Religious deception and hucksterism is certainly not a new phenomenon. From Sinclair Lewisâ?? Elmer Gantry to televangelist Jim Bakker to some proponents of the Prosperity Gospel, fictional and real life examples abound. So the revelation that Kevin Malarkey fabricated his six-year old sonâ??s account of his near-death experience (NDE) in â??The Boy Who Came Back from Heavenâ? is not shocking. In response to a letter by the now 16-year-old Alex, its publisher, Tyndale House, has announced it will no longer market the book, which has reportedly sold more than one million copies.
Claims have long circulated that Malarkey embellished, exaggerated, or even invented the experiences and visions he attributes to Alex. For several years, Beth Malarkey, Kevinâ??s ex-wife, has questioned the account. â??Buyer beware,â? she wrote. â??There is only one absolutely infallible and true book: Godâ??s Word. It does not need fancied up or packaged for sale.â? Alex also previously denounced the story online as â??1 of the most deceptive books ever.â? However, only after he recently sent an open letter to Christian bookstores posted on the Pulpit and Pen Web site, directly stating â??I did not die. I did not go to Heaven,â? did Tyndale decide to pull the book from the shelves.
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