Is peddling malarkey and making money more important

...than the truth?

* The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World (A True Story) by Kevin Malarkey (Published by Tyndale House in 2010) 

"In 2004, Kevin Malarkey and his six-year-old son, Alex, suffered an horrific car accident. The impact from the crash paralyzed Alex—and medically speaking, it was unlikely that he could survive. “I think that Alex has gone to be with Jesus,” a friend told the stricken dad. But two months later, Alex awoke from a coma with an incredible story to share. Of events at the accident scene and in the hospital while he was unconscious. Of the angels who took him through the gates of heaven itself."

The publisher has announced that it will take this book out of print, and the Southern Baptist's LifeWay Resources have vowed to quit selling the book.

In a Christian Post story on the 15th Martin King, LifeWay director of communications stated, "LifeWay was informed this week that Alex Marlarkey has retracted his testimony about visiting heaven as told in the book The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven. Therefore, we are returning to the publisher the few copies we have in our stores."

Based on e-mails and Twitter time stamps it seems that Thom Rainer (president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources) and Ed Stetzer (Executive Director of LifeWay Research) knew about this problem much much before this week -- at least by early December 2014 and probably as early as April or May 2014. Beth Malarkey, Alex's mother wrote The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven...not quite on April 20, 2014, stating, "Alex's name and identity are being used against his wishes..."

This makes it look like peddling this book was more important to the LifeWay than buying the truth, and that they are now trying to cover their tracks. Shame if it is so.

* Malarkey: speech or writing designed to obscure, mislead, or impress (dictionary.com)
* The explanation of the time difference might be that LifeWay was not informed by Alex Malarkey personally of his change of heart until this week. IOW, they had heard it from second-hand sources and not the author himself. Nevertheless, I have not heard or read LifeWay give this explanation. Whether it is this or something else, they should make it clear.