If you haven't yet read part one, please read that one first. That is why it says "Part 1." ;) Unless you are a friend who hates having things "prefaced." Not mentioning names, but I might have a friend like that, and she prefers things blunt and straight to the point... :) But the rest of you, please, read the first part.
So, here is the unpleasant task... being "critical" of a book that has "over two million copies in print" and has been the NY Times bestseller...
Bluntly, and to the point, I remain unconvinced that Colton Burpo has had a vision of heaven. More on that later.
First of all, let me say why I believe that this book should not have been written, even IF Colton DID have a vision of heaven.
And that is not going to make people like me. I realize. Not only do I disbelieve the vision, but I think a lovable, sincere family did the wrong thing in writing a book and "sharing" it with everyone...
Which brings me to an important disclaimer. If you do NOT share in a profession of belief in the Bible, then my words mostly have no weight for you. This book will be like any other book about life after death experiences or visions of heaven. (and there are many. Many, many.) Most of those stories/books present "evidence" similar to what is found in HifR about people knowing things they could only know if what happened was real. I'm pretty suspicious of that sort of evidence.
I'm critiquing this book in particular, because it is written inside of the Bible-based world view. And the biggest part of my criticism comes out of that. This particular blog is NOT meant to cover "near death experiences" is what I am saying. I'm just dealing with what I think about Christians writing about "personal revelations," dreams, visions, etc. (to simplify, I'm just going to say "Christian" even though I acknowledge that not everyone who says they are a Christian believes in the Bible as some sort of authority on spiritual things. That sounds crazy, yet it is true... Strange world we live in, I say.)
Let's suppose that Colton "really" had a vision of heaven. (Because as his father admits, at no time did Colton stop breathing or have his heart stop, therefore his father himself calls this a "vision.") I don't believe that he did... but let's be (on my side) hypothetical.
What do we do with this?? Is this a general revelation that is on par in authority with the Bible? Well, no, I'm sure most Bible believers would emphatically deny that. In fact, Todd Burpo is very careful to explain that he examined Colton's revelations against scripture and they were not contradictory to it. So the vision has been "subject" to the authority of the Bible.
Indeed... but if Colton's revelations are NOT authoritative... yet come from God ... what are they? I mean, to US, the body of those who believe the Bible. Now, because Colton says that in heaven we have wings, and that is not contradicted in the Bible, do I believe that my son, Joel, is in heaven with wings?? Either this vision is from the Lord or it is not. If it is from God, then it is true! Then Colton IS revealing GENERAL REVELATION. How can it be any other way?
Notice the story of the lady who came to ask Todd Burpo if her child was also in heaven? Why? She could not go to the Bible. The Bible could not tell her. So she went to another authority, Todd Burpo... I admit he said it made him uncomfortable and he did his best to deal with the question. But what was the outcome here? A lady went to Todd Burpo for an authoritative answer, because the Bible was not enough...
If God had revealed to the Burpo family a private and personal vision to comfort them or ?? (fill in some reason) then it should have remained private. To share it to the world at large is to invite other Christians to believe what the vision revealed as a revelation additional to the Bible. But Christians are NOT to add to the revelation of scripture.
This is not someone saying "God showed me that He wants me to be a missionary in Africa." This is someone sharing information about heaven. It's more like someone saying "God has told me that every Christian in America needs to move to Africa." That wouldn't really be a "personal" revelation... it's for everybody. And if you tell other people that your son had a vision from God that revealed things about heaven, well...?? Even the apostle Paul, who had some sort of vision or trip to heaven, was not allowed to share it with us. (2 Corinthians 12:1-ff) That was before the canon of Scripture was closed... So... er... did God change His mind now, after 2,000 years, about what we should know about heaven?
Still not sure about the way this errodes the special authority of Biblical revelation? Here is a quote from the 'blurbs' at the front: "Colton's story could have been in the New Testament - but God has chosen to speak to us in this twenty-first century..." Are you sure you agree with this idea? (I realize the Burpo's didn't make this claim, but isn't it sort of a logical conclusion?) Colton's story could have been in the New Testament?? But God left it out and let a whole wack of people live without it until now? So even though it is 2,000 years later, we can hold Colton's story on par with the Bible?
Do you see the problem I'm talking about here? It might seem a small thing, the detail about having wings in heaven, for example. We so often get misled this way, because things seems small. But the principle is the same. If I accept that there are winged saints in heaven, do I not then open myself up to all sorts of things? By the same token of it being outside of Scripture, I reject doctrines like the immaculate birth of Mary, her bodily resurrection, and that "priests" must not marry.
When I give this criticism, I recognize that there are people who DO believe in continuing general revelation. And I can't likely change their minds about that. What I am saying is, be aware of what is going on in your mind. Be aware of what you are believing. Examine it carefully. Are you committed to the Bible as THE ultimate authority for spiritual life? Be aware that in accepting visions like Colton's, ultimately you are saying that there IS an ongoing general revelation outside of the Bible. That is where this will lead you.
You might be OK with that. I am not. And that is why, even if the vision were true, I say that the Burpos should not have published their book. They are tempting people to view Colton's vision as a "new revelation." And opening the door to more and more "new revelations." Don't believe me? What about the next book that has come along? Have Heart: Bridging the Gulf Between Heaven and Earth? This book, also written by sincere Christians, claims that a dead son has come back to visit his parents and tells them that those who die in Christ come back on "missions" to earth... So if you accept Colton's vision, on what basis will you reject this couples testimony?
This is the sort of thing that concerns me... this is the sort of thing that makes my heart cry out. Because I too have lost a son, and I know how painful that is. I can understand the temptation that visions and revelations like this have. But can't you also see the danger here? Can you see how people like me, and like you, if you have a child that has died or is dying, can you see how we are vulnerable to deception and that if we leave the Bible, we will be on shaky ground...
I have a lot more to say about this, but I don't want the blog to get too long, plus there are currently three children in this house and who knows what they are getting up to while I type this.
So, to recap, Part 2 of this was me asking a question, under the hypothesis that Colton's vision really was "from God." The question of what do Bible believing Christians do with a revelation that is outside of scripture...
In part 3, I'm going to write about why I think that Colton's vision was not contradictory to the Bible, but IS inconsistent with Scripture. I find myself unsatisfied and unconvinced with the nature of the revelation itself, when compared to Scripture. And I also might touch on how I don't find Colton's revealing knowledge that he "couldn't" know a convincing sign...
It is dicey waters here. I read the book. I cried. I understand the emotions involved in the story. I personally understand what the Burpos went through. And I have much empathy. I have put that aside, because sometimes emotions cloud my thinking. I know it. I have been a victim of emotion clouded thinking before. And even though I am being critical here, it doesn't mean I don't find the Burpo family likable. I disagree with their interpretation of events, and with their decision to write a book about it.
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