Is Christianity Compatible With Deathbed and Near-Death Experiences? : The Surprising Presence of Jesus, Scarcity of Anti-Christian Elements, And Compatibility with Historic Christian Teachings

by J. Steve Miller, Gary Habermas (Foreword)

“Essential reading for those interested in these profound experiences, but concerned with how to integrate them with their faith.” - Michael Sabom, M.D., former Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Emory School of Medicine, author of Recollections of A Medical Investigation

While near-death and deathbed experiences flood the internet and inspire best-selling books, many critical questions are often left unanswered. This book takes a well-researched, deep dive into these questions and many more.

“For anyone skeptical of DBEs or NDEs who still has an open mind about the veracity of these life-altering experiences, and for Christians skeptical about their alignment with the Bible, this third book in Dr. Miller’s well researched NDE and DBE series will convince you that these testimonies God is giving us point to the great hope beyond this life.” - John Burke, pastor and New York Times bestselling author of Imagine Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You.

345 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2023

Reviews

[Joey R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars—( Subreview: 5 stars if you are a college or divinity student or an NDE researcher—-3 stars for an average Joe Blow reader like me). I hesitate to give any J. Steve Miller book less than 5 stars, as he has become, in my opinion, the best researcher and writer on Near Death Experiences (NDE) and Death Bed Experiences (DBEs) since he began his writings several years ago. However, even though I learned a lot of detailed information about these two topics, the book definitely suffers from not including any detailed recountings of near death or death bed experiences. Miller decided to publish book 3 in his trilogy of books on this topic ahead of Book 2, and I’m sure it was the most difficult to write as it attempts to tackle many of the questions/issues that have arisen for both Christians and Non-Christians regarding NDEs. The author does a good job of researching and answering many of the arguments that non-Christians posit on-line on this topic. The most interesting sections of the book to me were the chapters on whether Jesus made appearances in NDEs of people from other religions (he does) and the multiple chapters on NDEs that visited Hell. I really enjoyed these sections of the book and felt like I learned a lot from these chapters. Unfortunately, some of the other chapters were dry (as in textbook dry), which I didn’t enjoy nearly as much. I am very much looking forward to the upcoming publication of Book 2 of the trilogy with the hope the author returns to form in including more of the powerful NDEs and DBEs that are such amazing evidence of the existence of Jesus and the afterlife.

[Matthew C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miller has done the work of asking many of the questions that cautious-minded Christians have for the NDE phenomenon and how it interplays with traditional theology. In that sense, it is a sort of niche book. I found his answers usually satisfying. And even where I wasn't fully persuaded, I felt that he could have simply expanded on his initial points.

The book does include extra material like ministering to NDErs, engaging with the problem of evil, and comparing the value of afterlife apologetics to other forms of apologetics. These might have been labeled appendices, since they weren't the reason I picked up the book. But even those chapters I found helpful.

[John F. Finch III · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Glimpse into Heaven

I enjoyed reading this book. I hope that others find it as thought provoking as I did. I recommend it to other believers.

[Larry White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Objective, Intriguing and Thorough

J. Steve Miller’s “Is Christianity Compatible with Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and Deathbed Experiences (DBEs)” takes a rigorous, mostly dispassionate approach to the enigma of NDEs and DBEs. These phenomena have gotten a great deal of popular attention in recent years in books and even motion pictures. Infernally (no irony intended) provocative, the actuality of such incidents seems indisputable. The problem is first explaining them and then, for Christians, reconciling them with faith. It is the latter problem that Miller undertakes in this recent book. He strives for strenuous objectivity and scrutiny of the data and sources. While using excerpts related from individual experiences this book is not so much about the fascinating details as it is about their common features and compatibility with articles of faith, including non-Christian worldviews. It is more about evaluating the evidence than about describing the evidence. In that sense it is objective and thorough, yet readable and intriguing. Not all of Miller’s conclusions are compelling, but they are thought provoking and worth the journey. Of course, for the Christian, Scripture is the most important source of God’s revelation, but Miller defends why continuing revelatory experiences (e.g., miraculous cures) are not incompatible with God’s specific revelation in the Bible. Miller promises another in his series of books on evidence for the afterlife in 2024, and I think I’ll read it.