I distinctly remember my mother weeping as she read the 2010 Christian best seller, “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.” Now I find out when Mother died in late August, one of the first things she found out when she got to heaven’s gate was “No … We have never seen the kid!”
Earlier this week Alex Malarkey unwittingly lived up to his somewhat-regrettable last name when the paralyzed boy, now age 16, admitted the book that sold over a million copies was no more than a figment of his imagination.
Alex, writing an open letter to Christian bookstores on the industry’s “Pulpit and Pen” website, stated very clearly: “I did not die. I did not go to heaven.”
In 2004 Alex and his father, Kevin, were involved in a horrible car wreck that left the boy – 6 years old at the time – in critical condition. For two months he was in a coma and, after he woke up, he allegedly told his father that he had an “out of body” experience, watching emergency workers rush him to the hospital via helicopter before an angel escorted him to heaven where he even “talked to Jesus,” this while doctors on earth thought he was in the coma.
Alex and his father then co-authored a 240-page book that was published in 2010 by Tyndale House publishers. In it he described Heaven’s Gate as being “tall” and claimed that in addition to Jesus, he also met and talked to Satan, this through “a hole in heaven.”
A promo for the book at the time was quite compelling. “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven is the true story of an ordinary boy’s most extraordinary journey. As you see heaven and earth through Alex’s eyes, you’ll come away with new insights on miracles, life beyond this world, and the power of a father’s love.”
Now it appears that instead of Alex Malarkey going to heaven, what has happened is that God has come into his heart. Alex has breathing complications in addition to being a quadriplegic so it is hard for him to communicate. Yet his letter in the “Pulpit and Pen” this week spoke volumes as he talked of repentance.
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“An Open Letter to Lifeway and Other Sellers, Buyers, and Marketers of Heaven Tourism, by the Boy Who Did Not Come Back From Heaven.”
Please forgive the brevity, but because of my limitations I have to keep this short.
I did not die. I did not go to Heaven.
I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible.
It is only through repentance of your sins and a belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who died for your sins (even though he committed none of his own) so that you can be forgiven may you learn of Heaven outside of what is written in the Bible…not by reading a work of man. I want the whole world to know that the Bible is sufficient. Those who market these materials must be called to repent and hold the Bible as enough.
In Christ,
Alex Malarkey.”
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The inside story is that Kevin Malarkey and his wife, Beth, became divorced soon after the book was published. Beth publicly cited “inaccuracies” in the book and in November 2012, she wrote a blog saying that her family is not in agreement with the content of the book, and that "(Alex) is just a boy … not a statue to be worshiped or person with some supernatural gifts."
Alex’s mother even wrote at the time that her paralyzed son “does not go to heaven, have conversations with supernatural beings, and whatever visions or experiences he has had, or not had, is up to him as to what he will do with those."
Following Alex’ admission earlier this week, Lifeway Christian Booksellers and Tynsdale Publishers have pulled existing copies and there are allegations that Alex and his mother have tried for some time to recant the story. Beth Malarkey told the Washington Post she voiced the inaccuracies but that in Christian publishing, nobody wants to stop a best seller.
For the record, the book has been exposed as a sham but I still believe Heaven is real and true and that I’ll see Mother again. One of my favorite stories is about the guy who looked at his Christian friend and asked, “What are you going to do, after living such a Christ-like life, if you die and find out God doesn’t exist?” to which his friend replied with an easy smile, “What are you going to do, after living in a way where Jesus doesn’t exist, were to die and find Him waiting on you?”
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