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Boy’s Tale of Heaven Is Publishing Phenomenon
NY Times ^ | 3/11/11 | Julie Bosman

Posted on 03/11/2011 10:08:14 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta

Just two months shy of his fourth birthday, Colton Burpo, the son of an evangelical pastor in Imperial, Neb., was rushed into emergency surgery with a burst appendix.

He woke up with an astonishing story: He had died and gone to heaven, where he met his great-grandfather; the biblical figure Samson; John the Baptist; and Jesus, who had eyes that “were just sort of a sea-blue and they seemed to sparkle,” Colton, now 11 years old, recalled.

Colton's father, Todd, has turned the boy’s experience into a 163-page book, “Heaven Is for Real,” which has become a sleeper paperback hit of the winter, dominating best-seller lists and selling hundreds of thousands of copies.

Thomas Nelson, the book’s publisher, said it had broken company sales records.

The publisher, based in Nashville, began with an initial print run of 40,000 copies.

Since the book came out in November, it has gone back to press 22 times, with more than 1.5 million copies in print.

On the New York Times best-seller list for paperback nonfiction last Sunday, “Heaven Is for Real” was NO. 1.

The book remains in the top spot this coming Sunday.

Colton told his parents that he had met his younger sister in heaven, describing her as a dark-haired girl who resembled his older sister, Cassie.

When the Burpos questioned him, he asked his mother, “You had a baby die in your tummy, didn’t you?”

While his wife had suffered a miscarriage years before, Mr. Burpo said, they had not told Colton about it.

“There’s just no way he could have known,” Mr. Burpo said.

The Burpos said that Colton painstakingly described images that he said he saw in heaven — like the bloody wounds on Jesus’ palms — that he had not been shown before.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Philosophy; US: Nebraska
KEYWORDS: bookreview; christians; faith; heaven
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To: Hot Tabasco

Sounds like you have a collection of false assumptions.

I suggest that folks

Read the book.

Read all the Biblical Scriptures about Heaven.

Read Randy Alcorn’s book: HEAVEN

There’s a funny, touching aspect regarding the boy’s grandpa whom he’d never met because he was born well after his grandpa died.

They showed him a late years pic of his grandpa and he didn’t recognize him at all.

Later on, his grandma or someone had the idea to get a pic from Grandma of grandpa about 25-30 years of age. They showed him that pic and asked if he knew who it was. He immediately recognized him as his grandpa that he’d met in Heaven.

All spiritual/resurrection bodies in Heaven are around 30 years of age in terms of how they looked on earth about 30 years of age. All the Heavenly visitations characterize them that way. The old patriarchs, Abraham, Moses etc. are also characterized as looking young yet agedly wise and very experienced somehow.


121 posted on 03/11/2011 8:06:14 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: ElkGroveDan

Again . . .

the eyes of Christ were characterized as blue-green and the color painting reflects that.

Regardless, The Risen Christ could probably have had purple eyes if He’d wished.


122 posted on 03/11/2011 8:07:24 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: HKMk23

Wonderful post. Absolutely correct. I particularly like:


And since that is true, we know that Jesus didn’t mean what you think he meant, and that it is therefore invalid to claim that “People will NOT come to true faith from reading the account of the book...” Indeed, some have come to faith by it, and more undoubtedly will.


The business about Abraham & lazarus and the Rich Man is a straw dog.

1. It was a parable.
2. I assume, nevertheless that it was also true.
3. I assume it was TRUE FOR THAT SITUATION WITH THOSE PEOPLE FOR THAT TIME.
4. I do NOT assume that it was for all people in all situations for all times.
5. Scripture indicates in the NT that such experiences are to be expected in the NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH ERA. It is UNBIBLICAL to NOT expect them.


123 posted on 03/11/2011 8:11:39 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Vigilanteman

Absolutely indeed.

Prissy pharisee types seem to have a very big and arrogant ego investment in trying very hard and vainly to package God in THEIR tiny presumed tidy little boxes.

THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB IS MUCH TOO BIG FOR THAT.

However, they can’t seem to tolerate God being God and bigger than THEIR constructions on HIS reality.

What idiocy.


124 posted on 03/11/2011 8:14:10 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: goat granny

Yet again . . .

Christ’s eyes were characterized as blue-green. The color painting reflects that.


125 posted on 03/11/2011 8:14:50 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Dr. Scarpetta

Agreed.

And, imho as a psychologist . . . many are sooooo insecure and fragile in their confidence, sense of security, sense of worth etc. that it’s very necessary for them to construe God and reality in very very very VERY narrow terms and also in very very VERY predictable terms. They can’t tolerate the idea of God coloring outside the lines—THEIR lines. . . . forget that God has HIS OWN LINES!


126 posted on 03/11/2011 8:16:32 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Dr. Scarpetta

Looks good. Thanks for the links and news.


127 posted on 03/11/2011 8:17:15 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Robwin

INDEED.


128 posted on 03/11/2011 8:17:42 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Dr. Scarpetta
People are cynical, people are jaded. How many of such stories have we heard? From various celebrities, from the leaders of the late great PTL Club, from anyone seeking fame and fortune. Well, the author and his stage daddy are getting fame and fortune, aren't they?

My cousin's husband has a similar story to tell. He's not seeking fame and fortune, but neither has he tried to verify his story with the medical personnel that operated on him. I believe him that he's describing his dreams, but I don't believe him that he went to the other side and came back.

129 posted on 03/11/2011 8:17:50 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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To: Revolting cat!
Photobucket


Your addiction to a
TYPE I ERROR
to such an extent that
you make yourself a virtually
certain victim of a TYPE II ERROR
Is not wise,
not scientific,
not logical.

130 posted on 03/11/2011 8:22:32 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Revolting cat!

What are the rules of the other side? The physical dimensions? Relationship to our reality? Why can’t they contact us? Are they explicitly forbidden? By whom? What is the climate, the air, food, entertainment, activities, on the other side? Is it all boredom as the Talking Heads once sang to us like angels? Where is the beef?! (No ambiguous scripture quotes, please!)


131 posted on 03/11/2011 8:23:39 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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To: Revolting cat!
A little bit clearer:

Your addiction to
BENDING OVER SO FAR BACKWARDS
TO AVOID
TYPE I ERROR
to such an extent that
you make yourself a virtually
certain victim of a TYPE II ERROR
Is not wise,
not scientific,
not logical.

132 posted on 03/11/2011 8:24:22 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Quix

No ideer what Type eye, or eye, eye errors be!


133 posted on 03/11/2011 8:26:04 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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To: Revolting cat!

Not so with me.

I’ve long taken each purported experience with RC’s on its own merits.

Even the Mary apparition stuff.

It’s only with more extensive investigation into the Mary stuff that I’ve been forced to now cast a much more wary and skeptical eye on those particular RC sorts of experiences.


134 posted on 03/11/2011 8:27:40 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: 668 - Neighbor of the Beast
Fine folks, evangelical Christians...but... no sale!

What? You mean some folks are capable of a Pious Fraud?

135 posted on 03/11/2011 8:28:00 PM PST by stboz
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To: Quix
***All spiritual/resurrection bodies in Heaven are around 30 years of age in terms of how they looked on earth about 30 years of age. All the Heavenly visitations characterize them that way.****

Heaven without wrinkles and sags, that truly is heaven at my age...(chuckles to you)

136 posted on 03/11/2011 8:28:46 PM PST by goat granny
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To: Revolting cat!

So, unless God gives you

the equal to Encyclopedia Britannica about Heaven !!!NOW!!!

you refuse to believe any of HIS CHOSEN

Reader’s Digest Personal narrative versions?

How cheeky of you.

I’m sure HE’S VERY impressed.

He always did take such a wonderfully charitable perspective toward those who thought

HE, ALMIGHTY GOD WASN’T RUNNING THINGS QUITE RIGHT.

/sar


137 posted on 03/11/2011 8:30:11 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: dennisw

It is not the early bird that gets the worm. It is the bird that knows a worm when it sees one.

Jesus is Lord.

I pray this family has not exploited a genuine experience. I pray too that many are graced by Messiah to see the worm that we all are and the mercies extended to us through this Messiah.


138 posted on 03/11/2011 8:33:31 PM PST by esopman (Blessings on Freepers Everywhere (and Their Most Intelligent Designer))
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To: Revolting cat!

A TYPE I ERROR BELIEVES SOMETHING IS THERE

WHEN

NOTHING IS THERE.

A TYPE II ERROR BELIEVES NOTHING IS THERE

WHEN

SOMETHING IS THERE.

Most of the ‘science’ leaning types on FR pontificate at such ostentacious and hollow length about how

NOTHING’S THERE! NOTHING COULD *POSSIBLY* BE THERE!

[mainly because they say so!—because it would jangle their constructions on reality toooooooo much for their comfort! VERY SCIENTIFIC reason, that!]

While at the same time failing to acknowledge the demonstrated scienfic fact that

WHEN

one leans over tooooo far avoiding a TYPE I ERROR—HE AUTOMATICALLY ENORMOUSLY INCREASES THE ODDS to virtually a point of certainty—that he’ll be a victim of a TYPE II error.

AND THEN

they pretend FURTHER

that a type II error is NOT as deadly as a type I error—which is UTTER UNSCIENTIFIC BALDERDASH.


139 posted on 03/11/2011 8:36:11 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: goat granny

I hope I can keep my white beard and increasingly white buzzed off hair.

I came by them very hard ways.


140 posted on 03/11/2011 8:37:35 PM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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