REVIEW: #6 90 Minutes in Heaven

Sypnosis: (Taken from back of book)

On the way home from a conference, Don Piper’s car was crushed by a semi that crossed into his lane. Medical personnel said he died instantly. While his body lay lifeless inside the ruins of the car, Piper experienced the glories of Heaven, awed by its beauty and music. Ninety minutes after the wreck, while a minister prayed for him, Piper miraculously returned to life on Earth with only the memory of inexpressible heavenly bliss. His faith in God was severely tested as he faced an uncertain and grueling recovery. Now he shares his life-changing story with you. 90 minutes in Heaven offers a glimpse into a very real dimension of God’s reality. It encourages those recovering from serious injuries and those dealing with the loss of a loved one. The experience dramatically changed Piper’s life and it will change yours too.

Review:

I expected a lot from this book. Maybe too much. 90 minutes in Heaven translates to 90 seconds of “nothing new”.  His description of Heaven is (seriously) a few pages in the entire book. I expected to be reading something life altering – not just a description of the gates.  I wanted answers. I wanted to know he talked to God, or to his spirit guides, or befriended angels. I wanted to know something more than a tart expression of the pearly gates. It also didn’t help that he was a minister so (already) his assumption of what Heaven is, is skewed by his preconceived ideals on what Heaven is to him. Then he passes it off as if this is the ONLY Heaven and the ONLY way. 90 minutes in Heaven was not enough time for him to truly explain life’s answers to “What happens when we die.” I was just very disappointed that out of this entire book – the description was so brief – and so stereotypical.

The remainder of the book seems to be an outwardly expression on how loved he is and how many friends he has and how important he is to everyone. It is almost as if he had to write the book to remind himself how much he is loved. What bothers me is it is so overwhelming.  The man that dies and comes back to life – to spread the word of God. People flocking to him, wanting to touch him. Sure sounded like he was equating himself to Jesus – doesn’t it? I don’t know – it just bothered me. He even had the audacity to criticize other people’s Heavenly experiences simply because they did not match his (and his was “the real way” don’t you know..) and/or it didn’t match what the Bible said, so therefore they must be imagining or faking it. Many times through out the book, I felt like I was being preached to. Now – I am a very open minded and spiritual person- however,  I just do not feel it’s in anyone’s best interest to dictate what we should believe just because they “say so”.  Because he was a minister, people are more likely to believe his tale for be of the Truth. But – what if he was just an ordinary person? Would this story have the same effect? What if he was a Rabi, or an Atheist? What if he was Muslim or Buddhist. My answers to “What happens when you die” still go unanswered.

For many people, it will be an inspirational story about dying, coming back to life and continuing to continue on regardless of how difficult life has become for that person. The story itself was a quick and easy read as I read the entire book in just a few hours. On the surface, the tale is interesting – however, I have read more inspirational God stories that touched me much more deeply than this one. Unfortunately I think the target audience to this book is very small – but, if it changes the life of that reader for the better, then I am sure Don Piper has successfully done his job at encouraging others to continue on. If you are looking for an extensive description on what Heaven is like (as I was)- then I would advise picking up this book as you will walk away disappointed.