John F. Kennedy Library

I recently toured the John F. Kennedy Library here in Boston.  It sits right on the Boston Harbor overlooking the sea which Kennedy loved.  The library is very impressive with rooms dedicated to the debate with Nixon, the president’s love of sports, Jacqueline Kennedy’s glamorization of the White House, civil rights, and many others.  There is even the notecard from the famous Berlin speech, where Kennedy phonetically spelled out Ich bin ein Berliner in order to pronounce it correctly.  The room covering the events of November 22, 1963 is absolutely chilling.

As I toured the library, I could not help but think of JFK’s spiritual condition.  Everyone knows that he was Roman Catholic, but by most accounts he was really more of a modern humanist.  Kennedy’s main concern was not some far off God or what he saw as escapism from a world of problems.  He was a man of action; a man who wanted to make a difference in this world.  He certainly did make a difference and the world is left wondering what more could he have accomplished had he lived.

But what did Kennedy’s focus on the present world profit him after he was removed from it?  He can no longer go back and prepare himself for the world to come.  Whatever his decisions were, one thing is certain, the results are final.    

Did you know who else died on November 22, 1963?  The famous authors C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley both entered eternity within hours of JFK.  Peter Kreeft, a Roman Catholic apologist and philosopher, has written a captivating fictitious account of a meeting that takes place with these three giants entitled, Between Heaven and Hell.  Lewis presents the case for Christianity, while JFK argues for modern humanism, with Huxley promoting Eastern pantheism.  Lewis’ case is compelling and the reader is left hoping that somehow Kennedy and Huxley did believe in Christ before they died.

Ich bin ein Glaübige!  I am a believer!