Wilcox, “The Way Back to Heaven” (reviewed by Kristie Wilkins)

Review
======

Title: The Way Back to Heaven
Author: S. Michael Wilcox
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Religious Nonfiction
Year Published: 2015
Number of Pages: 147
Binding: Hardback
ISBN10:
ISBN13: 978-1-60907-905-5
Price: $15.99

Reviewed by Kristie Wilkins for the Association for Mormon Letters

I have always felt that S. Michael Wilcox is an extremely gifted teacher. He has the ability to use a combination of his own words and scripture to paint a powerful picture in the mind’s eye, which then allows the spirit to touch the heart. This is especially true of his new book, *The Way Back to Heaven: The Parable of the Crystal Stairs*.

In his book Brother Wilcox shares with us a parable that came to him as a young man. He had an image of walking across a “vast, empty plain” and encountering many people in the act of erecting stairways to take them up and beyond the plain. The stairways were made of various types of materials but none could reach high into the heavens because their foundations were laid on the earth. He then sees a great crystal stairway descend from heaven and the “Great Stair Builder” (the Savior Jesus Christ) inviting those on the plain to follow him up the stairs and into heaven-“I am the way, the truth and the life.”

This is a book about *being* and *becoming*; each step on the crystal staircase is taken by drawing closer to the Savior, living His teachings, following His example and thereby attaining Christlike attributes. The stairs each climber encounters, although universal in nature as gospel principles are, are uniquely arranged to suit their individual growth. The steps may be made out of crystal but they are strong and sure. And the Great Stair Builder is always just ahead, encouraging those who climb to follow His example and become as He is-the only way back to heaven.

Michael Wilcox shares several examples of stairs he has encountered in his climb, such as the stair of not judging, the stair of inclusion, and the highest stair in his parable-the stair of charity. At times I felt he wandered a bit in his discussions of the various stairs but at the conclusion of each I had a better understanding of the ways in which each of his examples would lead me, as a climber of the stairs, to become more like the Savior.

The most powerful and touching part of *The Way Back to Heaven* for me was the final chapter, “The City at the Top of the Stairs,” in which Brother Wilcox evokes a beautiful image of the Savior, the “Great Stair Builder,” greeting those who reach the top of the crystal stairs. Love, acceptance and healing then follow as the Savior invites us to “look” and “behold” ourselves and our lives, not as we are accustomed to seeing but as *He* sees us. That is when we fully come to understand the nature and purpose of the Atonement and the glory to which we are all truly climbing.

I am so grateful that Brother Wilcox was gracious enough to share very personal examples throughout his book but particularly of what reaching the city at the top of the stairs means to him. Personal examples allow readers to relate to an author’s heart and are therefore more powerful than any other method of illustrating a point in my opinion. And yet I know that it takes a great deal of courage to do so. I will never forget my feelings as he described the Savior showing him what the celestial kingdom looks like. I know that I will be spending a great deal of time pondering that image and what it means to me. That is the epitome of a great teacher-someone who makes his students, in this case his readers, think and ponder not just until closing the cover on the final page but for hours, days, and even years to come.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.