I’ve heard a lot about this book.
A lot.
And I’ve avoided it like the Plague.
It has over a million copies in print.
It’s been on the New York Times Bestseller List for who knows how long.
You can buy it at Walmart.
Even Costco.
For lots of people, those things are ringing endorsements.
But, for me, being that popular basically turns my Cynic Meter on high.
Like, off the charts, I can hardly contain my doubt High.
If you don’t know, the premise is about a little boy who almost dies when he’s four.
Apparently he visits Heaven and comes back and tells his Mom and Dad all about it.
Look, it’s not that I don’t believe that people can’t possibly visit Heaven and come back to tell about it…
I mean, if God created the Heavens and the Earth, He can certainly choose to give VIP passes to whomsoever He pleases.
If I believe what the Bible says to be true, I can’t exactly go putting all kinds of restrictions on what God supposedly can and cannot do.
So, in theory, I believe that it’s possible. Sure.
BUT…
The Bible is amazing.
But there are hard things in it.
Death and war and adultery and words like Sin and Judgement.
It’s can be a tough swallow.
The Bible is like anchovies. If it were cheese pizza it could go more places.
Sure, there are warm and fuzzy things like forgiveness and love too…of course, and certainly some of my favorite parts…
But I firmly believe that you have to take the Bible for ALL of it.
You have to take the hard stuff with the feel good stuff.
If God chose to include it, it’s gotta stay.
It’s not a shopping list where you can pick and choose what you want or like.
(I realize this all seems random, but I do have a point…)
My point is that I grow weary of books telling tales of Heaven/God/Christianity that appeal to such a wide audience.
Because I worry that it’s been “shopping listed”.
That it’s not really Biblical.
And frankly, that it might even be downright blasphemous.
All under the guise of feel good Christianity.
So, when a book can be bought at the same place I can buy a 5-gallon bucket of mayonaise, the Cynical Part of my brain goes on high alert.
For it to appeal to that wide an audience, there’s gotta be something…I don’t know the word…just not right about it, you know?
Besides, I reason, you can’t exactly “prove” that a four year actually went to Heaven or was coached or asked leading questions…or…or…or…so it’s kind of a “he said/she said” kind of thing, you know?
Plus, it’s an obvious money maker with the right writing style and marketing.
But, I had a borrowed copy and some time.
Thought that I’d at least give it a shot.
And I finished it in a day.
For all I know, Todd Burpo is a slimeball who sold out his son and is making millions off of poor unsuspecting Americans just trying to buy some bulk toilet paper.
Although after reading the book, I’m gonna put my money down that he’s not.
But the truth is, that even I’m not nearly as cynical about the whole thing.
The more important thing I took from the book is that it was heartwarming.
It was an easy read.
It was compelling.
While I’m no theologian, nothing screamed at me as being overwhelmingly unbiblical or crazy.
In fact, it left me yearning for Heaven.
Whether little Colton really did get a backstage pass or not, the truth is that it made me want to go there.
Not so much about the descriptions (because I have no idea if they’re accurate or not) but because the simple idea of being able to BE THERE was so appealing…so beautiful…so astounding…that I wanted to check it out myself.
All this talk of Heaven and Jesus and God made me remember that THAT was my goal with the best prize.
Ultimately, I have no idea if it’s all a well crafted book of fiction, a fishing story where the fish was “this big” every time the tale was retold, or if Colton Burpo is one rad little fellow with some pretty awesome hook ups…but I do know that I won’t be rolling my eyes in contempt the next time someone references it.
Some crow has been eaten.
I’ll admit it.
Have you read the book? What did you think?
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Gosh we’re going to get along swimmingly when we get to meet up :). You summed up my feelings/thoughts perfectly. I have not read the book, but thanks to you, I *might* give it a read and will refrain from any eye rolling until I do so ;).
Happy Day!
I skimmed through it and thought it was pretty incredible. For all we know this guy is a slimeball as you say or its the truth. I like to think it’s true. (How else would the kid know about a big sister his parents never told him about?) I guess we’ll find out when we kick the bucket.
I think more of Heaven and wonder what antics my babies get into.
(Surely little boys play with mudpies in Heaven and little girls have tea parties with their dollies and teddy bears and Jesus wears funny hats and pretend pearls in Heaven? Until it’s my time to go Home, I can think this ^^^ all I want.) ;)
I was somewhat skeptical of the book as well, but I happened to come across a copy just as my father-in-law was in the final weeks of terminal cancer. I haven’t made up my mind for sure about whether or not I think it’s true, but like others, I’d like it to be true. The heaven Colton describes is one I can get excited about. It sounds like a whole lot more fun than the boring heaven I knew as a kid (who wants to sit around all day playing a harp and singing?!). The title is perfect – Colton makes heaven seem REAL. And a place I want to be.
I wrote a little bit more here: http://sippinlemonade.blogspot.com/2011/03/going-away-party.html
P.S. I love Kara’s picture of Jesus wearing funny hats at a tea party!!
I haven’t read it. Haven’t read Blue Like Jazz. Haven’t read The Shack. Although I have read The Purpose Drive Life and The Prayer of Jabez because of book studies. I am not opposed to reading it, I just don’t gravitate towards all the hype and have to wait until I am forced into reading it. I’m pretty sure i wouldn’t have read Twilight either if I hadn’t got there before the movies.
I will read it if I come across a copy at the library, but I won’t be putting it on my Christmas list or anything.
I have not read the book. I have the same kind of feelings you do towards books like these. But we do have the book in our house (a friend wants my husband to read it, so he’s borrowing her copy). And you’re right- of course we know God CAN do things like that. It’s just…well, you pretty much already summed up my thoughts:-).
I picked it up at the library after hearing multiple people rave about it. Like you said, it was a good story and an easy read, and one that you hope is real. I didn’t love the writing style though and felt like Burpo was delivering a sermon sometimes, though that may have been something I read into it that wasn’t really there. Have you read “Same Kind of Different as Me”, it is similar to “Heaven is For Real”, but tells more of a story. I was able to get into it more and liked it so much that I bought it and gave it as gifts at Christmas.
You pretty much summed up my feelings exactly about the book and about “shop listing” the Bible. As for the book, I’ve been avoiding it. I even sort of roll my eyes when I see it. We live in an age where there is just so much false doctrine, so my guard is pretty high when it comes to stuff like this. Maybe I was a bit too critical/judgemental, judging a book by it’s cover (literally), and all that stuff. Like you said, who are we to say it didn’t happen. Maybe I’ll have to skim through it next time I’m at the store to really get an idea about it.
As for the Bible, I couldn’t agree more about having to take all of it. The sad thing is that churchs today “shop list” the Bible as to not step on toes, to keep everyone in that warm and fuzzy feeling, to keep the member number up, and so on and so forth. But in the long run they are just hurting their congegration. There are sooooo many people that believe that as long as they are good people, that’s good enough. And sadly it’s not.
There is a popular preacher on tv that heads up a huge church (I’ll leave his name out). I used to watch him quite often because he really does give good sermons. But one day it hit me that he never, never spoke about the shedding of Jesus’ blood. At the end of every sermon he speaks to the cameras and asks the audience if they were saved and if they weren’t to ask Jesus into their hearts. Yet he never explained the sacrifice of Jesus, how He died to bear our sins, and only through Him we are made whole. And to me that is just so sad.
I recently listened to this book on a drive from NorCal to SoCal. It was my first audio book and it ended LITERALLY one minute from my destination. But I digress. I loved this book in so many ways! It spoke to my heart and made me long for heaven. Although I’ve walked with Jesus since I was 8 years old (I’m now 39) and have been to seminary and worked in ministry…I loved this child’s perspective of heaven. It was a true blessing to me…and I hope that it will be to others.
This is also a book I would never absently just pick up and buy, for a lot of the same reservations that you had. But it was recommended by another Christian mom and made its’ way to the list for our book club. It’s coming on holidays with me next week, I’m looking forward to reading it!
Dag nabbit good stuff you whpiprsenpapers!
Okay Jeannett. Are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever? Are you really my friend Jeannett??!!! :)
Heehee! LOVE.IT. Maybe I’ll give it a skim too. And, what’s up next? Beth Moore perhaps? :) Maybe we can start a “books we make fun of but maybe they’re actually good” book club.
I recently had a similar experience with a book called “Our Lady of Kibeho”, written by Immaculee, the woman who wrote about surviving the Rwandan genocide. Anyway, the book was all about the only Vatican-approved Marian apparition in Africa, which happened in Rwanda (years prior to the genocide). Someone recommended it to me…so I read it.
In spite of the fact that I am SO SKEPTICAL of anything bordering on visionary. I mean really, really skeptical. So I’m reading this book and having to do everything in my power not to blow it off, because it is SO beyond anything in my experience. I mean, really? Mary appearing to Rwandan schoolgirls, telling them to relay the message that people need to turn their hearts back to God, if their nation doesn’t turn from hate horrible things will happen etc? (I was even a little embarrassed to be reading it. But I’m admitting it here, because if people are admitting to reading the book about the little boy who went to Heaven, I can admit to reading about Marian apparitions.)
But, the thing is, who am I to say it didn’t happen? People witnessed the girls having visions, and Mary’s alleged words came to pass, and nothing in the book or in Mary’s words was unChristian or unbiblical. And it made me reflect on the idea that, well, the New Testament was filled with God doing supernatural things–and there is nothing to indicate that all of it ended in the apostolic age.
SO, I will get that book from the library, and give it a look. But I might laugh a little bit, because I’ll be thinking about you reading it. :) Miss you guys!!!
so….i felt the same way about this book and then one day i was in target, on a particularly hard day, and it managed to find it’s way into my cart. i guess since part of my heart is presently residing in heaven, the whole notion of hearing what it’s really like felt appealing to me. i thought the book was cute, but (for me) it didn’t hold a candle to the image of everlasting life that the Bible paints.
I loved it. I too, read it in one day — unable to put it down. I consider myself fairly conservative theologically and I didn’t find anything to be majorly concerned about. I too found myself amazed and yearning for heaven, excited for the beautiful place that God has created for us. I also loved “Same Kind of Different as Me”, I would highly recommend it!!
i felt the exact same way. i was so skeptical. i work in ministry and talked to many people about it – but still felt like i should ‘guard myself’ from some money making scheme. a dear friend read the book – she called me crying – asking me to please buy the book.
i’ve lost 3 babies – ectopic, samuel when i was 6 months pregnant and miscarried a week ago – this book broke me in two! i cling to God’s word but i also yearn for the day i get to hold my sweet babies in heaven like this book talks about. the way he described meeting his sister who his mom had miscarried – i yearn for that day!
people can say what they say – i was one of those people – i now recommend that book!
i have yet to read this book, because you know i don’t really read much unless its a magazine (terrible, i know!). but, my neighbor was trying to sell me on this book, so much so that she told me the whole story then lent me her book, which i, of course, did not read. i was super skeptical of it for basically all your reasons, but i loved reading your perspective of it. and i guess its totally fine if people read it just to warm their heart or brighten their day, as long as it doesn’t skew their view of what the bible says for reals.
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I’ve read the book. I’m a Mom to four children in heaven(3 miscarriages and one stillbirth at 32 weeks). I have a degree in theology. I started my relationship with Jesus at the age of six. I am very conservative. I challenge anyone to find anything theologically wrong with the book. That’s what I loved most about the book, it lined up with Scripture so very beautifully! I already believed, before reading the book, that I will see my four babies again in heaven. This book helped me to see a picture of what my children are experiencing right now and what I will see someday. It’s a good book and I have recommended it to other parents who have experienced the loss of a child. I actually think it is a good book to use with people that do Not believe in Jesus to introduce them to eternal life with Him. It is a great jumping point to the Bible. It makes them want to look and read to see if the Bible “really says that.”
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