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| 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life | 
 enlarge | Authors: Don Piper, Cecil Murphey
Publisher: Revell
Category: Book
List Price: $12.99
Buy New: $1.98
You Save: $11.01 (85%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  506 reviews
Sales Rank: 547
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0800759494
Dewey Decimal Number: 231.73092
EAN: 9780800759490
ASIN: 0800759494
Publication Date: September 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
As he is driving home from a minister's conference, Baptist minister Don Piper collides with a semi-truck that crosses into his lane. He is pronounced dead at the scene. For the next 90 minutes, Piper experiences heaven where he is greeted by those who had influenced him spiritually. He hears beautiful music and feels true peace. Back on earth, a passing minister who had also been at the conference is led to pray for Don even though he knows the man is dead. Piper miraculously comes back to life and the bliss of heaven is replaced by a long and painful recovery. For years Piper kept his heavenly experience to himself. Finally, however, friends and family convinced him to share his remarkable story.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 501 more reviews...
 This Isn't Heaven... April 21, 2006
388 out of 558 found this review helpful
We know of two people, from Scripture, who were privileged to see heaven. Both of these men, the Apostles Paul and John, were alive and well when they were given a glimpse of the wonders of heaven. Don Piper, a Baptist pastor, claims to be a third, though unlike the Apostles, he first had to die. Returning home from a conference, Piper's car was crushed under the wheels of a truck. Medical personnel declared him dead at the scene of the accident. But ninety minutes after this accident, a pastor, waiting at the scene, was told by God to pray for the dead man. He did so, and Piper immediately returned to life. For the 90 minutes that his body lay lifeless inside the car, Piper claims to have been in heaven. He now carries with him memories of paradise and in 90 Minutes in Heaven, a book which has sold over 500,000 copies, he seeks to encourage other Christians with a description of our eternal home. "Because I was able to experience heaven," he says, "I was able to prepare [a friend] for it. And now I am preparing you."
The title may be deceptive. One might assume, from the title, that a significant portion of the book is dedicated to describing heaven. The reality is that the author's time in heaven comprises only 15 pages of this 205-page book. A further seven pages, appended to the end of the book, engage very briefly and unsatisfactorily with the "why questions." The bulk of the book describes Piper's accident, rescue and convalescence with some attention to the ministry opportunities that have arisen since his time in heaven. The book is, in reality, a biographical sketch of Don Piper and a lengthy description of the trials he faced as he recovered from devastating bodily injuries. Following the description of heaven, there is little further reflection on paradise. There is little attempt to describe how the author's life and perspective on Scripture have changed because of his experience. There is little interaction with the Bible. There is no gospel.
Piper's description of heaven left me cold. I was dismayed to find that his heaven seems largely man-centered. In fact, if you were to ask your unbelieving friends and neighbors to describe heaven, they would probably create a place very much like this. Piper did not see Jesus, nor did he see God, though, to be fair, he saw only the "outskirts" and did not pass through the gates. Despite this, he was exceedingly joyful and feels that he experienced the very joys of paradise. For ninety minutes he walked through heaven, greeted by those he knew in this life, all of whom were (quite conveniently), the same age they were when he had last known them. As I read this description of heaven I thought immediately of a quote from John Piper's book God is the Gospel. He asks:
The critical question for our generation--and for every generation--is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever say, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?
From the descriptions in 90 Minutes in Heaven we would would have to respond, "yes!" It seems that Don Piper's heaven is a heaven where we are fulfilled without Christ. Piper's heaven was a place of reunion with loved ones, a place of beautiful music and a place of literal pearl (or "pearlescent") gates and literal streets of gold. It is a heaven that can be so easily described to a human mind using mere human words, as if it had originated in a human mind. Piper is able to describe it in some detail, but what he presents is surely far too human to be heaven.
A further troubling aspect of the book is a clear lack of theological precision. For example, Piper continually describes miracles that surrounded his rescue and recovery, yet these are often not the type of events that theologians would classify as being miraculous. They may have shown God's grace and power, but they were not, strictly speaking, miracles. He also uses his experience to minister to people who lack assurance of their faith. But what true, lasting assurance can we find in the dubious experiences of another mere human? Our assurance is to be in God and His promises through Scripture, not in man.
I do believe Don Piper is a sincere man and one who loves God. He seems to sincerely believe that he experienced heaven and has been called by God to share his experience with others. But I do not believe that he did see heaven. I cannot say what his experience was, whether it was purely psychological or whether it was even some type of demonic deception. What I do know is that the Scriptures are wholly sufficient for believers. We do not need to see or experience heaven in this life. Nor should we desire Don Piper's heaven.
I see no reason to believe that God wants us to know more about heaven than He has revealed to us in His Word. As the old hymn asks, "What more can he say than to you he has said?" God surely desires that we desire heaven, but only if we desire heaven primarily so we can be with the Savior. This is the heaven which we glimpse only dimly in Scripture, but which we await with eager expectation. It is most certainly not Piper's 90-minute heaven.
 I couldn't put it down! October 11, 2004
372 out of 404 found this review helpful
Written in straight-forward, simple style without a lot of "religionese," Don Piper has told the story of his devastating accident, his brief time in heaven and his return to a life full of pain and questions. I read it cover-to-cover in two hours and then loaned out my copy. I would recommend this book to just about anybody -- to those with questions about faith, questions about prayer, questions about life and death and pain which we all face to some extent.
His descriptions of heaven are human ones -- simple, not overly poetic or grandiose, just those of someone who experienced the indescribable and then tried to describe it. I loved the descriptions of the incredible heavenly music and I get the feeling that vast choirs and heightened senses await us there. And despite the incredible experience, Piper found it too personal, too private, and too intimate to share with anyone for over a year after his accident. I'm so glad he found the courage to do so.
I also love the honesty with which he describes his pain and depression and the inevitable questions that we must face when we have close encounters with the Almighty. The God we meet is often not the one we expected, and while we can't understand why God does what he does, we can no longer deny this God we don't understand. And while we hold these two things together, our lives are changed and grace is showered down amid the ruins of what we thought was important to us.
A simply-told story of the greatest mystery of all -- you HAVE to read this book!!
90 Minutes In Heaven Is Heavenly! September 29, 2004
200 out of 230 found this review helpful
Don Piper died on January 18, 1989 while on his way home from a church conference. Although he does go in depth into his visit "home" to Heaven, his book really concentrates on his life after the accident. After experiencing a joyous reunion with deceased relatives he was wisked away to earth with no explanation. Don is a devout Christian and suffers greatly from his banishment in heaven and with the physical pain and recovery from his automobile accident. This is really a story of survival against all odds and it is extremely motivating. When we hear of such advertisity striking others we often wonder how they find the grit to survive and even thrive. By reading Don's story we find that survival is based on a mixture of hope, faith and sheer determination. Read this book, you won't be disappointed.
 Title is a bait and switch November 25, 2005
54 out of 78 found this review helpful
This book begins with the accident that kills Don Piper, the author. Chapter 2 he "ascends to heaven" and begins his overwhelmed description of it. Chapter three he talks about the singing in heaven. And about 15 pages into the book, in chapter 4 he begins his descent to earth. The remainder of the book discusses in detail the trauma that his body, his mind, and his faith went through. So, the title suggests it is about heaven, when in reality, it is Piper's near-death experience and recovery.
First, the book is written poorly (in my opinion). The word selection and sentence structure seemed to dash all over the place. Thoughts seemed to unpack in a choppy way. So, it never really grabbed me and helped me move from beginning to end. This could be a preference thing!
Second, the title suggests the book is about 90 minutes in heaven. In reality, the majority of the book is about the trauma of Don Piper, post heaven. It frustrates me when people use heaven to get people to buy their book, and then talk about something else...bait and switch.
Third, heaven was all about Don the man. God was seldom talked about. It was all about being reunited with people you love, it was about the feelings and emotions you experience. When I read scripture, heaven is important because God is there, first and foremost. And the priority in heaven is Him, no one else. There was also this feeling that heaven is the sole purpose of being a Christian. Which is weird because, Christ seldom mentioned heaven as the purse of being in relationship with him.
Fourth, and last, the rest of the book the author talks about his troubles and depression that he endures. He finishes his story, and when the reader is done, you are left with a feeling of, why did I just read this book. He closes with a statement like, I hope my story helps you in the struggles you face in life. But, the layout of the book, and the focal points of the story kept me from really seeing or understanding the purpose.
Here is what I was hoping to find. If the author truly died, and experienced heaven, I was hoping the discussion would revolve around what he learned about God, and how it changed his perspective on all that he saw was important on earth. Therefore, when he "returns" he sees his life from a new perspective. Now, I understand that after a trauma, emotions rage and depression often ensues when stuck in bed for months. However, an experience with God's domain seemed not to change his perspective on earth - instead it made him grumpy that he couldn't go back. Also, if his goal was to help people get through tough times, share with the reader the hope, the struggle but success, the difficulty of faith and preservatives...not just your story. Point people back to God...not just heaven. All that may have been in the text, and I just missed it. From my perspective, I was disappointed. It is not the worst book I have ever read. But, I am not sure that I can recommend it.
If you are looking for a good book on the topic of heaven - check out Randy Alcorn's book Heaven.
Sadly Disappointing. April 25, 2006
45 out of 61 found this review helpful
This book was recommended to me immediately after the death of my spouse of 40 years. The title implies that the reader will achieve a better understanding of what loved ones who have 'passed on' will encounter. I was sadly disappointed.
In my opinion, the book was "preachy", repetitive and poorly written. The focus was minister Don Piper's painful recovery and a prideful accounting of how he suffered, and later set a spectacular example for others.
Many people courageously suffer through disease, yet do not use it as a vehicle to be a sought-after-speaker and sell books and tapes.
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