) non-fiction (234) pro-life (115) religion (127) Stewardship (250) suffering (101) suspense (86) Theology (380) to-read (363)

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Alcorn, Randy Craig
Birthdate
1954-06-23
Gender
male
Education
Multnomah Bible College (ThB | 1976)
Multnomah Bible College (MA | 1979)
Western Seminary (1976-1977)
Occupations
pastor
Organizations
Eternal Perspective Ministries
Awards and honors
New York Times bestseller
Short biography
Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world. Randy is the author of 40+ books, including Heaven, Deadline, The Grace and Truth Paradox, The Purity Principle, and Lord Foulgrin's Letters. Before starting EPM in 1990, he co-pastored for fourteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah Bible College, both in Portland, Oregon. He lives in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci, and their Dalmatian, Moses. Randy and Nanci have two married daughters, Karina and Angela, and five grandchildren.
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
Portland, Oregon, USA
Places of residence
Gresham, Oregon, USA
Associated Place (for map)
Oregon, USA

Members

Discussions

Reviews

241 reviews
I love Randy Alcorn and the fact that he always brings an eternal perspective to every topic he tackles (thus his ministry is Eternal Perpectives Ministry - epm.org). So now that I find myself meditating a lot on the topic of suffering, I knew that his book on the topic would be helpful. It definitely was. Randy doesn't write a tightly wound apologetic for academic discussion. He writes for everyday people who are dealing with the real issues of the Christian life. His arguments are sound show more and thoroughly articulated, but they are also practical for those in the midst of trials.
This book deals with the "problem of pain" in a sensitive and yet unapologetically biblical manner that exalts God as both sovereign and good. It's not a short book but it is worth the time.
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Nice discussion on joy, glorification, and a godly perspective on life, that comes from Jesus' brief parable about finding the treasure in the field. Alcorn, however, exchanges Jesus' wider paradigm of love for the paradigm given to us by bankers and capitalists. Although there are many things I will revisit as I discuss stewardship in the future (e.g., section on Tyranny of Things and principle #5: Giving is the antidote to materialism), Acorn's starting point sets the whole tone of the show more book, and it's not a tone rooted in love.

He's right about so much: Giving can/should be joyful, Giving jump starts our relationship with God, Giving helps us store up heavenly rewards, but what is almost entirely absent is the object of the giving: the poor.

Acorn writes, "We need to feed, clothe, house, and transport our families. But when the basics are taken care of, why shouldn't the rest go toward treasures in heaven?" He also writes, "When we die after devoting our lives to acquiring things, we don't win--we lose." In both cases, he ends with a focus on ourselves instead of on others, that is, his motivation isn't love. The first statement should end with the phrase the poor who need it and the second with the poor lose.

Acorn believes that the biggest roadblock to giving is thinking that earth is our home. He's wrong. The biggest roadblock is our lack of empathy with the poor. For who could live the affluent life of a suburban American with all our excess and know that there are people dying because our money is tied up in HDTV subscriptions?
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I read this on the Logos Hope ship as there is a copy in their library. It is a modern version of CS Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters." The story revolves around a family and their everyday activities. The author allows readers to listen to conversations taking place between demons as they scheme and plan to disrupt and distract the family from their God ordained tasks. It is very readable particularly for those who struggled with "The Screwtape Letters" in some places due to the complexity. show more This is a much easier read.

However, I think the balance between demonic activity and Christian responsibility has been slightly lost here. If we see "demons" in everything we can blame our own failings/sin on these demons and never get anything done. Whilst the enemy is active and we need to arm ourselves (Ephesians 6) we should also remember that Christ is victorious and interceding for us in prayer. There is an emphasis within the book on prayer which is another good aspect but I'm not convinced that the author has accurately detailed the reality of spiritual warfare. I'm also not sure how helpful this book will be to newer Christian's who may be afraid of these things if they don't understand the position they hold in Christ.

I would recommend this book to maturer Christian's who can read it and take the Biblical principles from it. I wouldn't recommend it for newer Christian's.
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"Other than the Bible itself, this may well be the single most life-changing book you'll ever read." - says a quote prominently displayed on the dust jacket. I remember the first time I looked at this book and saw this quote from a man I have no knowledge of named Stu Weber. I thought to myself "Yeah, right... I'm sure it's a good book, but THAT's gotta be an exaggeration." Now having finished the book, I can agree with Stu Weber's analysis! This has been a life-changing read for me - one show more that I'm sure to revisit again.

The author does a fantastic job of taking deep subject matter and explaining it in a conversational tone, meant to be understood by the masses - he didn't write this just to impress his colleagues. The chapters typically range between 8-12 pages each, making for easily digestible chunks.

There is a deficiency in the church when it comes to teaching about heaven, and a considerable amount of the teaching that does exist makes incorrect assumptions that are unbiblical in nature. It's difficult to have a longing for something that we don't understand and cannot rightly imagine. Randy Alcorn has attempted to correct this, having written an in-depth analysis of what the Bible has to say about heaven - and there's more there than many might assume. Going beyond a simple textual study of the doctrinal side of heaven, Alcorn instructs the reader in how having a right understanding of eternity should impact our day to day lives. This should spark the average reader to transform his thinking, attitude and actions.

Knowing that this present world will end and be resurrected into new heavens and a New Earth should profoundly affect our behavior. Thinking of Heaven leads inevitably to pursuing holiness. Our high tolerance for sin testifies of our failure to prepare for heaven..
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Statistics

Works
121
Also by
9
Members
24,276
Popularity
#864
Rating
4.0
Reviews
221
ISBNs
383
Languages
11
Favorited
29

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