A BOOK REVIEW: HEAVEN IS FOR REAL

I just finished the book, Heaven is for Real, by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent.

WHY I READ THIS BOOK

1. I've been collecting scriptures that reference Heaven for many years and reflecting on their meaning.
2. Since doing a sermon series on Heaven in the fall of 2006, I have been very interested in the topic.  The sermon series was listened to on-line and via a CD packet by hundreds of people.
3. Because of my interest in Heaven, a number of friends have asked my opinion of this book.

QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT WANT AN OPINION ON

• Do you think Colton Burpo really visited Heaven?

          Yes.  It seems to me that he either actually visited Heaven or had an extremely vivid vision of  Heaven.  Why would we want to doubt this?  Isn't God still pursuing lost people?  Isn't God desiring to comfort the hurting?  Why wouldn't God choose to use this vehicle - an almost 4-year-old - to inform, inspire, and challenge those who are willing to read his account? 

• Do Colton's reports support the scriptural evidence?

         Yes, they largely do.  However, some things go beyond what we can learn from scripture;  for instance:
                 - confirming Jesus' appearance
                 - the fact that there are no old people in Heaven
                 - that people in Heaven know what is happening on earth
                 - that we have wings and can fly when we get to Heaven
                 - that the angel Gabriel sits on the throne to God's left

• Is it wise to read this book (or encourage others to read it)?

         Absolutely!  I find nothing here that would lead anyone to any dangerous conclusions.  I found the book to be tremendously uplifting and encouraging.  The fact that God chose an innocent messenger fits in with the way that I believe God works.  Colton's reports are filtered through his pastor/father's experience, knowledge, and thoughts. 

• Do you have any fears about people reading this book?

         Yes.  I would fear that some might begin to mix the images that Colton has revealed with the truth of God's Word at an equal level!  God's revealed Word is supreme.  Colton's recollections are on a radically different level. 

Even his father states (p.148):

"As a pastor, I've always been very conscious about what I share about heaven from the pulpit, and I still am.  I teach what I find in scripture."

• What did you like most about the book?

         I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book where Colton described the colors in Heaven.  Randy Alcorn, in his very helpful book Heaven, also suggested that Heaven may reveal colors such as ultra-violet rays, infrared, and others that we don't know of yet.  The reference to the stones in the foundations of the city (pp.107-108) was fascinating to me!

I recommend the book!  It will encourage you and whet your appetite for Heaven! 

Elisabeth Elliot, the wife of martyred missionary Jim Elliot, wrote:

“Heaven is not here;  it’s there.  If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.  God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to himself and his still invisible kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.”    [quoted in REV. magazine, “Prayer Changes Things”, November/December, 2003,  p. 84]