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983 reviews for:
Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
Todd Burpo
3.66 AVERAGE
983 reviews for:
Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
Todd Burpo
3.66 AVERAGE
In an effort to clear out some "to-reads" that I've had on my shelf since I joined goodreads years ago, I picked this low-hanging fruit from my library. Skinny, quick read; however, I was not prepared for the impact of my brain digesting this story. I guess my main thought going in was is this a credible story or not. And yes, for the most part, the fact that he recognized his grandfather, and he was able to relay odd details of the experience make it seem fairly credible. However, to my horror, the heaven that he seems to have visited is the Christian heaven I was brought up to believe in as a young girl attending a Lutheran K-8 for my formative years. There are people with wings. A triple throne where God the father, Jesus, and an amorphous blue blob, the Holy Spirit, reign. What will we be doing in heaven? Visiting with dead great grandparents, it seems. Unless you're a lucky enough kid to be doing schoolwork with Jesus! What do women do in heaven? Well, they can't fight in the great fight against Satan, to send him back to hell. They just have to watch the men fight with swords. Mary, mother of Jesus is described as kneeling at his feet. Or standing silently by his side. As far as diversity in heaven, a question is asked in the back about Jewish folks. The answer is NO, don't expect ANYONE who hasn't accepted the Christian Jesus to be there. So...a majority of the world's population, people from other countries and other religions are just...not there.
Another thing that really bothered me, as a scientist, is the animals. Sure, there are animals. A lion. A dog. And a horse with a rainbow mane. WHAT? So do animals go to heaven, or not? Are there wasps? Things that have gone extinct? What is the predator/ prey situation like? If one animal is there, I feel like they ALL should be there. Living in perfectly balanced, pristine ecosystems. I guess I would go there, despite other flawed situations, IF I could see a passenger pigeon migration. And sit in a cloud forest ecosystem circa 1900.
This book literally gave me an apocalypse nightmare. If this is heaven for everyone, no thanks. It felt like I was trapped in the 90s, in a white Christian male version of "perfection". I prefer my 7 year-old's afterlife ambition, which is to be come back as our family dog. Maybe, hopefully, what happens when you die is you go to wherever you believe you go. That is the only way I can digest the conundrum of what seems like a credible experience for this Christian pastor's child. Maybe he did actually go to "his" heaven. And maybe we will all get to go to our own heaven when we die. But I guess I have learned, I don't really want to go to anyone else's heaven.
Another thing that really bothered me, as a scientist, is the animals. Sure, there are animals. A lion. A dog. And a horse with a rainbow mane. WHAT? So do animals go to heaven, or not? Are there wasps? Things that have gone extinct? What is the predator/ prey situation like? If one animal is there, I feel like they ALL should be there. Living in perfectly balanced, pristine ecosystems. I guess I would go there, despite other flawed situations, IF I could see a passenger pigeon migration. And sit in a cloud forest ecosystem circa 1900.
This book literally gave me an apocalypse nightmare. If this is heaven for everyone, no thanks. It felt like I was trapped in the 90s, in a white Christian male version of "perfection". I prefer my 7 year-old's afterlife ambition, which is to be come back as our family dog. Maybe, hopefully, what happens when you die is you go to wherever you believe you go. That is the only way I can digest the conundrum of what seems like a credible experience for this Christian pastor's child. Maybe he did actually go to "his" heaven. And maybe we will all get to go to our own heaven when we die. But I guess I have learned, I don't really want to go to anyone else's heaven.
I read this book in one afternoon. I'm not sure if it will change what I believe or how I view my faith but it did leave some lasting impressions. I'm still absorbing some of the details and I want to read it again just so I am clear about what Colton says. It has made me both hopeful and skeptical at the same time. I know what my next pick for my book club will be! It certainly generates interesting discussion.
I picked this book up for a family member, but wanted to read it before sending it. When I finished it I didn't want to give up my copy, and bought 2 more to send to family members. A very comforting story.
The book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo is about his son’s amazing journey to heaven and back. Colton was three years old when he was extremely sick and had this near death experience. When he came back from surgery he claimed, “The angels were singing to me”- which shocked both his parents. As the weeks and months unravel Coloton reveals that “You know I almost died” and reveals that during this time he was in heaven and relates certain aspects of heaven that are not only detailed but scriptural as well.
I think this book is great for any Christian or non-Christian to read. As I was reading this book I kept relating Colton’s experiences back to scripture. One verse that continually popped in my head was: 2 Peter 3:8 “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Colton’s experiences highlight the fact that God sees in the fourth dimension- He can see time and it is not a linear progression.
I feel like this experience happened to a four year child for a reason. Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." (Matthew 19:4). It takes a child to relay his heavenly experience without any fears of people rejecting him and without any pretenses. Colton’s child-like, matter-of-fact faith made him the perfect choice for this experience. Whether you’re a Christian, a non-believer, or just have questions about what might happen after death, you should read this book.
I think this book is great for any Christian or non-Christian to read. As I was reading this book I kept relating Colton’s experiences back to scripture. One verse that continually popped in my head was: 2 Peter 3:8 “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Colton’s experiences highlight the fact that God sees in the fourth dimension- He can see time and it is not a linear progression.
I feel like this experience happened to a four year child for a reason. Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." (Matthew 19:4). It takes a child to relay his heavenly experience without any fears of people rejecting him and without any pretenses. Colton’s child-like, matter-of-fact faith made him the perfect choice for this experience. Whether you’re a Christian, a non-believer, or just have questions about what might happen after death, you should read this book.
I loved the book. It is hard to know or maybe even accept what Colton experienced in heaven. But to me that didn't matter. His descriptions of heaven were a brilliant reminder of the hope that comes after life. If heaven is half the place he described it is worth yearning for.
Regardless of whether or not you believe the details of this story, it's a great read. Very uplifting and comforting if you've lost saved loved ones or children. I must say I want o believe Colton's account of Heaven.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Really more like two and a half stars. This was better than I was expecting it to be, but still not my kind of book.
Wow. I am sure there is some controversy over how "real" this book is but in the end I have faith that Heaven is similar to how the author and his son describe. I especially want to relate and believe in the story about the daughter that the mom had miscarried at 2 months. It is amazing to think that when I am in heaven I will be reunited with the 3 babies we lost. Will be writing a blog post about this soon. Very quick and interesting read.