My wife and I don’t often go to see a movie in the theater. It’s not that I am fundamentally opposed to going to the movies; we will attend one or two movies a year. Rather, I’m too frugal (i.e., cheap) to pay $15-20 for something we can rent for $1 in a few months. And even more than that, I am often disgusted by the themes and ideologies propagated in most movies. So we rarely go; and because we rarely go, I even more rarely look at the entertainment section in the newspaper. So unless I see an advertizement for a movie during something I’m watching on TV (usually a ball game or cooking show), I’m usually pretty ignorant about what movies are currently playing.
And that ignorance was evidenced again a few days ago when someone asked me if I was going to write a blog post about the Heaven is for Real movie. “They made a movie?” I asked? “Yes, it’s coming out Friday [now two days ago].” “I had no idea…”
So the movie is out and it is probably appropriate to say something about both the book and the movie.
I haven’t seen the movie. I haven’t read the book (though a few months ago I did purchase it for my Kindle for $1.99). And I have no intention of doing either.
I have no intention of reading the book or going to the movie because enough writers whom I respect have exposed the errors of the book that I have decided it is not worth my time to read. Some books not only aren’t worth reading, but they shouldn’t be read. And this book is in that category.
For your consideration, I offer Tim Challies’ review, “Heaven is for Real,” Randy Alcorn’s review, “Heaven is for Real, the Movie,” and John MacArthur’s book, The Glory of Heaven (Second Edition): The Truth about Heaven, Angels, and Eternal Life, which offers an appendix covering this book and several others in the genre. [Aside: you should also avoid 90 Minutes in Heaven.]
Instead, if you want to read about Heaven, I suggest you read one of these two books:
Words of Grace 