Category: Religion

In Light of Problems with The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, Lifeway Christian Stores Pledge to Evaluate Products

In the wake of Alex Malarkey’s retraction and The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven fiasco, it seems natural to wonder about the other “heavenly tourism” books (e.g., Heaven is for Real, 90 Minutes in Heaven). According to the tweet embedded below from Janet Mefferd, it appears that Lifeway Christian Stores might move toward an examination of such titles in the future.


Note the last sentence about being proactive in the next few months. That sentence was added to the original statement I was given by Lifeway when they pulled the few copies they had. The statement to Mefferd addresses the need to review other books in the days to come.
I asked Martin King, Director of Communications whether or not the heavenly tourism titles might also be reviewed, and he replied that he had nothing more to share on that topic at this point.
I suspect that the other books in this genre will receive heightened scrutiny over the next several weeks.

Has Tyndale House Recalled the Boy Who Came Back From Heaven?

I know the publisher has said the book was pulled from print. However, at least some retailers continue to sell the book. I called several local Barnes and Noble and Books-a-Million stores to find out if Tyndale House had recalled the books. None of the four locations I called had heard of the controversy and they all had copies in stock.
Tyndale House has disabled the book’s product page.
Tyndale has not responded to questions about whether they intend to recall the product or simply not print the book again. Tyndale claims that Alex Malarkey’s mother declined to meet with Tyndale, but Phil Johnson has produced emails which appear to contradict that story. Kevin Malarkey has not responded to requests for comment, although the UK Daily Mail says his parents are standing by him.
It has been removed from Amazon.

Beth Malarkey Issues Statement About Boy Who Came Back from Heaven

Just a bit ago, Alex Malarkey’s mother issued a statement. One important fact she cleared up is that the Malarkeys are not divorced.

A STATEMENT FROM BETH MALARKEY
For at least three years, my son Alex Malarkey has been speaking the truth and pleading to be heard regarding The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven. I’m thankful to the Pulpit and Pen blog for posting Alex’s open letter last week and finally helping his voice to be heard. The sudden interest of the media has meant that many reporters are seeking to investigate the story and I would love to answer every question, but since 2006, I have been Alex’s only nonstop caregiver, and I also have three more precious children to care for. So I’m forced to say no to all interview requests. I hope people understand. The facts of the case are being heard, through sources like the Pulpit & Pen website (http://pulpitandpen.org/) and the Grace to You blog (http://www.gty.org/Blog/B150116/setting-the-record-straight).
I do stand with my son and I’m proud of the courage he has shown. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4).
I also want to correct one glaring error that has appeared in countless news articles over the past few days: I have not divorced my husband and I am not planning to pursue a divorce. Kevin and I are still married. My hope is that all of this can be resolved in a way that exalts Christ by honoring the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:14). That, likewise, has been Alex’s only aim in all his attempts to set the record straight.
“Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

I imagine things have gotten crazy in that the story has gone world-wide. For instance, the Today Show covered it yesterday:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Robert Morris Enlisted Help of a Ghostwriter for His Book on Tithing

Robert Morris, the man who Jack Hayford jokingly said was the “4th member of the trinity,” acknowledged last Sunday morning that he used a ghostwriter to help him write his book on tithing. Watch:

Hayford also said God asked Morris if it would be all right for Hayford to move The King’s University to Gateway Church.
The book is The Blessed Life: The Simple Secret of Achieving Guaranteed Financial Results. According to the book description, this book is life changing.

This book will transform your life for the better, bringing you guaranteed financial results. But it will do more that that. It will change every area of your life: marriage, family, health and relationships. For when God changes your heart from selfishness to generosity, every part of your life-journey is affected. If all believers followed the practical guidance of this book, every church could be built, every nation would have an abundance of missionaries–and all would reap the benefits of having a generous heart. With humor, passion and charity, Robert Morris presents the secrets of living a blessed life both financially and spiritually.

I wonder how the guarantee can be triggered. If I do what it says (Give to the church), and I don’t get rich like Morris, will I get a refund?
BlessedLifeGuaranteed Perhaps, the guarantee was problematic in some way because the subtitle was changed to “Unlocking the Rewards of Generous Giving” in a subsequent edition. The book’s message is that God will bless you if you give to Him (meaning the church). Morris said in the video, he doesn’t teach “give to get” but rather “give to give.” This seems like a distinction without a difference to me. The bottom line, even if he doesn’t guarantee it, is that one is to give to the church with the expectation that you will get something from God in exchange.
Morris is certainly correct when he says he has been blessed financially. He has at least two homes, one in a resort are (Possum Kingdom Lake), and a slew of other blessings, according to those who are close to the church.
 
In 2011, he was offering money back guarantees. Watch:
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/24666845[/vimeo]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Big Questions for Tyndale House After Pulling Boy Who Came Back From Heaven (UPDATED)

UPDATE 2 (1/17/15) – Last night Tyndale released a statement indicating that the company has stopped printing The Boy book because of information they received this week.

Earlier this week Tyndale learned that Alex Malarkey, co-author of ‘The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven,’ was retracting the story he had told his father and that he recounted in the book they co-authored for publication in 2010. It is because of this new information that we are taking the book out of print. For the past couple of years we have known that Beth Malarkey, Kevin’s wife and Alex’s mother, was unhappy with the book and believed it contained inaccuracies. On more than one occasion we asked for a meeting with Kevin, Beth, Alex and their agent to discuss and correct any inaccuracies, but Beth would not agree to such a meeting.

However, Phil Johnson continues to dispute this narrative saying that Beth and Alex wanted to meet with Tyndale (see this link for emails).
It is not clear if Tyndale is pulling product from the shelves or just not reprinting the book.
UPDATE: Phil Johnson claims Tyndale House knew two years ago that the Boy Who Came Back from Heaven was invented. Beth Malarkey retweeted this link when Johnson posted it. I expect to hear from her soon, but as of now all I am hearing is crickets from Tyndale House.


 
…………….
(Original post begins here)
Yesterday afternoon, Tyndale House announced that the company would no longer publish the Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.
The book had been a best-seller and was the basis for a television movie of the same name in 2010. There are at least two big questions for Tyndale House now that the company will no longer print the book. I asked Tyndale House spokesperson Todd Starowitz these questions yesterday via email and twitter and left phone messages, thus far with no answers.
First, what now happens to all of the existing product? We know that Lifeway Christian Stores is returning existing product to the publisher, but what about other retailers? Even though negative reviews are now piling up, Amazon still carries the book without disclaimer. Barnes and Noble still has it available. A local Barnes and Noble store still had a copy of the book and had not heard about the retraction. The staff there had not gotten a request from Tyndale to pull products off the shelves. On the other hand, Family Christian Bookstores are pulling the book off the shelves and the manager of the one I called said Tyndale had requested them. Thus far, Tyndale’s spokesperson has not replied about the company’s plans.
The second, and more difficult question is: When did Tyndale House learn that Beth Malarkey and her son denied the contents of the book? Given how long Alex Malarkey’s mom has been speaking out on this matter, it is hard to understand how Tyndale House did not know about it. However, neither Tyndale House nor Beth Malarkey has not responded to requests for this specific information.
The answers to these questions have consequences in dollar signs and trust. If Tyndale does not make a good faith effort to pull existing product off the shelves, they risk further erosion in their image, while making additional money from unsuspecting customers. If Tyndale House knew the boy had recanted his story, then some disclosure should have been made with a proactive public statement. One hopes Tyndale House will move to quickly restore public trust by disclosing the reasons for waiting until yesterday, just after Lifeway Stores pulled the products from the shelves, to take a similar step.
UPDATE: The website supporting the book is now down (google cache as of January 15, 2015). The domain is owned by Tyndale House. The product page on Tyndale’s website still is up as is the promo video on the You Tube page.