And THANK YOU for helping us make a mountain of cash!
The Charismatic and Evangelical Christian world is in an uproar over Alex Malarkey’s denunciation and retraction of his story detailed in the best-selling The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven. Another book, detailing a young boy’s trip to heaven and back, came out about the same time as The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven. Heaven is for Real, details the story of Colton Burpo. You can read my review of the book here.
In a press release on the Crossroads Wesleyan Church website, Colton assures people that his story is true:
Dear Friends
I know there has been a lot of talk about the truth of other Heaven stories in the past few days. I just wanted to take a second and let everyone know that I stand by my story found in my book Heaven is for Real. I still remember my experience in Heaven. I want to keep telling people about my experience because it has given hope to so many people.
People may have their doubts about my story, but the thing is, I wasn’t coaxed into doing this. I wanted to tell people about my experience. In fact, I started sharing my story with my friends and people in our town way before there was a book called Heaven is for Real.
I hope that my story continues to point people to Jesus.
He really, really loves you.
Colton Burpo
Colton wants everyone to know that he stands by his story and that he wasn’t coaxed into telling his story. Of course, there is no empirical evidence to prove that Colton’s story is true. We are just going to have to take his word for it.
Let me give you several reasons why Colton or his preacher father will never disavow the story.
Well, really only ONE reason. The money.
Money from book sales (over 10 million copies sold)
Money from the book sequel, Heaven Changes Everything
Money from conferences
Money from speaking engagements
Money from the movie that was made from the book. (the movie grossed 101 million dollars)
Money from DVD, digital download, and Blu-ray sales
Money from Heaven is for Real curriculum
Money from the sale of Jesus Junk® (tee shirts, coffee mugs, tumblers, bracelet, greeting cards, music) (link no longer active)
Money from the Red Carpet Special. (link no longer active) For $43.00 and a suspension of rational thought, you’ll receive:
- The Official Movie Edition of Heaven is for Real (Signed by the Burpo Family)
- Heaven is for Real for Kids (Signed by the Burpo Family)
- Heaven Changes Everything (Signed by the Burpo Family)
- Prince of Peace note card and bookmark
- Heaven is for Real Bracelet
BTW, I am planning to write a book titled An Atheist Goes to Heaven. It will detail the true story — true because I say it is — of an atheist who dies, goes to heaven, sees Jesus, comes back to earth, and still doesn’t believe. Ought to be a bestseller, don’t you think? I could follow it up with another book, I met Christopher Hitchens in Heaven and He HATES it There!
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I don’t know if Heaven is for real, but I do know that P. T. Barnum’s adage is true.
My kids watched this movie and it was all I could do to hold my tongue.
I just cant help but wonder why more people haven’t called out the errors/bad ideas that this book propigates. Jesus himself said that people wouldn’t be convinced even if one came back from the dead. I wonder if Lazarus saw angels singinging when he died and came back? Since there is no time in eternity, maybe Lazarus and Colton saw each other in this mystical plane.
Thanks for the reviews, Bruce. It is nice to see reviews from the other side. You are smart enough to be able to refute all of the phony ideas. I’m just a knuckle dragger and don’t have all of that fancy learnin’.
i’d buy 10 copies of your book, and distribute them to deserving “christians”, if it weren’t for the fact that they’d use it as a fire starter… 😉
Bruce, I would READ your books! They sound like awesome satire. 😉
Bruce,
You’ve got it right on the money, Pal! No doubt this one is scared because of the new untoward attention 🙂
As for your book, I’d LOVE it! And why not?
Bruce, do you really think money is why they will always stick to their story? Because I don’t think it has anything more to do with money in their case than in the Malarkey case. Or do you have a reason to think they are charlatans as opposed to true believers?
Everything I’ve seen suggests to me that these guys are true believers, and that the reason they continue to insist the story is true is because it aligns with their dogma. Incidentally, that’s also why I think Malarkey repudiated his story — not money, but because his dogma didn’t leave him with any alternative.
I think there are many factors that come into play. I am not sure that we can know if they really believe the stories they told, especially since it seems clear that the stories were massaged, arranged, rearranged, and manipulated by adults so a cogent bestselling book could be written.
Where the money comes into play is the fact that the success of the books have afforded them a lifestyle they never would have had. ( especially Colton Burpo) Like all of us, they like the lifestyle the money allows them to have. If the Colton Burpo pulls an Alex Malarkey, the money and prestige dry up overnight.
Colton Burpo is, what? — 14 or 15 years old now? And he is supposed to have written that press release confirming that he stands by his story? Since when do teenagers write press releases? To me the tone and shape of of Colton’s supposed message sounds like something an adult would write. In other words it’s a lie, created to verify a previous set of lies.
Kind of what I was thinking, Frank. Sounded awfully grown-up.
“Jerry, just remember, it’s not a lie if you believe it.”
-George Costanza
Do it, Bruce! I will confirm your testimony..or whatever it is called when someone confirms that someone else actually received a word from God. Forgive me, I was Southern Baptist.
Thou art forgiven! 🙂
Wait a second; I missed this the first time: Heaven Is For Real CURRICULUM? They’ve made a class out of this? Mmmkay…