Traces the development of the idea of eternal life as it changed to one of personal survival, through modern influences such as Marx, Freud, the search for the historical Jesus, and Vatican II, to today's thinking that we begin the afterlife now by currently working to build up the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. The book takes a historical approach first, then considers biblical studies and apocalyptic questions, then takes on "popular questions" such as "Is there sex in heaven?"