COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—New Testament professor and prolific writer Dr. Scot McKnight, of Northern Seminary, cautions movie goers and readers of best-selling near-death-experience (NDE) stories to not rely on these accounts as a primary source of what may come in the afterlife. The release of the “90 Minutes in Heaven” film on September 11 and at least seven more “heaven tourism” books, according to Publishers Weekly, points to a voracious appetite for what happens in the hereafter.

Instead, McKnight suggests the most important ideas about heaven come from the Bible. In his forthcoming book The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible’s Truth About Life to Come (Oct. 6/WaterBrook Press), McKnight encourages readers to start with the six promises about heaven that can be found in Scripture.

After studying at least 100 NDE stories, McKnight says, “I believe they are glimpses of the afterlife. But I also believe we need to be wary of making the claim that they reveal what Heaven will be like.”

Author of the popular blog “The Jesus Creed,” McKnight points out that NDE stories vary widely in content, some confirm one’s Christian faith and others come out with a more universalist view. He asks: Are we to be guilty of liking the NDE stories that confirm our faith but disliking the ones that don’t? Is it right to affirm one and denounce the other?

McKnight concludes that an NDE expresses what the person already believes. “I’m not denying the experience or its impact,” he writes. “But the interpretation of that experience flows out of what one already thinks. In fact it’s proven by studying history.”

For Christians who wants to shape their view of heaven based on the Bible, McKnight points out that NDEs of today differ noticeably from Bible passages, such as Revelation 20-22, as God is not the center, and there is little about devotion to God.

Perhaps NDE stories offer a peek into the afterlife, McKnight acknowledges, but Christians don’t believe simply in an afterlife but a robust Heaven. “I don’t believe in Heaven on the basis that people have been there and come back. I believe in Heaven because God promised it,” he says.

In The Heaven Promise, McKnight tackles many questions about heaven, including: Who will be there? and What will we be doing?

For more information, visit www.waterbrookmutlnomah.com/press-room.