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Heaven Is For Real
- 03/28/11
- 120
Embarking on a short tour of the afterlife is all the rage, it seems. Don Piper got it started with 90 Minutes in Heaven, a really bad book that sold millions of copies. Then there was 23 Minutes in Hell, another bestseller and another awful book. And now hot on their heels comes Heaven Is For Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back. It’s currently sitting atop the New York Times list of bestsellers and has over a half million copies in print. I wonder if I'm the only one who finds it a mite suspicious that now that these books are selling like proverbial hotcakes, more and more people find that God wants them to tell their stories of heaven and hell. Probably not.
Heaven Is For Real is written by pastor Todd Burpo and it tells the story of his son Colton who, at age 4, visited heaven. His visit came while he was on the operating table after suffering a burst appendix. He told his parents his story several months later and his parents then waited 6 or 7 years to record it in a book. That book has shot to the top of the charts, resulting in many of you sending me emails to ask, "Have you read it?" So I went ahead and read it. Because that's the kind of guy I am.
You will probably not be surprised to learn that this is not a good book. What I want to do here is offer a very brief review and then I want to tell you why you can legitimately dismiss this book and all the others like it, because I think that's where many of us feel the tension--what gives me the right to dismiss another person's experience?
I've already given you the broad outline. Colton dies (or something close to it) and visits heaven for an unknown period of time. He returns to his body and over the months and years that follow tells his parents about his time in heaven. He tells about spending time with Jesus, about meeting the sister he never knew he had, about fluttering around with wings, about the pearly gates, and on and on. Along the way you'll get descriptions of Todd's various afflictions and you'll read the fine details of Colton's battles with constipation and the great relief he experienced passing gas. Riveting stuff, this.
Every one of Colton's experiences, or very nearly every one, follows a pattern. He tells his father some little detail. His father experiences a gasp or feels his heart skip a beat. “I could hardly breathe. My mind was reeling. My head was spinning.” A Scripture verse comes to dad's mind that validates the experience. Colton gets bored and runs off. Repeat.
The story is told with short chapters and grade school-level writing. Fine literature it is not. The point of it all is to encourage you that heaven is a real place. Colton went there and his experience now validates its existence. Just like Don Piper went there and his experience validates its existence. Just like Bill Wiese went to hell and can speak with authority to tell you that you really, really don't want to go there. Just like the Apostle Paul went there and told us all about it in order to…oh wait.
Now, what do I do with a book like this one? It seems to me that there are only a couple of options available to me. I can accept it, agreeing that this little boy is legitimate--he went to heaven and is now telling the tale for our edification. Or I can reject what this boy is saying--he did not go to heaven and this book is fictitious. If I go with this second option (which is exactly what I am doing) I now have two choices before me: either the boy (and/or his parents) is a liar or he genuinely believes he experienced something that he did not actually experience. I know which way I would lean, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.
Either option is very uncharitable and each one leaves me with a further problem: on what grounds can I dismiss this as fiction, as a book that is completely unprofitable?
If I wanted to disprove Colton's experience on grounds of logic or consistency I might point in a couple of different directions. In the first place, Colton is a toddler who speaks like an adult. His verbatim quotes sound nothing like a 4-year old, and I think I can say this with some authority as the father of a 4-year old. I'd also point to the fact that dad routinely remembers circumstantial detail that there is very little chance he would remember 6 or 7 years after the fact, something that, at the very least, tells me that he is filling in details where he feels he needs to. But there are better grounds.
The better strategy, I think, is to look to the Bible.
I offer two ways of going about this. First, the Bible gives us no indication whatsoever that God will work in this way and that he will call one of us to heaven and then cause us to return. It is for man to die once and then the resurrection. To allow a man (or a boy) to experience heaven and then to bring him back would not be grace but cruelty. The only biblical example we have of a man being caught up to heaven is Paul and it’s very interesting that he was forbidden to tell anything about it. And the reason he even mentioned this experience was not to offer encouragement that heaven exists, but to serve as a part of his “gospel boasting.” He saw heaven and was told to say nothing about it. This was a unique experience in a unique time and for a unique reason.
The second ground refers to the reason each of these authors offers--that through their experience we now find confidence that what God says is true. This kind of proof is exactly the kind of proof we should not need and should not want. Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe. Don Piper insisted that he was called to be the Minister of Hope. If hope is to be found in any person, it will be found in the person of Christ. It is the Spirit working through the Word who will give us confidence in our faith. And what is faith? It is simply believing that what God says in his Word is true. We do not need tales of heaven or stories of those who claim to be there.
If you struggle believing what the Bible says, but learn to find security in the testimony of a toddler, well, I feel sorry for you. And I do not mean this in a condescending way. If God’s Word is not sufficient for you, if the testimony of his Spirit, given to believers, is not enough for you, you will not find any true hope in the unproven tales of a child. This hope may last for a moment, but it will not sustain you, it will not bless you, in those times when hope is waning and times are hard.
So reject this book. Do not read it. Do not believe it. And do not feel guilty doing so.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (120)
I don’t think the Gospel would have gone off on a rabbit trail with Lazarus describing everything about heaven even if he had come back telling everyone about it ( and he probably did) . The focus of the Gospel was succinct, and it was to be on Jesus, his power, his nature as the redeemer, son of God, and not on the experiences of the dead.
Neither Piper or Burpo are asking you to not believe the Bible and the accuracy of it and don’t offer their stories as further “proof” of heaven. Look at Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17 and it seems these experiences fit these parameters. Personally, I am encouraged by their stories. Not because I needed extra proof, but I don’t see any contradiction of scripture.
Didn’t have time to read all the many comments, so don’t know if this scripture was addressed, but as I read your very good article, I thought of “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” John 3:13 I always think of that when I hear of these “experiences”.
So this family had an “extraordinary experience” that just sort of happened to them - which they just couldn’t help but tell the world? What would that experience be?
I’ll tell you.
A run of the mill surgery for a ruptured appendix. Sure, the boy was sick. But nothing out of the ordinary happened on the operating table. Nobody so much as said “Oh dear, the boy is flat-lining—get the paddles”. Nothing. That’s because nothing did happen. He woke up and went to the recovery room, and when he was o.k., he went home—and said nothing.
He never mentioned to a nurse, a doctor, his mom or dad, that he went to heaven. Many months later ,during which time mom and dad no doubt said things like “gee son, you almost went to heaven with Jesus, you were so sick..”, Colton says something about going to heaven.
I find it an insult and a stumbling block to baby Christians. Anytime you assault God’s Word by saying it says things it doesn’t you are not going to produce mature believers.
Just because someone says “it brings lots of people to Jesus”, doesn’t make it o.k. What kind of Jesus are you bringing them to? Have you read the parable about the seed?. Some may indeed fall and spring forth a plant, but it will soon wither because it has no root. Our root is the Bible.
Many thanks for this review, and the comments of so many about it. I would like to suggest, to those wishing to dig deeper, Chapter 8 of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology (The Sufficiency of Scripture). Near the end of that excellent chapter, Grudem writes:
“The sufficiency of Scripture reminds us that in our doctrinal and ethical teaching we should emphasize what Scripture emphasizes and be content with what God has told us in Scripture. There are some subjects about which God has told us little or nothing in the Bible. We must remember that ‘The secret things belong to the Lord our God’ (Deut. 29:29) and that God has revealed to us in Scripture exactly what he deemed right for us. We must accept this and not think that Scripture is something less than it should be, oe begin to wish that God had given us much more information about subjects on which there are very few scriptural references.”
Joel 3:28,29 , Acts 2:17,18 are often used to justify the “tales” that they tell.
Cindy, I read this after hearing much about this little boy. I believe a part of me wants to believe that these sort of things do happen. I dont believe any non Christians will be brought to the Lord after reading this book. I do think it was well written and I appreciated the Biblical references. However it has a better chance of turning people off than opening them to discussion. I think I am open minded and who among us would not like to see Jesus or speak to him? But that is not going to happen in this world. I am glad I read the book so I could decide for myself and also to hear from others who had made their own mind. Happy Easter. love,mama
I agree.
One additional note that I thought was unbiblical was that the young boy’s grandfather (in heaven) had really large wings. Maybe he had seen “It’s a Wonderful Life” too many times. IDK
Tim-Thank you for your expose of “Heaven Is For Real.” My 1997 book “If I Should Wake Before I Die” (Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois) comes to the same conclusions. I grow fatigued at the seemingly endless stream of books allegedly recounting those bogus trips to heaven/hell. My book was anti-sensational and a bit too logical and biblical, so of course it didn’t sell millions (I had to keep my day job!).
wow. you must be the devil.
Maggie,I too am “local” & just starting to be bold in voicing my concern over this book. So far my critiques have not been well-received at all!I can say that our church is also among the very few who are not endorsing/promoting it.It’s a tough stand to take, but someone has to do it!Blessings to you,Suzi
I appreciated your review of this book and it inspired me to write my own thoughts on the subject on my blog.
Thanks for your discernment on this subject. I have read the book, not because I needed to be reassured about Heaven, but out of curriosity. There are things I want to believe, because Heaven and more exactly Jesus and the price He paid for me to live with my family there eternally is so dear, I can’t fathom why anyone would lie about it. Yet there are things that contradict scripture in the boys account…so I agree something is not right. Even if it was written with the best intentions, the unintended result is found in the struggling parent whose child went to Heaven and did not return. That parent ( me being one of them) has to actively rely on God every second of everyday, has to encourage themselves in the Lord, has to make a real effort to accept the goodness and wisdom of God’s plan and belive every word that scripture contains. Reading the book did nothing positive for me in that regard. It just planted the question “why did he come back and my son didn’t?” I know my son is in Heaven because he confessd Christ as his Lord and Savior, and I can’t imagine he would ever want to be anywhere else.
Maggie, I wish I knew what church you went to in the area that will not be promoting this book. My parents live in 20 miles from Imperial, NE and are experiencing the same thing…can’t talk bad about this book or the kid because you’re labeled a big jerk. They have had a hard time finding a good chuch and I’m curious where you attend, because it sounds like a good one! Let’s hope this is a passing “fad” and this book will go away quickly. It’s hard to know how to respond when people recommend you read the book because it’s so good. God’s blessings to you as you stand for the truth in Nebraska!
Ok, true confessions …”My name is Steve, and I read this book.”Whew, I feel better (sorry, Tim, HOWEVER I had already read it BEFORE you told me not to. I hope that helps).Seriously, brotherly, once again you expressed in words what my gut was wrestling with but hadn’t yet verbalized. Thank you for your ministry here. Much appreciated, my friend. I hope our physical journeys cross again soon.Steve B.
TimAs a pastor who immediately thought “Oh man here we go again.” the first time I heard about this book, I want to thank you Tim for reading the books that I don’t have time (too lazy??) to read.
I don’t want to speak for Tim but I don’t think he is questioning the family’s sincerity. I don’t think he is making a value judgment either way. But he brings up some very valid questions. Why did they wait seven years? How would Burpo remember all the details after so long? The easy answer is to simply say the Holy Spirit. Really?? Does this book testify of Christ?? It mentions Christ but that does not mean it testifies of Christ? Would one who read this book walk away first and foremost with the peace that surpasses all understanding that comes only from the promise that the suffering death and resurrection of Christ Jesus was for them?? Can Colton’s testimony be reconciled with Paul’s desire to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified?? Yes there is all the stuff that seems so difficult to explain; like how Colton knew of his sister etc. And assuming that is true, then all that shows is that there may have been a supernatural element. Supernatural does not necessarily mean of Christ.
At the end of the day we should remember Tim’s final point. All the verification for the existence of heaven we need can be found in God’s Word. Not in the speculative recounting of, what I am guessing is a dream, of a 4-year old boy 7 years after it happened by his father. Tim was wrong about one thing. He forgot the biblical account of another person who went to Heaven. Elijah went to heaven and came back as John the Baptist (Matthew 17). And when he came back what did he do? He gave no account of what heaven was like. He gave no account of flying around with wings. He gave no account of whether people are old or young in heaven. No he proclaimed Christ.
You say Burpo vetted all the experiences with scripture. Well it appears he neglected to ask the most important question. “IS there any precedence for anything like this happening in scripture??” And the undeniable answer is no. You’ll have to forgive me for being skeptical, but if God didn’t give it to Paul or Elijah/ John the Baptist to speak of what heaven is like then I don’t think He gave it to Colton, especially since there is no precedence for it in God’s Word. I mean no disrespect to your friends, but I am going to stick with God’s Word. And this brings up another point. That you are friends with the Burpos, hardly makes you objective.
Those verses should not be read divorced from 1 Corinthians 2:2. Having done that then no this book is not in accord with those verses.
Connie,
Similar to Lazarus: Matthew 27:52-53 tells that many holy people were raised from the dead. However nothing is recorded about what they said, whom they specifically visited or what happened afterward.
I am very sorry about your son, but I felt the same way when I looked through the book. The 90 Minutes in Heaven “heaven” is not the place I plan to go to. His description really put me off, it was very depressing.