Next Stop: The Afterlife

“C. S. Lewis once said, ‘If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.’ Lewis’s The Great Divorce is an incredible journey into the afterlife, and Dr. Swafford is the perfect person in this present world to be your guide. Don’t miss this opportunity to live the truths of the next life in your life today.”

“The Great Divorce is such a beautiful and theologically rich book, and it is a delight to have Andrew Swafford walk us through all of its nuances. Swafford not only gives us deeper insights into the meaning of this impactful story but also offers wisdom on how these lessons of virtue can be lived out in our daily lives as Catholics!”

“C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce is so rich and profound that one hesitates to recommend any book about it, given that rereading The Great Divorce itself is generally far better. But Andrew Swafford has done the seemingly impossible. By describing the conversations that structure The Great Divorce and then delivering his own insights, in dialogue with other thinkers such as Tolkien and Karol Wojtyła, Swafford calls us to the life of ego-renouncing virtue and invites us to say yes to God and heavenly life in the present moment, in the midst of the sufferings that tempt us toward vice and self-destruction. A marvelous spiritual guidebook!”

“Faith and love are the subjects of many sermons and books. Hope, on the other hand, is glossed over. No one talks about it. At last, a book appears that will stand in the breach and discuss heaven in a way that will make everybody excited to go there. In Next Stop: The Afterlife, Andrew Swafford, with the help of C. S. Lewis, shows us how the earthly pleasures we are so often attached to are no more than faint glimmers of the glory, beauty, and joy to come. All preachers, teachers, and, indeed, all Christians must read this book.”

“I consider Dr. Andrew Swafford to be many things: a trusted friend, a virtuous husband and father, and a remarkable theologian. After reading Next Stop: The Afterlife, I have added “master catechist” to that list. Unpacking one of the most underrated books (in my opinion) of the twentieth century, The Great Divorce, is no small task; but Swafford has done a masterful job of taking complex theological realities and—like C. S. Lewis himself—making them profoundly simple. This book is a gift, a road map, and a companion to help guide us not only through a great Christian classic but straight to heaven. Filled with practical wisdom, invaluable insights, and humble reminders, this book serves as an arrow pointing our moral compasses directly back to the arms of our Heavenly Father.”