Gracious skepticism. Our response ought to begin with grace. Pastor Piper has, from all appearances, a credible profession of faith. We have every reason to believe that he is an honest and sincere Christian man. As such, even if we end up disagreeing with his claims, we need not do so snidely. That said, I think we ought to be skeptical not only of this story, but others like it. (Brother Piper was in a car accident, and believed to be dead. Ninety minutes later he was revived. He believes that in that interim he was in heaven. The book itself, however, spends precious little time describing his experience from heaven.)
The reason we are called to skepticism about such stories is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 16, the story of Dives and Lazarus. You remember Jesus’ story here. A man who had been rich in this life, but was suffering the agonies of the flames of Hades. He cried out to Abraham, asking that Lazarus, who reposed in Abraham’s bosom, might be sent with a drop of water. When that was refused, he asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers, to warn them of the reality of suffering in Hades. He believed such an astonishing event, having Lazarus come from beyond the grave, might lead the brothers to repentance. But Abraham said, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead” (verse 31). I have not read Brother Piper’s book, and do not know how much apologetic weight he seeks to put on his experience (I have read that his goals include helping others with assurance, so it appears it is some weight) but others like him have had exactly that goal.
About twenty years ago I received an appeal letter from what I believe is the largest para-church ministry in the world. They were seeking to raise funds to make it possible for thousands if not millions across the globe to be able to watch a movie about the life of Jesus. The appeal was built around the story of a little girl who had had a near death experience, and claimed that God had given her just a few weeks of life to spread the word about Jesus. How easy it is for us to forget the actual teaching of God’s Word in our laudable desire to see others come under conviction of God’s Word. But God’s Word tells us that sinners come to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit through the power of the Word. Not through movies, books, or near death experiences. Neither does it happen through movies or books about near death experiences.
Brother Piper, though need not be a charlatan. He could simply be mistaken. My concern, however, is more with the kinds of mistakes people like me tend to make. First, Reformed Christians are the most cynical bunch in the kingdom. If evangelicals are excited about something, we’re quickly there as the wet blanket brigade. Now often evangelicals need a wet blanket. But we Reformed folk ought not to so enjoy tossing them about. Second, we Reformed suffer badly from a deep and abiding antipathy to all things supernatural. We are, as I have complained, practical deists. We believe God wrote His story, and never intervenes in space and time. I believe He can, and that He does. When a brother has a story to tell about God acting in his life, I pray my response will be first, “Praise God!” before it is, “Prove it.”