The first reply was a dear friend stating that she would have trouble saying these things if the little kid who wrote this book was in the audience. By saying that we think Heaven Is For Real isn't for real, we're being mean to a little kid. Nobody wants to be mean to a little kid.
I removed the post because that point is not what I shared it for. Correcting false teaching is tough, especially when that false teaching comes from a little kid.
In the video, David Platt says:
"Our level of discernment on the church today on this topic is extremely low because the whole premise behind every one of these books is contrary to everything God's word says about heaven."I don't want to offend people over an issue that really isn't essential. One's view of an afterlife experience isn't all that essential. And our church does try to avoid making firm stances on issues that aren't essential.
The essential part of the issue, which will get drowned out by the side issue of heaven and whether this boy's experience is for real or not for real, is that we should go to Scripture to let it teach us about what it addresses and not go to pop culture. Yet all too often, we will run to pop culture and ignore Scripture. Maybe it's worse than ignore. Maybe it's we have never known Scripture.
Angel wings. Halos. Near-death experiences. All pop culture. And we are so quick to latch on to them. But what does the Bible say? Do we know? Do we take time out and read it when we get caught up in the latest cultural trend? Even trends in "Christian" culture. Even trends led by little boys.
This is not to say that the little boy didn't have an experience. This is not to say that the book doesn't tell that little boy's experience. I'm saying that a little boy's experience doesn't override God's inspired and time-tested Scripture. This is not an attack on a little boy. It's a message to the audience that we actually need to know our Scripture.
I shared my original post in an attempt to teach that we should know our Scripture because everyone is trying to tell us what Scripture says. It's constantly happening (Noah, heaven, etc.). If we're not well-grounded, we will be like a kite without a string floating in the air, flying uncontrolled in the breeze. Until we crash. Which we will do. Because we are a kite without a string. We need to keep grounded. With a Master controlling our string.
Consume the word of God and let the Master who inspired it control you.
The moral of the story is to have false teaching propagated by a kid because we will feel mean in correcting him. Or is it?
