90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper

[Cris413]

Has anyone read this book? Or seen any of the recent interviews with Don Piper?

I heard a radio interview a few months ago about his experience several years ago... he was pronounced dead in a car accident coming from a Pastor's Convention and his recollection of Heaven for the 90 minutes he was left in the vehicle presumed dead.

I also caught a portion of an interview with Don Piper on Hannity's America last week and apparently he was also interviewed by Bill O'Reilly.

Anyone familiar with this book or the interviews?

 

[IisJustMe]

I've read it. I regret to say, I'm not impressed. I don't doubt Don Piper is sincere in what he believes happened to him, but I don't think he was in heaven. I'm not sure where he was.

Paul and John felt inadequate to describe what they saw in heaven when God pulled back the curtain and let them peek inside. Paul simply said what he saw was "unspeakable." John admitted to being nervous and inadequate to the task given him.

Piper had no such problems. In fact, his heaven is pretty ordinary. He did not meet Jesus. He did not come before the throne. Perhaps that could be explained away by saying that the Lord didn't have any intention of letting him stay, but I'd find that a bit too convenient. His description of heaven is no more revealing than the words found in the Bible, which any good pastor would have read time and time again.

"90 minutes in Heaven" doesn't give much space to the actual experience of being in heaven. Only 15 of the 205 pages deal with that aspect of Piper's experience. The bulk of the book is about the "miraculous" events surrounding his rescue and revival, but I'm not even sure they can be called all that miraculous. The wreck that "killed" Piper and the ensuing work done to free him from the wreckage certainly shows God's sovereignty, but the events of his rescue are largely accomplished by dedicated men and women doing their jobs exceptionally well. I'm not denying God's hand was on them, but I think the author is too quick to credit that dedication, talent and experience as "miraculous" as opposed to being providential. Moses' parting of the Red Sea waters was miraculous. Nehemiah being cupbearer to the king and being in a position to petition for Jerusalem's rebuilding was providential.

Piper doesn't even go into a lot of detail about how the wreck and trip to heaven changed his life. It's almost as though it didn't, that he had been aiming for such an event all his professional life. Another thing that bothers me is there is very little Bible, very little gospel and certainly no compelling reason for a reader who does not know Jesus to further investigate Him.

I think Don Piper is a nice man. He's got a great story. But it doesn't do much to further the kingdom of God.

 

[Cris413]

Hi Iis...I had many of the same thoughts you did from the bits and pieces of the interviews I caught.

As you noted...Pretty much anyone could describe Heaven just the same as he did from reading Scripture.

I don't discount his account entirely...but nothing really strikes me about it either. God could have given him some revelation while he was presumed dead and trapped in the vehicle for that time. Who could really know.

I'm going to get the book and read it this weekend and have a look for myself.

Thanks for the input!

 

[sandman]

I concur:
Just as dreams do not take place in real time I believe this 90 minutes of clinical death does not coincide with 90 minutes of being in heaven. I think whatever it was that he saw took place within in a few seconds of brain activity, and what he saw was nothing more than what his subconscious mind provided him, based upon its input from various sources over the years
I have never been clinically dead…. that I know of (although at one time I was dead in trespasses and sin) but at perilous times I have seen this type of activity with my own subconscious. When I was hit by a semi, clobbered with a bat, and most recently being shot; all of these times I was unconscious state, upwards of 20 minutes. Each time I had some type of vivid HD activity in my mind. It was real to me at the time just as if I was there, but when I was conscious I was able ascertain the obvious difference.

For the record I would never discount the possibility of visions as that mentioned above by Paul and John. But their circumstances were far different from that of Don Piper, these were men of God who needed that vision to keep moving the Word in the face of despair and adversary. Such was not the case with Don. I have not read the book but I did catch a bit of his story on Fox just to see what it was about. It took about 90 seconds to realize that as real as it was for him, it did not line up with the Word, so I can only speculate it was as I mentioned above.

 

[Nadiine]

Hi Iis...I had many of the same thoughts you did from the bits and pieces of the interviews I caught.

As you noted...Pretty much anyone could describe Heaven just the same as he did from reading Scripture.

I don't discount his account entirely...but nothing really strikes me about it either. God could have given him some revelation while he was presumed dead and trapped in the vehicle for that time. Who could really know.

I'm going to get the book and read it this weekend and have a look for myself.

Thanks for the input!

I heard this story on the radio years back and it was amazing.

I honestly don't know what we can make of any of these stories of visions after clinical death. I already know that there's an afterlife and everything I'm told in the scriptures. The minute anything refutes the bible, you know what I think about their story! lol

I think for nonChristians they might read a book like that and it might have an impact where they could gain a curiosity about God & do some seeking... for a Christian, I think it could help bring the afterlife to us as more of a reality; forcing us to maybe think about it more - long for heaven? (joy to see our Lord?)...

I think God can pretty much use anything to draw people to seek Him, good or evil.

Since he is a Christian Pastor, I don't believe he's lying about his experience - if it isn't really heaven tho, I have to wonder what in the world was going on? Why he saw that.

Thankfully we have God's Word to hold onto and trust to be true - I will use that to base my truth on ultimately.

 

[Cris413]

I heard this story on the radio years back and it was amazing.

I honestly don't know what we can make of any of these stories of visions after clinical death. I already know that there's an afterlife and everything I'm told in the scriptures. The minute anything refutes the bible, you know what I think about their story! lol

I think for nonChristians they might read a book like that and it might have an impact where they could gain a curiosity about God & do some seeking... for a Christian, I think it could help bring the afterlife to us as more of a reality; forcing us to maybe think about it more - long for heaven? (joy to see our Lord?)...

I think God can pretty much use anything to draw people to seek Him, good or evil.

Since he is a Christian Pastor, I don't believe he's lying about his experience - if it isn't really heaven tho, I have to wonder what in the world was going on? Why he saw that.

Thankfully we have God's Word to hold onto and trust to be true - I will use that to base my truth on ultimately.

This was the account I mentioned last summer to you and couldn't remember the man's name - Don Piper. Remember - when we were discussing NDEs?

I certainly don't discount it and he seemed quite peaceful and sincere when I saw the little bit of the interview on Hannity's America.

I need to read the book before I have any valid opinion.

God can work in mysterious ways....

My concern about any book like this would be...if it doesn't impress upon the reader the absolute necessity of salvation through Christ Jesus alone...it may give a lot of unsaved a false sense of security about their eternal destination.

 

[Nadiine]

This was the account I mentioned last summer to you and couldn't remember the man's name - Don Piper. Remember - when we were discussing NDEs?

I certainly don't discount it and he seemed quite peaceful and sincere when I saw the little bit of the interview on Hannity's America.

I need to read the book before I have any valid opinion.

God can work in mysterious ways....

My concern about any book like this would be...if it doesn't impress upon the reader the absolute necessity of salvation through Christ Jesus alone...it may give a lot of unsaved a false sense of security about their eternal destination.

That's true - but like you said, you'de have to read the entire thing to know what exactly is put forth in it and conveyed to the readers.

One thing that came to mind about the sense of false security - they would hopefully be remembering that he is a Christian Pastor & if this was real, that he would be a Christian to have experienced it.

But I have heard plenty of NDE's of unsaved people claiming they experienced peaceful, beautiful things. I think those would be doing alot more harm.
(just a thought when reading your comment).

I'll be interested to know what you think when you're done Chris.

 

[Cris413]

That's true - but like you said, you'de have to read the entire thing to know what exactly is put forth in it and conveyed to the readers.

One thing that came to mind about the sense of false security - they would hopefully be remembering that he is a Christian Pastor & if this was real, that he would be a Christian to have experienced it.

But I have heard plenty of NDE's of unsaved people claiming they experienced peaceful, beautiful things. I think those would be doing alot more harm.
(just a thought when reading your comment).

I'll be interested to know what you think when you're done Chris.

I forgot to pick up a copy while I was out this morning...hunger over took me and the Olive Garden was calling...LOL...so I forgot the bookstore.

oh btw....LOVE the new look!

 

[Nadiine]

I forgot to pick up a copy while I was out this morning...hunger over took me and the Olive Garden was calling...LOL...so I forgot the bookstore.

oh btw....LOVE the new look!

LOL I love anything that isn't what I was wearing! ahhaha I was embarrassed of myself. LOL

I had the boots, but the dress was given to me after I commented on liking a friend's outfit, so she got me the same one in pink instead. lol

I finally just got off my duff and learned how to change clothes. Alot of that was confusing to me - plus I'm SO horrible at picking stuff out, so I just stayed in what I tried on and left it for 6 months.
=)~

When it gets warmer I'll squeeze into my croppy pants next.

Hope you enjoyed the yummy food there! (my husband just asked me yesterday if I wanted to go there for soup & salad lunch... I should have said yes).