Exploring the Afterlife: A Christian Perspective Inspired by 'The Good Place'
What the "Good Place" gets wrong about the Good Place
One of my favorite shows of all time is The Good Place, an American fantasy comedy television series created by Michael Schur. The initial premise follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a woman welcomed after her death to the Good Place, a highly selective Heaven-like utopia designed and run by afterlife "architect" Michael (Ted Danson) as a reward for her righteous life. She realizes, however, she was sent there by mistake and must hide her morally imperfect past behavior while trying to become a better, more ethical person.1
Beyond the cleverness of the jokes and the breathtaking speed at which the plot unfolded, what I particularly enjoyed about the show was its examination of morality and what it meant to be a good person. Philosophers such as Kierkegaard, Aquinas, and Aristotle were regularly mentioned in the show, plus season two features perhaps the most farcical and hilarious version of the “trolley problem” one will ever see.2
I particularly appreciated the character Chidi (William Jackson Harper) a moral philosopher before heading to the “good place” after death who immediately finds himself in an absolute moral quagmire that tortures his anxiety.3 Chidi’s unwavering commitment to doing the right thing and being true to his principles, plus his passion for teaching and sharing these truths was an absolute joy to watch for a nerd like me.
My one singular problem with the show is not until season four. To jump past a whole lot of plot development, here the characters finally find there way to the real “good place,” only to realize everyone who is there is flat-out bored out of their mind. The thing is, when you’ve got eternity, you eventually run out of things to do that are fun, exciting, and fulfilling. Hence, when the newcomers arrive, the long-time residents are glad just to have some new people to talk with and the previous caretakers are excited to pass the job of running the place to someone else.
Eventually, the main characters themselves find themselves in the same predicament, and the only solution is a door through which residents can pass, after which they will cease to exist. Annihilation, to say it bluntly. In the final episode, the main characters take their turns passing through the door and blotting out their existence. For me, it was a disappointing but unsurprising turn. The plot and writing left no other option. There was certainly some Buddhist influence in the ending.
As a Christian, I couldn’t help but interpret the show and especially season four through a Christian theological framework. And while I’ll readily admit there are many days I’m not sure whether I really believe in heaven or an afterlife—I’m 100% positive that if heaven or an afterlife with God actually exists, it looks nothing like The Good Place and actually a lot more like the picture painted in the words of the Bible.
In the early 2000’s, the song “I can only Imagine” became a runaway Christian and mainstream musical hit. The premise of the song is the singer’s wondering about what will go through is mind when he first encounters Jesus in Heaven.
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
While I certainly tired of the song myself, it does somewhat speak to the sense of wonder, amazement, etc.4 when encountering Jesus, the risen Christ, the Holy God. And this is exactly why I think The Good Place gets it wrong.
From Revelation 4, writing about a Heavenly scene, John describes the following:
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,
“Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and is and is to come.”9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”5
Sure, I don’t think this is literal vision of an actual event. O maybe it is, I could be wrong. But, I’m not really sure that’s the point—though this is exactly what I’m talking about—and so is John.
In Heaven, the afterlife, the good place, whatever we want to call it—in the Christian version at least—we will never get bored because we will forever be enraptured by God’s love, grace, and wonder. We will forever be overwhelmed in gratitude. We will forever be amazed at God’s grandeur. We will, like these elders and creatures described in the book of Revelation, always be in amazement at the creator of the universe, God of very God. How could one ever tire of being fully loved? How could one ever stop being grateful for the miraculous? How could one ever stop being amazed at the source of wonder and amazement? We can only…
We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
And we cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb6
As this classic worship song sings, our only response, at the presence of Jesus, will be to join with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, and proclaim God’s glory, and join in their unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.7
Of course, tomorrow I might again doubt the reality of Heaven. But if it exists. I believe deep in the heart, it’s something like this. I don’t ever want be in anything like the “good place.” Yet I would never tire of being in the presence of God.
This is a shortened version of the Wikipedia summary
Interestingly, Michael figures out how to solve the trolley problem at the end of season 2 (or was it season 3?) by sacrificing himself in order to solve the others.
Hence the big reveal at the end of season 1
Words fail here
Revelation 4:8-11, NRSVUE
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-we-fall-down
http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/asb/ea/ep3.html