"Heaven is for Real"Posted by Debbie on Thursday, March 3, 2011 12:23 pmI had heard about this book on a number of news sites and was curious as to how the subject waqs presented. For those who don't know, this is a book written by a Weslyan pastor in Nebraska, Todd Burpo, about what his young son, Colton, experienced while undergoing emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. Colton says he left his body and could see his father praying in a little room while his mother was in another room praying and talking on the phone. He then says he went to heaven and met Jesus, John the Baptist, God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and his great grandfather and the sister his mother miscarried before he was born. Pastor Burpo claims that Colton had never known about the misscarriage or hear about his great grandfather, Pop before the experience. I have to question wether the boy really did go to heaven or if he just put things together from overhearing adults talking. For instance, he claims that everyone in heaqven has wings. The scripture only says that the Cheribum who guard the throne of God and the Seraphim who guard the tree of life have wings. Even when angels appear in the bible, thay do not have wings. No where does it even intimate that we will have wings in heaven. This seems to be a cultural misconception of the world. He also states that he saw "markers" on Jesusin His feet and palms of His hands. Another cultural misconception. While the common translations say he was nailed in his hands and feet, during the Roman crusafixtion, they would have placed the nails in the wrists because the weight of the body would have made the nails tear through the small bones in the hands. Then there's the account of him talking to Jesus about Armageddon. He says that his fahter and all the saved men will acccompany Christ on horses and fight along side Him with swords and bow and arrow while the women and children stay behind for safety. While the church does accompany Christ to earth for the battle of Armageddon, we will not have to do any fighting. Jesus defeats His enemies by the sword of the Word. These are the three main things that make me doubt the authenticity of Colton's account. I like how he is emphatic about the need to be born again to get to heaven, and while it is compelling that he knew where his parents were while he was in surgery, it is still possible that he heard them talking about where they were. The parents claim they never told him about the miscarriage but they told their older daughter. Who's to say the daughter didn't tell Colton? I know that people gravitate toward this kind of book. I bought it because I am interested in heaven. But, I was more interested in how heaven was presented and if the account corresponded with scripture or not. Would I reccommend this book to others? I am truly not sure. While I don't see any gross unbiblical doctrine or teachings, those three points are troublesome. I hate to endorse something that may just be the fanciful tale spinning of n impressionable young boy.
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