I Believe in Heaven: Real Stories from the Bible, History and Today

In a fast-moving text, Murphey (coauthor of the bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven) and Belk take the reader through a series of vignettes from people who have had out-of-body and near-death experiences, as well as close encounters. A quote from religion scholar Carol Zaleski sums up the book: “Life and afterlife flow together as an unending stream of fresh opportunities for personal growth.” After examining many stories from the Bible and the Church Fathers, and from history in general, the authors attempt to answer such theological questions as “Do babies and animals go to heaven?” and “Can Christians believe in reincarnation?” What begins as a spiritual look at the experiences of people who have seen Heaven and returned to tell about it turns into an examination of the nature of God and the Christian faith. The authors do a good job of describing the nature of near-death experiences and summarizing research on them. This book will appeal to readers who have read Murphey’s 90 Minutes and want to dig a little bit deeper. Agent: Knight Agency. (June 3)