By Mark Ellis
Pastor Todd Burpo, who penned the dramatic account of his son’s trip to heaven and back – now a blockbuster film – fends off Christian critics who contend the colorful account could never have happened.
“The Jesus in the Bible is the same Jesus who did this for Colton,” Todd affirms. “If Christians don’t like that they must be Pharisees,” he says. Pharisees were members of a religious party that emphasized strict interpretation and observance of the Mosaic Law. The New Testament frequently depicted them as self-righteous, because they placed the letter of the law above its spirit.
Todd says the attitude of his critics toward the supernatural is telling. “Christians and sinners still appreciate miracles,” he notes. “Pharisees never have and never will.”
“In the Bible, Pharisees used to call themselves Jews. Today they call themselves Christians.”
Todd points to the story of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration to bolster his argument. “Were Moses and Elijah angels or people?” he asks. “Are they lying in a grave somewhere waiting for the Second Coming or are they in heaven with God?”
“The people who say Colton’s trip to heaven can’t happen, I say, ‘Read your Bible.’”
Todd believes the movie is a fair and accurate representation of the book. “The integrity of the story was the biggest thing we protected,” he notes. “There are some things they had to change, but it’s very close to the story.”
Father and son agree with some of the film critics who say the strength of the movie lies in the drama that unfolded on earth, rather than the representation of heaven. “Colton would say, ‘Heaven is way much better than how they made it in the movie.’”
“With all the things Hollywood can do, they still can’t depict heaven,” Todd adds.
Before shooting on the movie began, Todd and his wife Sonja had dinner with actors Greg Kinnear and Kelly Reilly, who portray them in the film. “Greg asked me some personal questions and Kelly asked Sonja some questions. They learned to copy us fast,” he notes. “The casting is what makes the movie phenomenally good.”
“With the little boy (Connor Corum) who plays Colton, you see pretty much what I saw 11 years ago. He looked at me and he looks at you through the screen and in his uncompromising and childlike way tells you what he saw.”
Todd also had frequent interaction with Randall Wallace, director of the film, who also worked on the screenplay
with Chris Parker. “Randall Wallace called me many times and asked about our reaction to events. He used that in the writing of the screenplay. We had suggestions and he was very cooperative.”
Wallace wrote the screenplay for Braveheart. He also directed The Man in the Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers, and Secretariat. Wallace identifies himself as a Christian and has spoken at the Fellowship Foundation National Prayer Breakfast. He also delivered the commencement address at Liberty University in 2011.
“I know the only way to get to heaven is by Jesus,” Wallace told Todd during their meetings. “I just don’t know all the ways Jesus makes Himself known to people.”
While Colton’s memories of his hospital stay are fading, his memories of heaven have not. “When it comes to the hospital (memories), yes it’s foggy,” Todd relates. “Most of his memories of heaven are still very clear and we’re grateful for that.”
“Here’s the litmus test on the book and movie: it points everybody to Jesus,” he notes emphatically. “Jesus is the person who made this happen. If we compromised or tried to embellish or said something that didn’t happen, I don’t think God would have blessed it.”
“That’s why God has allowed this to grow so big,” he adds.
Todd encourages Christians to invite non-Christians to see the movie. “Here is a bridge God built for you. He is saying to His church: Use this bridge.”
Related: Story of Akiane
Todd Burpo interview about book (including details of heaven not found in book)
I think the movie is great! I read the book three times. I read it to a friend who has macular degeneration and is unable to read and to my Mom when she was in the nursing home, before she passed away. The book is even better than the movie. It made Heaven so real that Mom was looking forward to being young again and seeing Jesus and my Dad. Thank you, Colton, for telling about your experience. You have been a blessing to many people. God bless you and your family.
I read the book ‘Heaven is for Real’ soon after it came out, and knew instinctively that this was a genuine, God-given experience of the young boy Colton. I have read a couple of accounts of heaven that left me feeling decidedly uneasy. They seemed artificial and self-promoting by comparison. However Colton’s story is genuine, simple and Scriptural. Above all, it gives glory to Jesus rather than to this family who struggled for some time to work out what had happened. That is, all except for the young boy Colton who believed implicitly that he had seen Jesus. This has had a permanent effect on him that cannot be denied. My son and daughter-in- law read this book soon after they lost their third child at just over four months gestation. It made a lasting impression on them, and they speak often of their little boy Seth who is with Jesus. I, for one, can’t wait to see the movie!
How dare we compare the claims of “Heaven is For Real” against what the Bible says! Good way to marginalize the debate — label your detractors “Pharisees.” That just demonstrates that “Pastor” Burpo doesn’t know what a Pharisee is.
Much of the claims in the book directly contradict the Bible – so which should we believe? The deception in the church is because there is a total lack of discernment. People want to believe everything that makes them “feel good.”
Agreed
Can you cite some examples?
Glenn, Can you cite some examples?
MODERATOR: why do you keep repeating my post and refusing to give me a new combox for another comment???????????????????????????????????????
Stephanie, what he said was that he wasvreferring to the ATTITUDE of the Pharisees, which was , as hevsaid, self-righteous, I.e., only they knew what was right. I don’t recall Jesus blasting them only for not believing in Him but He definitely called them out for liking to be admired for their “devotion” as praying in public and especially, for their legalistic minds, as He said, “You strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.” also He condemned them for evading their responsibility of caring for their parents by saying that the money had to go to the priests. In other words, Pharisees thought only THEY were right and had no openness to anything else. It strikes me that this is rather similar to the attitudes of some posters here. Our God is a God of surprises and we should be leery of putting Him in a box; Jesus told the disciples that there was more to tell them than what He had shared with them before his ascension. Unless something in this boy’s experience flatly contradicts the Bible, i would not condemn it. And I’ve seen no examples of any so far in these comments. I’d be glad to see some but so far all I’ve seen are refutations of Mary’s perpetual virginity, a matter not proven in the Word either way. The word in Greek for brothers and sisters is the same for cousin or even relative. Obviously this is a sore point between Catholic and Protestant but we don’t really know, do we?
Wow, calling people who aren’t convinced about this story (because the details don’t match up with Scripture) “pharisees” seems kind of harsh. Jesus is the living God, and He rebuked the Pharisees for not believing Him. Rebuking people for not believing our personal experiences is not the same thing.
Very good point, Stephanie.
Glenn, Can you cite some examples?
Stephanie, what he said was that he wasvreferring to the ATTITUDE of the Pharisees, which was , as hevsaid, self-righteous, I.e., only they knew what was right. I don’t recall Jesus blasting them only for not believing in Him but He definitely called them out for liking to be admired for their “devotion” as praying in public and especially, for their legalistic minds, as He said, “You strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.” also He condemned them for evading their responsibility of caring for their parents by saying that the money had to go to the priests. In other words, Pharisees thought only THEY were right and had no openness to anything else. It strikes me that this is rather similar to the attitudes of some posters here. Our God is a God of surprises and we should be leery of putting Him in a box; Jesus told the disciples that there was more to tell them than what He had shared with them before his ascension. Unless something in this boy’s experience flatly contradicts the Bible, i would not condemn it. And I’ve seen no examples of any so far in these comments. I’d be glad to see some but so far all I’ve seen are refutations of Mary’s perpetual virginity, a matter not proven in the Word either way. The word in Greek for brothers and sisters is the same for cousin or even relative. Obviously this is a sore point between Catholic and Protestant but we don’t really know, do we?
Pastor Burpo’s comment about “Pharisees” is disappointing and it actually detracts from considering the message of the film and book he has written, leaving me more hesitant to read it than if he had simply exercised faith in both his son’s experience and the common sense of genuine Christians to make up their minds before being threatened with something they cannot be if they question the story. Let’s see it first please and don’t warn me of Pharisaical scepticism before I have had an opportunity to see the film. If it points people to the mystery of God’s love and His everlasting Kingdom it matters little how this is achieved. I look forward to reading the book and seeing the movie here in England.
7 Real Problems with Heaven is for Real by Shane Pruitt
The afterlife has always been and always will be a great business opportunity. However, over the past several years there has been a surge in the number of books written that describe a wide range of alleged afterlife experiences. These include, but are certainly not limited to going to heaven for 90 minutes, hell for 23 minutes, and any range of there-and-back-again stories that claim to reveal what’s just on the other side of the curtain of eternity. And evangelical Christians are buying them by the millions.
My goal is not to make fun of people who read these books or to cause division within the Body of Christ, it is simply to draw attention to specific problems within perhaps the most well known of these books and offer a prescription for where we go from here.
We are called to worship God in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24), and in doing that, His Word tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone into the world” (1 John 4:1). Obviously, John cared a lot about what is ‘true’, and desired to ‘test’ everything that is said about the spiritual realm, which is something that we must continue to do today.
Because our faith is often challenged by culture, we can be quick to accept, consume, and believe anything that we feel validates our beliefs, especially when it gets made into big budget Hollywood movies. However, we need to care a lot about what is right, true, and trustworthy because we worship the Truth (John 14:6). So, what is our standard for truth? Definitively, we must answer that Scripture is our standard in issues of truth, and we must test everything new and old according to the eternal Word. If something fails to line up with scripture, then you can be sure that it is not the Word of God, and that it is not worthy of our faith or our hope.
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back is a 2010 New York Times best-selling book, written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. Heaven is for Real documents the report of a near-death experience by Burpo’s then-four-year-old son, Colton. The book tells how the boy began saying he had visited heaven after a serious illness that almost took his life. There have been over 12 million copies sold, and a movie based in the book is hitting movie screens right now across the country.
While I obviously do not agree with the content or point of the book, I do want to say up front that as a father myself, I can’t imagine what Todd Burpo went through while his son was gravely ill and the rush of relief that he must have felt when he realized his son was going to make it. However, we need to lovingly respond with Scripture even to our children when they mention things about God, Jesus, and Heaven that are not biblically accurate.
Here are a few of the more glaring problems we found in Heaven Is for Real:
1. Jesus has a Rainbow horse. (pg. 63)
Colton claimed that Jesus had a rainbow horse, and that he got to pet him.
We don’t know if Jesus rides a literal horse. So much of Revelation is metaphorical and allegorical, but if the horse is at all literal, it is without question white!
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11).
“And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses” (Revelation 19:14).
2. We have ‘wings’ in Heaven. (pg. 72 – 73)
Colton tells his dad that everyone in heaven has wings except for Jesus. He in particular moves up and down like He is on an elevator. In fact, Colton was given “small wings” and he found them to be “uncomfortable.”
This is a common misconception made by many: that we’ll all have wings like angels, or that we actually become angels. However, the Bible says something very different. We will look like Jesus in his glorified body.
“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see him as He is” (1 John 3:2). And, as far as I know, the post-resurrection Jesus didn’t have wings!
3. We have ‘lights’ over our heads in Heaven. (pg. 73 – 75)
Colton tells his father that everyone in Heaven has lights above their heads. Then, Todd confirms this by telling a story of his friends daughter, who claimed to see lights above “some” people’s heads in a church service.
Possibly, Colton is trying to describe a ‘halo’ like what is shown in medieval Catholic art over angels and/or saints. However, once again there is no Scriptural support for this. In fact, the description given in the Book of Revelation, those in heaven are described very differently.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’” (Revelation 7:9 – 10)!
“And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses” (Revelation 19:14).
According to Scripture, believers are described with white robes/lines, pure, and holding palm branches. I’m not sure how that works, unless Jesus has already returned and we’ve received our glorified bodies. However, one thing we do know, there is no mention of lights floating above our heads, and still no mention of anything resembling wings.
Also, according to 1 Thessalonians, our spirits and souls are with Jesus, and our bodies are in the ground until the Second Coming:
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 18).
Those would be ‘wing-less’ and ‘halo-less’ souls and spirits, of course!
4. Colton went to Heaven without dying, just like the Apostle Paul. (pg. 79 – 80)
Colton tells his dad that he was in Heaven for three minutes. Then, they have a discussion about whether or not Colton had died and came back to life, or if he went to Heaven without dying. Todd eventually summarizes that Colton had an experience like the Apostle Paul did.
The problem with this is that the Apostle Paul didn’t find any value in writing a book about his experience in heaven.
“Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:1–10).
Interestingly, God won’t let the Apostle Paul, the same man who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament and expounded on some of the greatest mysteries of our faith, write in detail about his heavenly experience. Paul even receives a “thorn in his flesh” to keep him humble and quiet about the details! However, in order to get behind Heaven is for Real, we have to assume that the same God that wouldn’t allow Paul to write about his experiences really wanted a four-year-old from Imperial, Nebraska to give us the details on what Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and all the rest are really like.
5. Gabriel sits on the Left-side of God’s Throne. (pg. 101)
According to Colton, Jesus sits on a throne at the right hand of God, which is supported all throughout the New Testament. However, he continues on saying that “the angel Gabriel sits to the left of God’s throne.”
Gabriel is the angel that God used as a messenger to speak to Mary and Joseph about the immaculate conception of Jesus. However, there is no mention of Gabriel having any special position in heaven. There is only one title held by an angel that is mentioned in the Scriptures, and that is of Michael being the Archangel. “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 1:9).
6. The Holy Spirit is blue (pg. 102 – 103)
Colton tells his dad that while he was in Heaven, that he was given a little chair to sit next to the Holy Spirit. Todd asked him what the Holy Spirit looked like. Colton responds that “the Holy Spirit is kind of blue.”
Honestly, I don’t even know how to respond to this one. There are two instances in Scripture where the Holy Spirit is described with an “appearance.” The first is at Jesus’ baptism, where He is described like a “dove,” and then again at Pentecost, where He is described as “tongues of fire.”
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him” (Matthew 3:16).
“And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:3-4).
Generally speaking, I would tend to believe the Holy Spirit is invisible except for when He is specifically mentioned as having some kind of form. There are a massive number of verses that mention God being invisible, and Jesus being the image of an invisible God, but there are certainly no verses that describe any kind of “color” associated with the Spirit of God.
7. Jesus looks just like Akiane’s, “Prince of Peace: The Resurrection Portrait.” (pg. 140 – 145)
Colton is continually pressed by his parents about what Jesus looked like, because they were desperate to visualize His face. Finally Colton tells them that a little girl’s portrait is identical to what Jesus looks like. He is attractive with beautiful eyes.
There’s actually a pretty big issue with this one; namely how Colton’s image of Jesus could easily be considered a violation of the Second Commandment, which reads, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4). The reason that this commandment is so important is because of what it says about the way we picture Jesus and God himself. Think about it this way, when you pray, confess your sin, or picture the Son of God on the cross, what image comes into your mind? Likely it is one that Christian culture has created for us! When you think about Jesus on the cross, you might think of the Passion of the Christ; when you confess your sin, you might imagine a Sunday School picture of Jesus holding a lamb, neither of which are helpful or glorifying to God! This is why the Second Commandment is so important, and why I can’t help but think that Colton’s descriptions of Jesus and the Holy Spirit are at best misguided.
Beyond specific problems and theological inaccuracies that are contained within Heaven is for Real, there is a much more serious issue within this entire genre of religious fiction that is not simply limited to this particular best seller. And that is that all of these afterlife experiences tend to be incredibly “man-centered” when every account of Heaven in Scripture is absolutely and without question “Christ-centered.” Colton sat in Jesus’ lap, the angels sang to him, his grandpa and sister visited with him, etc. There is a lot about his experiences, and comparatively little about the glory of God and his all-consuming holiness, both of which are the literal definition of the place we call heaven and illuminate everything therein.
When it’s all said and done, the problem is not with those who write these books, because I’m not in the business of questioning the validity of what they believe they saw (even though I’m 100% sure they didn’t go to heaven). The problem is much deeper than that, and falls onto our shoulders as readers and consumers of this kind of material. These kinds of books and movies can expose a serious lack of trust in the testimony of Scripture, the fragility of our faith, and an immaturity in the ability to respond to “experiences” with our ultimate standard of Truth.
Our faith will be strengthened by reading the Bible and believing it for what it says; our faith will be weakened by reading the Bible and believing it only after reading books like Heaven is for Real. We are called to believe God on the basis of what he says in his Word, not on the basis of another person’s experience. Heaven Is For Real, 90 Minutes in Heaven, and all the rest are not books that beautify and expound on the doctrine of heaven, but are rather books that attack the doctrine of Scripture. The Bible insists that it is enough, that it is sufficient, that we have no need for further special revelation from God; these books insist that we need more. That is a serious issue, and a costly affront against the sufficiency of Scripture.
So, where do we go from here? This article is not intended to be a wholesale condemnation of those who have read these books or have seen the movie; ultimately there are many more detrimental movies and books out there that we could spend our time watching or reading. The point of all this is simply to say this: Just because something markets itself as true and “Christian” does not mean that we have the right to disengage our brains or our discernment and simply consume it with open hearts and open minds. We must test everything against the ultimate standard of Truth that we have been given, and that Word reminds us that Christ is sufficient, Scripture is enough, and we have no reason to fear anything in this life or the next, not because of Colton Burpo, but because of our great hope in the gospel and the finished work of Christ on the cross on our behalf.
Finally and most importantly, we do know that Heaven is indeed for real, but only because a wholly trustworthy God and the Bible tells me so!
Shane, I won’t go into your extremely lengthy exposition of scripture, but l like to address one point that has always been mysterious: if, as Paul says in Thess., we are “dead” until the Resurrection, how is it that Jesus was able to converse with Elijah and Moses on Mt Tabor? How was Samuel called up for Saul by thevwitches?( I would add that after all the works of Thomas Acquinas, he had a vision. He said then,” all i have written is straw and I will write no more.” must have seen things outside scripture, I’d guess, things too wonderful to describe.)
Why does Todd Burpo call me a Pharisee? The Holy Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by many eyewitness accounts. Look thru the Holy Bible and see if you can find Jesus with a rainbow horse. Revelations 19 says He has a White horse. The book and movie claim Gabriel sits at the Father’s left hand In His Throne Room. Look in Hebrews and see if God shares his throne room with any angel. He doesn’t.
Did Todd ask his son Colton if he ever saw the 24 thrones where the elders worshipped and bowed continually? And where is Gabriel in this throne room? No where. Revelation 4.
The book and movie may not take away from scripture, but it adds to it. I do not say this out of hate nor legalism but out of zealous love for the Lord’s people. I only ask that you look through the Holy Bible and see if you can find the things Colton describes. Christians believe in the INERRANCY and SUPREMACY of the Holy Bible. Christ’s love letter to the world. If you do not find it in Scripture, discard it. Jesus says, “The Truth shall set you free.”
Its typical evangelical jesus and me fare. We are not a new creation in Christ we are in Christs new creation or redeeming of the world. Evangelicals chop up st paul. They are saved and its me me me .
They have a corner on biblical interpretation without using christian history and now even add on!! road to damascus is about God, noy going into fun fare with a 4 yr old. Colton learned these things in sunday school and worship in a fundy church..
1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit. Jude 1:19)
Comments are closed.