Between Heaven and Hell

Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley. Paul Kreeft. 2008

Reviewed by : April Canaday

As you may or may not know, Huxley, Lewis and Kennedy died within minutes of one another, and this book imagines what it would be like if they met each other in a type of Purgatory. One reviewer writes, "Kreeft writes out a very believable (and highly Socratic) debate between them. I highly suggest it. In the book, Kennedy represents the modernist; Huxley represents the eastern mystic; and Lewis represents the Christian. They debate about truth, Jesus, and textual issues. Lewis presents his Mere Christianity style of debate, avoiding the minor issues and focusing on the more important truths about God and Christ.One of my favorite lines from the book happens right after Kennedy complains that Lewis is too "black and white". Kennedy prefers the idea that everything is gray and that there is no absolute truth. Kennedy asks Lewis to demonstrate one thing that is "black and white", one absolute. Lewis responds, "I'll give you two... black and white."