My take on 'Heaven is For Real'

I wan to be careful here because I don't want to judge anyone without basis. I don't know for sure if Colton Burpo went to heaven or not, but what I can do is look at the Bible and compare his claims. To be fair to you, dear reader, I don't think that Colton went to heaven. That's my personal opinion and I will give you my reasons for believing that. Now, what does that mean? Did he imagine it, is it all made up, or was he deceived? I can't answer those questions, only God can.

Let me be clear on one thing. I do believe that God still does miracles in our lives today. However, that doesn't mean that whenever someone stands up and says they heard from God that we must believe them. Instead, we must go to the Bible and compare their words to what Scripture says. (Acts 17:11)

Yesterday Todd Burpo, Colton's dad and author of the book, along with his wife Sonja and the not so little anymore Colton, hosted an event here in Topeka where they shared their testimony. There were over 2,000 people in attendance and nearly all of them raised their hands when asked if they had read the book. So far it has sold over 6 million copies and it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

My impression of the Burpo's is that they were sincere, that they truly believed that their son had been to heaven. This of course doesn't make it true, but at least it gave me the impression that they hadn't made the whole thing up. Other reviewers have pointed out that Colton's vocabulary in the book seemed too eloquent for that of a four year old. And as respected Bible scholar Tim Challies said, "I’d also point to the fact that dad routinely remembers circumstantial detail that there is very little chance he would remember six or seven years after the fact, something that, at the very least, tells me that he is filling in details where he feels he needs to."

As the Burpo's admit on their ministry web site, "We never pushed or prodded which is why the story unfolded over months and years."

But let's move on to more significant reasons why this account of heaven makes me uncomfortable. First, it's important to note that this book is just one more in the tradition of Don Piper's 90 Minutes in Heaven, which has also questionable aspects to it. With that said, it seems that everyone who goes to "heaven" and comes back has a different version of what it looks like, along with what Jesus looks like. Second, the Bible says that "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27-28) For Colton to visit heaven and come back to this sin-ridden earth seems more like an act of cruelty than one of mercy. It's like getting a demotion, which is not something to be happy and write a book about.

What's mainly wrong with the book is that it has so much extra-biblical things. What I mean is that Colton's revelation of what heaven looks like is nowhere to be found in the Bible. For instance, Colton asserts that everyone in heaven has wings, including God the Father. The Bible clearly teaches that God is Spirit, and of course, there is no mention of anyone having wings except for the Cherubim and the Seraphim. He also claims that people in heaven have halos over their heads, again something that can only be found in artistic representations and not in the canon of Scripture. Also, Colton also says that he felt upset and confused in the presence of God but that "He (God) used people that, people or things that I liked to calm me down. From there on I felt better." It is very doubtful that anyone, no matter how old you are, will feel confused or scared in the presence of God who is perfect peace and perfect love.

And what do we do with these extra-biblical things, do we value them as equally as we do the Bible? Of course not, we shouldn't. But unfortunately it seems that many people do. And that's the underlying message in all these books, isn't it? If those people claim they went to heaven and came back to tell us new things, then logically we must accept their word as canon. That's where the danger is; these people seem to be adding words to the book of Revelation and the Bible in general, where God has strictly forbidden us against it. (Rev. 22:18) Is heaven for real? Yes, it is. But not because a toddler said so, but because God has said so in His word.

Also note that clinically Colton Burpo never died. It seems then that this would be categorized under "near-death experience," which countless people around the world, many of them not Christian claim to have had. These people, again not believers in Christ, claim to have seen a being of light and heaven and were assured that they would be okay. At least in this case, in Heaven is For Real, the Burpo's are believers. There are many other things that could be said, but you get my point. You can read Tim Challies excellent review here. And you can also read Randy Alcorn's review here.

At the end of the night, at the Topeka Performing Arts Center, Todd Burpo, who also happens to be a pastor closed the night by inviting others to Christ. And just as I feared, there was no mention of repentance, no mention of sin, no explanation of what Jesus did on the cross, but just a "invite Jesus to come into your heart."

I don't recommend this book, not even a little.