Heaven Is For Real should be considered a work of fiction.
I know, I know. I’m a kill joy.
It’s just a book, not a theology book. But here’s the problem with it: God has already told us everything we need to know about heaven in His word, the Bible.
We shouldn’t be prying back the curtain of the afterlife when a God has already given us His divine perspective on it.
So I would discourage people from reading the book or seeing the movie. Why? Again, it’s claiming a near revelatory status about heaven. It will also shape your imagination about what heaven is like. The Bible is a better imagination shaper.
I also make the same point with reading Joel Osteen’s stuff: why waste your time with drivel? There are so many better resources out there you can choose.
Resources
Most importantly, the best resource is: Revelation 21-22 gives Christians a picture of the new creation
Here is a video by David Platt on Heaven is For Real.
A great book on heaven is aptly entitled, Heaven, by Randy Alcorn
Excellent, Chris! I went to see this with my niece (she asked). I did not get a warm, fuzzy feeling from watching it. In fact, parts of it really troubled me. So thanks for the insight!
I am interested in hearing from you about some of the things you found troubling. What did you find which troubled you?