I have always enjoyed C.S. Lewis’ writings. It is as if his words overflow from a heart that is overpowered by God’s truth. While many of us scramble to put these truths into words, Lewis grapples with them until he can clearly put them into beautiful and logical essays that describe precisely what many of us know as a vague concept but cannot express. Upon reading many of Lewis’ essays, these things ring true to us. I believe Lewis’ many powerful quotes strike us because it is an expansion of biblical truth. Lewis takes biblical principles and pushes them to the extreme of their logic. His work may produce ideas that we are not always comfortable with at first, for example that we have no right to happiness; but when we evaluate our beliefs we must come to the conclusion that we must accept these truths in our lives. We do not, in fact, have a right to happiness if we also believe that the purpose of our life is to glorify God and be near to him in joy, not happiness. The process of exploring our beliefs was stretching and refreshing.
I appreciated that the C.S. Lewis DCM was not intended merely to study Lewis at a deeper level, as I had originally expected. DCM was an opportunity for students to take these challenging concepts, struggle with them, and apply truth to our lives. I was challenged not only in my way of thinking, but in my walk with God. I was convicted by the material we were studying, but also by the words of wisdom of Professor Adriana and Paulo Ribeiro and the way they lived out their faith in our class. They were a living example of good and faithful servants of Christ and their passion and faith was contagious.
Through the works of C.S. Lewis and Plantinga, DCM was a constant reminder of the purpose of my life. Both authors wrote about longing and hope. Our human hearts yearn and long for something; we long to be fulfilled. The beautiful picture Lewis painted was that of our relationship with beauty. We are awe struck by the beauty we see around us. We long, not only to take it in, but for it to take us in. This is because we were created to be united with our Savior and satisfied in Him. The beauty of this world is reflection of the beauty of our God. Our desire to be united with it reflects our purpose of being united with Christ (Lewis, “Weight of Glory”). Plantinga makes an interesting point that longing is an ingredient of hope. If we hope for something, we will want it; if we want it, we will long for it (Plantinga). We all search to find satisfaction that can only be found in God. But we can only find fulfillment when we finally rest in God’s forgiveness and grace.
The past two and a half years of my life have been a time of struggling with my purpose and the assurance of God’s faithfulness. I grew up in France as a child of missionaries and the transition to the United States has been difficult and lonely. I started college at Michigan State University. While I had a well established life there, I was struggling to keep perspective of the truth. My faith felt like a house of cards that was about to be knocked down by a gush of wind, just as Lewis said in one of his essays. I transferred to Calvin in hope of finding accountability in my faith. Once again, I found myself without much community. Eventually, I started to believe that if I had good friendships, community, and an established position in a community I would be satisfied. Even though intellectually I knew that the purpose of my life was to glorify God in the pain, my heart longed for happiness above all else. Happiness was an idol. But God’s timing and plan is perfect. This Christmas he revealed to me, and I heard as if for the first time, that he wants me to find my contentment with Him. My prayer ought to be, “Lord, I want to know you more in the midst of this time” instead of “Lord, take away the pain.”
I came to DCM with this new lesson in mind. Day three of interim our class discussed the concept of a right to happiness. My immediate reaction was that we have no right to happiness. I agreed with Lewis’ essay; we are not entitled to anything in this life (Lewis, “No Right to Happiness”). God used this class discussion to convict me. If I know that I am not entitled to happiness, why have I been living in relentless pursuit of happiness? Just as I mentioned earlier, we are meant to find our purpose and joy only in Christ. Living for happiness is a life of idolatry. It is empty and vain. Lewis and Plantinga’s writings exposed the falseness of my thinking. I had been mistaking happiness as the longing and purpose of my life, when what I long for is to be united with Christ and live by his grace. My purpose in times of pain is to point to my glorious God just as much, if not more, as in my happiness. C.S. Lewis’ quote puts it beautifully:
Then, slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world and my only real treasure is Christ (Lewis, “The Problem of Pain).
Just as we discussed during our last class period, some of us may only reach this conclusion after painful circumstances. In the pain, we are often faster to rely on God and learn the lessons he has for us. He may strip us of any idols we are putting before him so that we may finally worship him as we should. In the midst of pain we may not find happiness. But we are commanded to be joyful nonetheless. Our joy is rooted in Christ and his character, not in our circumstances. We can rest in the knowledge of his faithfulness and goodness, though we cannot expect that our circumstances will always be enjoyable.
Plantinga and Lewis also remind us that as we live in Christ, we are called to pursue God’s calling on our life through our education. Both authors exhort us to glorify God not only the most significant moments of our life, but in our everyday life and particularly in our education. Lewis urges us to pursue education not for the sake of obtaining a degree, but for the sake of knowledge itself (Lewis, “Our English Syllabus). Plantinga urges us to not look at our education as something that will make us more employable, but as an opportunity to prepare for our vocation (Plantinga). They remind us of the eternal dimension of our education. Through our education our minds are challenged and stretched. We learn invaluable life lessons; the content of our education is not nearly as important as our attitude towards our education. If we view education only as a means to an end it will merely be a stepping stone to a more successful life and we will lose its value. But if we see the value of education in itself, it can shape and enrich us as a people.
Plantinga reminds us that we are to pursue God’s calling on our life through our education. When we see education as an opportunity to prepare to be a prime citizen of heaven, we pursue more than a career; we pursue a vocation. We do not pursue a vocation out of selfish ambition; we pursue God’s calling on our life so that we can bring the Kingdom of God to earth (Plantinga). Our entire life should be a song of praise to God, not to ourselves. As we pursue our vocation we can be prime citizens of heaven who devote every aspect of our lives to the Lord and enthusiastically serve God’s purposes in love.
DCM’s readings, class discussions, and Professors Adriana and Paulo all served to point us to God in every way. While we approached many interesting concepts and were challenged to action, we must not let these things distract us from our ultimate goal. In all that we do, we must not forget to do all things in love. Our objective should be God himself. Just as Lewis constantly reminds us, nothing, not even good objectives, should deter us from God. If our objective is anything else but God, we have been tricked into idolatry. God desires to be the first and all-encompassing passion in our life.
Citations
Lewis, Clive Staples. “Human Pain.” Problem of Pain. 1962.
Lewis, Clive Staples. “No Right to Happiness.” God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics. 1970.
Lewis, Clive Staples. “Our English Syllabus.” Rehabilitations and Other Essays. 1939.
Lewis, Clive Staples. “Weight of Glory.” Theology. 1941
Plantinga, Cornelius. “Vocation in the Kingdom of God.” Engaging God's World. Grand Rapids, Mich: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Pray the Devil back to Hell
Pray the Devil back to Hell was a gut-wrenching documentary on the violence and war in Liberia that occurred in the past 10 years. The story is told through the eyes of the Liberian women who stood up to demand peace in their country. Charles Taylor, the president of Liberia, was using violence to assert his power and control the Liberian people. Opposite the president was the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), a rebel group determined to force Charles Taylor out of office. The Liberian people were victims of the violent conflicts between the two groups; both groups used appalling violent methods to attack the Liberian government and the Liberian people. Fathers were killed in front of their families, daughters were raped, and mothers were tortured.
While violence was the only method the government and the LURD were using to get their point across, Liberian women decided to stand up for peace. It began in the city of Monrovia. A small group of women organized a protest during which they wore white and spent day and night on the side of a busy city road. They requested President Charles Taylor and the LURD to engage is a peace discussion in order to cease the use of violence in Liberia. What began as a small group soon drew thousands of women. To my amazement, these women were successful in gathering both sides together at a peace conference. After weeks of refusing to sign a peace agreement and increased violence in Monrovia, the Liberian women blocked the group leaders in the conference center, forcing them to come to an agreement. After four devastating years of war, the women of Liberia were successful in establishing peace in their country.
The story of these Liberian women is one of the most powerful stories I have heard. These women were average mothers and wives, yet to my great amazement they were the force that pressured top political leaders and put end to the war. They did not resort to violence or hatred towards those who had killed their children and husbands; they called upon the humanity of both parties and asked for peace. That such a small group of ordinary women had such influence speaks to the power of individuals and perseverance. These women persevered for years and would not be intimidated by political powers.
The statement of one woman stood out to me more than any other. Once the war had ceased and men and boys from the rebel troops began to return to their villages, this woman said “We must forgive them for killing our families and love them – though it is very hard.” These women who had watched such horrors desired to welcome back the perpetrators into their villages, because if they did not they would never attain peace. One sign read “we love you, welcome back.” This kind of love surpasses any human understanding. When I hear this kind of story, Christ’s love seems all the more amazing to me. We are liars and murderers. Just as I look with horror at the things that took place in Liberia, God looks in horror at my sin. I am just as unworthy as those rebels and that president. And yet God is pleased to look upon me with love and forgiveness. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
While violence was the only method the government and the LURD were using to get their point across, Liberian women decided to stand up for peace. It began in the city of Monrovia. A small group of women organized a protest during which they wore white and spent day and night on the side of a busy city road. They requested President Charles Taylor and the LURD to engage is a peace discussion in order to cease the use of violence in Liberia. What began as a small group soon drew thousands of women. To my amazement, these women were successful in gathering both sides together at a peace conference. After weeks of refusing to sign a peace agreement and increased violence in Monrovia, the Liberian women blocked the group leaders in the conference center, forcing them to come to an agreement. After four devastating years of war, the women of Liberia were successful in establishing peace in their country.
The story of these Liberian women is one of the most powerful stories I have heard. These women were average mothers and wives, yet to my great amazement they were the force that pressured top political leaders and put end to the war. They did not resort to violence or hatred towards those who had killed their children and husbands; they called upon the humanity of both parties and asked for peace. That such a small group of ordinary women had such influence speaks to the power of individuals and perseverance. These women persevered for years and would not be intimidated by political powers.
The statement of one woman stood out to me more than any other. Once the war had ceased and men and boys from the rebel troops began to return to their villages, this woman said “We must forgive them for killing our families and love them – though it is very hard.” These women who had watched such horrors desired to welcome back the perpetrators into their villages, because if they did not they would never attain peace. One sign read “we love you, welcome back.” This kind of love surpasses any human understanding. When I hear this kind of story, Christ’s love seems all the more amazing to me. We are liars and murderers. Just as I look with horror at the things that took place in Liberia, God looks in horror at my sin. I am just as unworthy as those rebels and that president. And yet God is pleased to look upon me with love and forgiveness. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
The Problem of Pain
C.S. Lewis’ chapter on human pain challenged me and refreshed me with truth. Yet while Lewis offers us an explanation on the purpose of pain, he does not have all the answers. I think the questions and tensions surrounding the concept of pain will never be fully answered until we reach heaven. Nonetheless, while we cannot rest in the assurance of leading a painless life and we inevitably face pain, we can rest in the character and goodness of our God.
When looking at pain, I have been tempted to believe that God must not be as faithful as he promised to be; he must have forgotten me for a time. The lies that Satan throws our way when we are overcome by pain is that horrible circumstances reflect God’s unloving and imperfect character. We, or at least I, am so ready to believe in those first moments that the Lord is not who he says he is. Yet once we come close to God in our pain, his Holy Spirit reveals to us that God is truly good and faithful. And this revelation is even more beautiful than before. We can grasp onto it with a desperate and thankful heart, because God has stripped us of all that we were grasping onto before. C.S. Lewis puts it beautifully: “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.”
As Americans, most of us live a very comfortable life. Everything is at our fingertips. We can “have” so much in this life. We often say, “We have been so blessed to have all of these things.” But is it not also a curse? We become so easily distracted and obsessed with what God has given us. If he gave us just enough to survive, maybe we would be quicker to turn to Him in thanks and worship. We take God’s gift, and we greedily worship it, quickly forgetting the one who graciously gave it. I shared this verse in a previous blog, but I think it applies: “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21). If these things are threatening to take God’s place in our hearts, we should flee them until they no longer threaten to own our hearts. Fasting from these things for a time could be a great defensive weapon to keep them far from the throne of our lives. As to pain, God uses it to do just that: to distance these things from our hearts.”
Such pain may appear purposeless from our human perspective. But we are only permitted to see a small portion of the big picture. Pain reminds us that there is a big picture; living for the pleasures of the moment does not constitute life. When we reach the understanding “that all these toys were never intended to possess [our] heart, that [our] true good is in another world and [our] only real treasure is Christ,” we get a glimpse of God’s beautiful and marvelous purpose.
When looking at pain, I have been tempted to believe that God must not be as faithful as he promised to be; he must have forgotten me for a time. The lies that Satan throws our way when we are overcome by pain is that horrible circumstances reflect God’s unloving and imperfect character. We, or at least I, am so ready to believe in those first moments that the Lord is not who he says he is. Yet once we come close to God in our pain, his Holy Spirit reveals to us that God is truly good and faithful. And this revelation is even more beautiful than before. We can grasp onto it with a desperate and thankful heart, because God has stripped us of all that we were grasping onto before. C.S. Lewis puts it beautifully: “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.”
As Americans, most of us live a very comfortable life. Everything is at our fingertips. We can “have” so much in this life. We often say, “We have been so blessed to have all of these things.” But is it not also a curse? We become so easily distracted and obsessed with what God has given us. If he gave us just enough to survive, maybe we would be quicker to turn to Him in thanks and worship. We take God’s gift, and we greedily worship it, quickly forgetting the one who graciously gave it. I shared this verse in a previous blog, but I think it applies: “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21). If these things are threatening to take God’s place in our hearts, we should flee them until they no longer threaten to own our hearts. Fasting from these things for a time could be a great defensive weapon to keep them far from the throne of our lives. As to pain, God uses it to do just that: to distance these things from our hearts.”
Such pain may appear purposeless from our human perspective. But we are only permitted to see a small portion of the big picture. Pain reminds us that there is a big picture; living for the pleasures of the moment does not constitute life. When we reach the understanding “that all these toys were never intended to possess [our] heart, that [our] true good is in another world and [our] only real treasure is Christ,” we get a glimpse of God’s beautiful and marvelous purpose.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Man or Rabbit?
"The idea of reaching 'a good life' without Christ is based on a double error. Firstly, we cannot do it; and secondly, in setting up 'a good life' as our final goal, we have missed the very point of our existence." -C.S. Lewis
This quote seemed to me to be the bottom line of Lewis’ essay. It addresses a lie that so many people believe, Christians and non-Christians alike. Because God has written the moral law in the depths of our hearts, we know that there is such a thing as good and many will reach the conclusion that our life purpose must somehow be connected with goodness. This is true. The essence of God is goodness and love; God is goodness. He designed us to be united with Him, and thus be united with goodness. However the object of our pursuit and affection is not goodness in itself, but God Himself.
This lie that the end goal of our life is goodness is closely connected to the truth that our end goal is the good God. However this lie may be one of Satan’s most effective tools to distract us from God. I see several dangers of living a life for the pursuit of goodness. We can do nothing good apart from Christ (although I believe Christ can still use those who don’t know Him to do good). When the objective of my life is for me to do good, there is one major problem: my and me. I am the source of the good action. The focus is for me to accomplish the greatest degree of good actions I can accomplish. At the end of the day if I have done something good, I deserve the glory. When I do all these good actions to “be the best person I can be” and perfect myself, I am totally missing the point. I cannot be the best person I can be without Christ - and this is not even the point when I do know Christ. The focus on how good I am or how I need to be better, instead of living out the reality that no matter how good I am I still fall short of God’s glorious standard and I need his grace every minute of my life. When I live by Christ’s grace every day, the goal of life is not to be “a good person” – this is a selfish goal – but to humbly be near to the Lord and let him, in my utter brokenness and failure, use my weaknesses (and strengths) to reveal how great He is in my weakness.
Once we grasp this reality, it is liberating. In the Old Testament we were under the law. When Christ came he freed us from the law, that we may live to know him and not live to meet the requirements of the law. But when we live to be “good people” we put ourselves under the law again – and we can never be justified. When we accept God’s grace, we no longer need to live to do the best we can do. We live to be near to God and live by his redeeming grace in all that we do. When we choose to live in God’s grace and love, and not by our own means, we experience great freedom that can never be found outside of his grace.
This quote seemed to me to be the bottom line of Lewis’ essay. It addresses a lie that so many people believe, Christians and non-Christians alike. Because God has written the moral law in the depths of our hearts, we know that there is such a thing as good and many will reach the conclusion that our life purpose must somehow be connected with goodness. This is true. The essence of God is goodness and love; God is goodness. He designed us to be united with Him, and thus be united with goodness. However the object of our pursuit and affection is not goodness in itself, but God Himself.
This lie that the end goal of our life is goodness is closely connected to the truth that our end goal is the good God. However this lie may be one of Satan’s most effective tools to distract us from God. I see several dangers of living a life for the pursuit of goodness. We can do nothing good apart from Christ (although I believe Christ can still use those who don’t know Him to do good). When the objective of my life is for me to do good, there is one major problem: my and me. I am the source of the good action. The focus is for me to accomplish the greatest degree of good actions I can accomplish. At the end of the day if I have done something good, I deserve the glory. When I do all these good actions to “be the best person I can be” and perfect myself, I am totally missing the point. I cannot be the best person I can be without Christ - and this is not even the point when I do know Christ. The focus on how good I am or how I need to be better, instead of living out the reality that no matter how good I am I still fall short of God’s glorious standard and I need his grace every minute of my life. When I live by Christ’s grace every day, the goal of life is not to be “a good person” – this is a selfish goal – but to humbly be near to the Lord and let him, in my utter brokenness and failure, use my weaknesses (and strengths) to reveal how great He is in my weakness.
Once we grasp this reality, it is liberating. In the Old Testament we were under the law. When Christ came he freed us from the law, that we may live to know him and not live to meet the requirements of the law. But when we live to be “good people” we put ourselves under the law again – and we can never be justified. When we accept God’s grace, we no longer need to live to do the best we can do. We live to be near to God and live by his redeeming grace in all that we do. When we choose to live in God’s grace and love, and not by our own means, we experience great freedom that can never be found outside of his grace.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Plantinga - Chapter 5
Plantinga’s discussion of college reminded me very much of C.S. Lewis’ “English Syllabus.” Lewis urged us to pursue education not for the sake of acquiring education, but for the sake of knowledge itself. In Chapter 5, Plantinga takes a similar stand. He urges us to not see our education only as a degree that will make us more employable, but to see our education as the opportunity to prepare for our vocation. “The full value of your education is that it will help you find and prepare your vocation.” Our attitude towards our education should glorify God. We are called to apply ourselves in college because our focus is on the Kingdom of God. Because we desire the Kingdom of God to come, we prepare for prime citizenship through our education.
I think Lewis and Plantinga both address students’ view of their education because they see the easy trap students fall into. Today a much higher percentage of students attend college than 100 years ago. Students may begin to view college as “the normal” course of things and the mandatory next step in their education. We may begin to value education for what it will procure us: a degree and employment. But both of these things are so temporary. As humans, we once again fall into the trap of keeping our focus on things that are temporary. Yet Lewis and Plantinga understand that our education has a far more significant and eternal dimension. Through our education we grow as individuals. We are challenged, pushed, criticized, and praised. We learn how to think, not just what to think (in fact what we think will likely change over time). We learn how to engage in God’s world and what our place is as humans in God’s world.
A “good citizen” will appreciate his education, but fail to truly view it in the eternal perspective and in light of God’s Kingdom. A “prime citizen” engages in his education and sees its value in light of eternity. Ultimately, we must be cautious to not fall into apathy and be careful not to become jaded, both in our education and in our role as citizens of heaven.
I think Lewis and Plantinga both address students’ view of their education because they see the easy trap students fall into. Today a much higher percentage of students attend college than 100 years ago. Students may begin to view college as “the normal” course of things and the mandatory next step in their education. We may begin to value education for what it will procure us: a degree and employment. But both of these things are so temporary. As humans, we once again fall into the trap of keeping our focus on things that are temporary. Yet Lewis and Plantinga understand that our education has a far more significant and eternal dimension. Through our education we grow as individuals. We are challenged, pushed, criticized, and praised. We learn how to think, not just what to think (in fact what we think will likely change over time). We learn how to engage in God’s world and what our place is as humans in God’s world.
A “good citizen” will appreciate his education, but fail to truly view it in the eternal perspective and in light of God’s Kingdom. A “prime citizen” engages in his education and sees its value in light of eternity. Ultimately, we must be cautious to not fall into apathy and be careful not to become jaded, both in our education and in our role as citizens of heaven.
The Inner Ring
“The quest of the Inner Ring will break your hearts unless you break it.” Lewis’ statement is true, not only for the inner ring, but for anything we pursue more than God. As we said in class inner rings in and of themselves may be good. However it is our motives and our hearts that make it a sinful quest. Once our pursuit of something pushes us to live for it, once it affects our decisions and judgment, it is in danger of becoming an idol (or may already be on idol). Inner rings may serve their purposes, but when our goal becomes to be inside the inner ring so that we may find our value in belonging there, the inner ring will in fact “break your heart.”
1 John 5:21 urges us to be wary of anything that takes this kind of place in our lives. “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” The interesting thing about many idols in our lives is that these things we pursue more than God may not be evil in themselves. But once again, it is the place we give them in our lives that turns it into idolatry. The advice in 1 John is not only to keep these things from becoming idols, but to keep away from these things altogether. If in our life constantly taunts and tempts us to put it before God, we should distance ourselves from it altogether. Lewis provides this suggestion for inner rings. He tells us to break free from our desire to be in the inner ring. Since it is a desire, and not something that can be so clearly removed as some other idols, we must discipline our minds. We must constantly “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). Above all our thoughts, our desires, and our actions should be a slave to Christ.
1 John 5:21 urges us to be wary of anything that takes this kind of place in our lives. “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” The interesting thing about many idols in our lives is that these things we pursue more than God may not be evil in themselves. But once again, it is the place we give them in our lives that turns it into idolatry. The advice in 1 John is not only to keep these things from becoming idols, but to keep away from these things altogether. If in our life constantly taunts and tempts us to put it before God, we should distance ourselves from it altogether. Lewis provides this suggestion for inner rings. He tells us to break free from our desire to be in the inner ring. Since it is a desire, and not something that can be so clearly removed as some other idols, we must discipline our minds. We must constantly “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). Above all our thoughts, our desires, and our actions should be a slave to Christ.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Four Loves
Lewis distinguishes four types of love. Storge love is affectionate love; philia is love in friendship; agape is God’s love; eros is love between the sexes. While Lewis refers to agape as “God’s love,” I think we see different aspects of God’s love when each of these loves is expressed. There is something beautiful and unique about each of the three other types of love. Each reflects an aspect of God’s love for us. In class we focused on eros, the last type of love. Eros is the love between two individuals who are in love.
As Lewis put it, “eros does not aim at pleasure or happiness,” as we may first expect. In class we discussed that while men may fall in love, it is an altogether different thing to be in love. I would argue that falling in love may be said to be somewhat “natural.” Anyone can fall in love. Yet being in love is a choice. Falling in love may be relatively “easy;” as we said in class it just “happens.” On the other hand staying in love requires strength of character and a daily commitment to selflessly love another. I thought Lewis’ analogy of a garden was perfect that describe the eros love that occurs when people choose to be in love. A garden will naturally grow, but the gardener must get rid of weeds that threaten the beautiful plants and he must prune those plants that are continually growing so that they may grow more.
One of Lewis’ quotes struck me the most out of all he said. “Love ceases to be a demon only when he ceases to be a God.” In one of the chapters of our readings, Lewis offers a point that helps us understand this: God is love, but love is not God. This is an interesting idea, which I believe is true, but is something I had never thought through before. We must worship God, knowing that the essence of Him is love. But we must not worship love, because love itself is not the god. Especially in relationships with high emotional ties, I think it is important for us to have discernment. Are we worshiping love in and of itself? Or are we worshiping God first and foremost through our relationship? Love itself can be in danger of becoming an idol. We may become slaves to this love, yet not slaves to Christ. We are called to devote ourselves to Christ in all that we do; to be slaves of Christ.
As Lewis put it, “eros does not aim at pleasure or happiness,” as we may first expect. In class we discussed that while men may fall in love, it is an altogether different thing to be in love. I would argue that falling in love may be said to be somewhat “natural.” Anyone can fall in love. Yet being in love is a choice. Falling in love may be relatively “easy;” as we said in class it just “happens.” On the other hand staying in love requires strength of character and a daily commitment to selflessly love another. I thought Lewis’ analogy of a garden was perfect that describe the eros love that occurs when people choose to be in love. A garden will naturally grow, but the gardener must get rid of weeds that threaten the beautiful plants and he must prune those plants that are continually growing so that they may grow more.
One of Lewis’ quotes struck me the most out of all he said. “Love ceases to be a demon only when he ceases to be a God.” In one of the chapters of our readings, Lewis offers a point that helps us understand this: God is love, but love is not God. This is an interesting idea, which I believe is true, but is something I had never thought through before. We must worship God, knowing that the essence of Him is love. But we must not worship love, because love itself is not the god. Especially in relationships with high emotional ties, I think it is important for us to have discernment. Are we worshiping love in and of itself? Or are we worshiping God first and foremost through our relationship? Love itself can be in danger of becoming an idol. We may become slaves to this love, yet not slaves to Christ. We are called to devote ourselves to Christ in all that we do; to be slaves of Christ.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Learning in Wartime
I was intrigued as to what C.S. Lewis would have to say about learning in times of war; I did not expect this essay to be a reminder of any practical truth. Yet once again, Lewis points us back to God, as he does in all of his writings. This quote that struck me the most in his essay:
“‘Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ All our merely natural activities will be accepted, if they are offered to God, even the humblest: and all of them, even the noblest, will be sinful if they are not.”
Lewis has such a powerful way of reminding us that no matter what we do, in every action, in every breath, in every thought, we are directing ourselves towards heaven or hell; we are living for Christ, or we are not. If we think of life in these terms, our lives and small decisions have such great significance. How can God make such a small action of mine something glorious for His Kingdom? How can such a “small sin” be such a stumbling block and opportunity for Satan? And yet, it is so. Lewis' quote served as a great reminder that I am writing a song with my life story. Every decision is like a note in a song; every note is so discrete, yet every note can be heard; multiple notes gone wrong will ruin entire parts of a song. Yet every well placed note will combine with others to create a beautiful melody of praise to God.
I found that Lewis’ concluding paragraph brought up an important point that relates to our previous class discussions about happiness.
“All the animal life in us, all schemes of happiness that centered in this world, were always doomed to a final frustration.”
We were never destined to find our satisfaction in pleasures of this earth. These things are all temporary and, as Lewis wrote, “doomed to final frustration.” God has designed us to find our joy and satisfaction in Him. The things of this earth are fleeting; when we turn to them for satisfaction that we can only find in God, we are left distraught and empty because these things will always let us down when they come to an end.
Our lives will sing a song of praise to something, be that God, be that the hopeless search for happiness, or be that some other idol. Ultimately we find our satisfaction in living our lives for God and committing every day to Him and his purposes.
“‘Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ All our merely natural activities will be accepted, if they are offered to God, even the humblest: and all of them, even the noblest, will be sinful if they are not.”
Lewis has such a powerful way of reminding us that no matter what we do, in every action, in every breath, in every thought, we are directing ourselves towards heaven or hell; we are living for Christ, or we are not. If we think of life in these terms, our lives and small decisions have such great significance. How can God make such a small action of mine something glorious for His Kingdom? How can such a “small sin” be such a stumbling block and opportunity for Satan? And yet, it is so. Lewis' quote served as a great reminder that I am writing a song with my life story. Every decision is like a note in a song; every note is so discrete, yet every note can be heard; multiple notes gone wrong will ruin entire parts of a song. Yet every well placed note will combine with others to create a beautiful melody of praise to God.
I found that Lewis’ concluding paragraph brought up an important point that relates to our previous class discussions about happiness.
“All the animal life in us, all schemes of happiness that centered in this world, were always doomed to a final frustration.”
We were never destined to find our satisfaction in pleasures of this earth. These things are all temporary and, as Lewis wrote, “doomed to final frustration.” God has designed us to find our joy and satisfaction in Him. The things of this earth are fleeting; when we turn to them for satisfaction that we can only find in God, we are left distraught and empty because these things will always let us down when they come to an end.
Our lives will sing a song of praise to something, be that God, be that the hopeless search for happiness, or be that some other idol. Ultimately we find our satisfaction in living our lives for God and committing every day to Him and his purposes.
Plantinga - Chapter 4
As we discussed the purpose of the 10 commandments today in class, a Psalm that I recently read came to mind. Psalm 19 speaks of the beauty of the law; it reminds us that the law is beautiful because of its purpose and what it does for us. Rather than thinking of the law as something that binds us and restricts us, we think of it as something beautiful, reflecting something so much deeper in our hearts.
Psalm 19:7-11
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
On a different note, during our discussion of Plantinga, chapter 4, we began discussing the impact of receiving a Christian education on our faith. I think this is a topic we must truly be aware of as we are constantly surrounded by a Christian environment. On one hand, I think receiving a Christian education can be a great opportunity. In a secular school, professors are thinking “along” the Christian faith we are “looking at.” They may challenge us intellectually in certain areas; yet at the same time there is something more challenging and engaging to be challenged by professors who “look along” the same faith and challenge their students within that. I think we can be challenged to seek God and learn more about Him and the world he has created in a Christian school.
Yet at the same time there is such danger living in this environment. Just as the Screwtape letters mentioned, Satan is so eager to make us believe that we are following God by convincing us, through outward things (habits or knowledge), that we are near to God. All the while he tries to harden our hearts to God, cutting off our communication with the Lord. He attempts to wean us from a personal relationship with God to bring us to a point where we are only approaching God in the context of classes or in a group context. From there he may attempt to make our “interactions with God” merely empty and meaningless habits. The most dangerous place is when he is successful at cutting off our communication with God; with time, with long lived lies, he may be able to convince us of almost anything. Since we are not forced to swim against the current of the world (as we would in a state school), we may easily begin to stop swimming so hard and be carried with the current.
What are we going to do with our Christian education? Will we be spoon-fed like a child and slowly become apathetic? Or will stand firm in the hope of our salvation and fall more in love with our Savior every day?
Psalm 19:7-11
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
On a different note, during our discussion of Plantinga, chapter 4, we began discussing the impact of receiving a Christian education on our faith. I think this is a topic we must truly be aware of as we are constantly surrounded by a Christian environment. On one hand, I think receiving a Christian education can be a great opportunity. In a secular school, professors are thinking “along” the Christian faith we are “looking at.” They may challenge us intellectually in certain areas; yet at the same time there is something more challenging and engaging to be challenged by professors who “look along” the same faith and challenge their students within that. I think we can be challenged to seek God and learn more about Him and the world he has created in a Christian school.
Yet at the same time there is such danger living in this environment. Just as the Screwtape letters mentioned, Satan is so eager to make us believe that we are following God by convincing us, through outward things (habits or knowledge), that we are near to God. All the while he tries to harden our hearts to God, cutting off our communication with the Lord. He attempts to wean us from a personal relationship with God to bring us to a point where we are only approaching God in the context of classes or in a group context. From there he may attempt to make our “interactions with God” merely empty and meaningless habits. The most dangerous place is when he is successful at cutting off our communication with God; with time, with long lived lies, he may be able to convince us of almost anything. Since we are not forced to swim against the current of the world (as we would in a state school), we may easily begin to stop swimming so hard and be carried with the current.
What are we going to do with our Christian education? Will we be spoon-fed like a child and slowly become apathetic? Or will stand firm in the hope of our salvation and fall more in love with our Savior every day?
Friday, January 15, 2010
Plantinga - Chapter 3
Chapter 3 of Plantinga’s book provided a very interesting perspective on the difference between sin and evil. “Evil is what’s wrong with the world,” “Sin is culpable evil.” According to this distinction, evil is all that “spoils shalom.” Shalom is what God intended for the world. It is not only peace, but something more glorious and pure; it is what God had planned for the whole of his creation. After the fall, shalom not only introduced sin into the world, it also distorted God’s creation. God’s creation is not experiencing “shalom” because when sin entered the world it also affected God’s creation (i.e. natural disasters). While sin might have introduced evil to the world, all evil is not sin. On the other hand, all sin is evil.
Sin is a difficult concept to struggle with. Sin is what can be attributed to a human; I would say sin is a choice that deviates from God’s path. However I would argue that men are not necessarily always aware that they are making a choice when they sin because they have been blinded. You could argue that according to one person’s cultural values and beliefs, they have no sense of conviction that they are doing something wrong because they have been taught that their actions are right. However the question is not whether a person believes they are doing something right when measured by cultural standards; the question is whether the person is acting in step with the moral law which God has written on their hearts. As Lewis argued in his essays every man has God’s moral law written on his heart. Therefore every man has the opportunity to know when he is sinning and to know what God will one day judge him for.
The concept of sin is difficult in another way. Sin must be an action that is premeditated and that displeases God. Sin cannot be an unintentional occurrence. I think Plantinga’s example of the two year old that mistakenly kills someone with a gun is very ambiguous. I believe that the reason the two year old has not sinned is not based on the fact that he is a two year old, but it is based on the fact that the child mistakenly and unintentionally killed someone. We could use the same example with an adult. An adult who is “playing” with a gun and unintentionally fires a shot that kills someone does not commit a sin. But if the adult (or even a two year old, although it is impossible) premeditates the murder, then they have sinned. In my opinion Plantinga’s example of the two year old does not suggest that the two year old has not sinned because he is too young to understand that murder is a sin; he has not sinned because he mistakenly fired a shot. If this is what Plantinga is saying, I think this helps us understand why we cannot say that someone who “does not know” (culturally) that they are sinning is still held responsible for their sin.
Sin is a difficult concept to struggle with. Sin is what can be attributed to a human; I would say sin is a choice that deviates from God’s path. However I would argue that men are not necessarily always aware that they are making a choice when they sin because they have been blinded. You could argue that according to one person’s cultural values and beliefs, they have no sense of conviction that they are doing something wrong because they have been taught that their actions are right. However the question is not whether a person believes they are doing something right when measured by cultural standards; the question is whether the person is acting in step with the moral law which God has written on their hearts. As Lewis argued in his essays every man has God’s moral law written on his heart. Therefore every man has the opportunity to know when he is sinning and to know what God will one day judge him for.
The concept of sin is difficult in another way. Sin must be an action that is premeditated and that displeases God. Sin cannot be an unintentional occurrence. I think Plantinga’s example of the two year old that mistakenly kills someone with a gun is very ambiguous. I believe that the reason the two year old has not sinned is not based on the fact that he is a two year old, but it is based on the fact that the child mistakenly and unintentionally killed someone. We could use the same example with an adult. An adult who is “playing” with a gun and unintentionally fires a shot that kills someone does not commit a sin. But if the adult (or even a two year old, although it is impossible) premeditates the murder, then they have sinned. In my opinion Plantinga’s example of the two year old does not suggest that the two year old has not sinned because he is too young to understand that murder is a sin; he has not sinned because he mistakenly fired a shot. If this is what Plantinga is saying, I think this helps us understand why we cannot say that someone who “does not know” (culturally) that they are sinning is still held responsible for their sin.
The Poison of Subjectivism
“Are these things right because God commands them or does God command them because they are right? [...] God neither obeys nor creates the moral law. […] God is not merely good, but goodness; goodness is not merely divine, but God.”
Lewis’ statement first confused me. But when I reread this paragraph and thought about his point, I found it to be very insightful. In order to come to a better understanding of Lewis’ statement, I had to think back to creation and the nature of God. God is relationship because he is the Trinity; this means he is perfect love and perfect goodness. Out of the abundance of his love he chose to create the world; the world was therefore created out of the essence of who God is. Just as a piece of art bears the mark of the artist, creation bears the fingerprint of its creator. Therefore man, part of God’s creation, bears the moral law (which reflects God’s goodness) in his heart.
God did not “create” the moral law. My first reaction to this suggestion was surprise. God created everything in existence; nothing came about apart from God. Yet, 1 John 4:8 says “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” God is not only loving, just as Lewis says that God is not merely good. God is love. He is goodness. And God is eternal. He has always existed. He did not create goodness or love, because goodness and love are the essence of who God is. The moral law which Lewis is discussing stems from goodness and love. This then also means that the moral law reflects the essence of who God is.
The notion that God is love is incredibly powerful to me. The highest command we were given is to love God and love our neighbor. We live our life craving for love in any way we can receive it. As we have talked about concepts such as longing and our desire to be united with the beauty that we see in this class, the concept that God is love is greatly powerful. We seek to receive love from people and from God throughout our lives in our lives. Yet ultimately what we long for is not only to engage with those who are by nature human (or other) and by characteristic loving, we long to be united with love itself. We long to be united with God.
Lewis’ statement first confused me. But when I reread this paragraph and thought about his point, I found it to be very insightful. In order to come to a better understanding of Lewis’ statement, I had to think back to creation and the nature of God. God is relationship because he is the Trinity; this means he is perfect love and perfect goodness. Out of the abundance of his love he chose to create the world; the world was therefore created out of the essence of who God is. Just as a piece of art bears the mark of the artist, creation bears the fingerprint of its creator. Therefore man, part of God’s creation, bears the moral law (which reflects God’s goodness) in his heart.
God did not “create” the moral law. My first reaction to this suggestion was surprise. God created everything in existence; nothing came about apart from God. Yet, 1 John 4:8 says “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” God is not only loving, just as Lewis says that God is not merely good. God is love. He is goodness. And God is eternal. He has always existed. He did not create goodness or love, because goodness and love are the essence of who God is. The moral law which Lewis is discussing stems from goodness and love. This then also means that the moral law reflects the essence of who God is.
The notion that God is love is incredibly powerful to me. The highest command we were given is to love God and love our neighbor. We live our life craving for love in any way we can receive it. As we have talked about concepts such as longing and our desire to be united with the beauty that we see in this class, the concept that God is love is greatly powerful. We seek to receive love from people and from God throughout our lives in our lives. Yet ultimately what we long for is not only to engage with those who are by nature human (or other) and by characteristic loving, we long to be united with love itself. We long to be united with God.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Mere Christianity
Lewis’ Mere Christianity presents a great case in support of the existence of a universal moral law. I enjoyed Lewis’ essay as it presents arguments that do not require someone to adhere to the Christian faith to follow with his logic and agree with his arguments. Not many have taken it upon themselves to defend morality and Christianity with an intellectual approach, as does Lewis in Mere Christianity.
Lewis’ arguments are compelling and logical. I thought Lewis’ comparison between morality and mathematics was very applicable and interesting to the concept of morality. Just as there are absolute truths in mathematics, there are absolute truths of morality. This then means there is such a thing as absolute right and absolute wrong. In a world of increasing relativism, the existence of right and wrong is constantly contested, yet is foundational to Christian beliefs.
The story of the Gospel rests upon the existence of the moral law. When God created the universe, he said it was good. But sin entered the world when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, thus committing the first wrong action. Christ, the good and perfect sacrifice, took the penalty for our sin. In Christ, we may experience forgiveness for our wrong actions and are being transformed into the good creation God originally intended. Each step of this story includes the concept of right and wrong. Why would we need to be saved if we have nothing to repent of?
One of the points that struck me as we discussed morality in class was the idea that the moral law is applicable across all time and place. However morality may be applied differently in different cultures. I believe the reason for this is that morality is tied to the meaning and significance of the action. This is where relativity comes into play. An action in one culture may represent one meaning and motivation, while in another culture it has a fully different meaning. However the moral principles are the same in every situation and they all sum up to one word: love.
Lewis’ arguments are compelling and logical. I thought Lewis’ comparison between morality and mathematics was very applicable and interesting to the concept of morality. Just as there are absolute truths in mathematics, there are absolute truths of morality. This then means there is such a thing as absolute right and absolute wrong. In a world of increasing relativism, the existence of right and wrong is constantly contested, yet is foundational to Christian beliefs.
The story of the Gospel rests upon the existence of the moral law. When God created the universe, he said it was good. But sin entered the world when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, thus committing the first wrong action. Christ, the good and perfect sacrifice, took the penalty for our sin. In Christ, we may experience forgiveness for our wrong actions and are being transformed into the good creation God originally intended. Each step of this story includes the concept of right and wrong. Why would we need to be saved if we have nothing to repent of?
One of the points that struck me as we discussed morality in class was the idea that the moral law is applicable across all time and place. However morality may be applied differently in different cultures. I believe the reason for this is that morality is tied to the meaning and significance of the action. This is where relativity comes into play. An action in one culture may represent one meaning and motivation, while in another culture it has a fully different meaning. However the moral principles are the same in every situation and they all sum up to one word: love.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Screwtape Letters
“But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing.”
This is the ultimate goal of the Devil. And yet God’s ultimate purpose and desire is to have a personal and intimate relationship with men. These two agendas are opposed in every way. Where God’s plan is relationship, the Devil’s goal is isolation and discontentment; where God is truth, Satan is lies; where God is perfect goodness, the Devil is perfect evil. Yet it is not always the type of blatant evil we so often imagine.
What I find most insightful, as well as most disturbing, is that “the safest road to hell is the gradual one.” What is so dangerous about Satan’s lies is that they become believable when we are not wearing the armor of God. Lies begin small and seemingly “harmless.” We can give in to one small lie, compromise one small thing, and live our way just once, because it will have no eternal consequence or impact. This is how we are persuaded to think. What I find most disturbing is that Satan is at his best when he eats away at our hearts and spirits’, yet has us convinced that we are “good Christians” because of our outside actions. He may not attack our outside actions until he has our hearts and minds perfectly convinced of a lie. Only then will he move on to influencing our actions. Our actions are always preceded by a thought. This is why the mind is so powerful. And that is why Scriptures gives us this command:
“Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” -2 Cor. 10:5
In the face of such lies, we must always be aware of the roaring lion seeking to destroy us. But we do not live in fear, because we live in the victory of Christ:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” -James 4:7
If we resist these lies at their roots and discern even the smallest lie, we will cease to become Satan’s prey. He will quickly give up on those constantly seeking truth and turn his attention to those who are willing to receive his small seeds of sin.
This is the ultimate goal of the Devil. And yet God’s ultimate purpose and desire is to have a personal and intimate relationship with men. These two agendas are opposed in every way. Where God’s plan is relationship, the Devil’s goal is isolation and discontentment; where God is truth, Satan is lies; where God is perfect goodness, the Devil is perfect evil. Yet it is not always the type of blatant evil we so often imagine.
What I find most insightful, as well as most disturbing, is that “the safest road to hell is the gradual one.” What is so dangerous about Satan’s lies is that they become believable when we are not wearing the armor of God. Lies begin small and seemingly “harmless.” We can give in to one small lie, compromise one small thing, and live our way just once, because it will have no eternal consequence or impact. This is how we are persuaded to think. What I find most disturbing is that Satan is at his best when he eats away at our hearts and spirits’, yet has us convinced that we are “good Christians” because of our outside actions. He may not attack our outside actions until he has our hearts and minds perfectly convinced of a lie. Only then will he move on to influencing our actions. Our actions are always preceded by a thought. This is why the mind is so powerful. And that is why Scriptures gives us this command:
“Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” -2 Cor. 10:5
In the face of such lies, we must always be aware of the roaring lion seeking to destroy us. But we do not live in fear, because we live in the victory of Christ:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” -James 4:7
If we resist these lies at their roots and discern even the smallest lie, we will cease to become Satan’s prey. He will quickly give up on those constantly seeking truth and turn his attention to those who are willing to receive his small seeds of sin.
The Weight of Glory
I greatly enjoyed C.S. Lewis’ “Weight of Glory.” Lewis touched on so many interesting points and
tackles the concept of glory. Lewis identifies five scriptural promises regarding heaven. First, we will be united with Christ; secondly, we will be made like him; thirdly, we shall have glory; fourthly, we will be fed and entertained; fifthly, we will have an official position in the universe.
I appreciate that C.S. Lewis does not shy away from pointing out that these promises may seem somewhat odd to us from our standpoint. He brings up a very interesting question, which I have often wondered before: what is the glory that God promises us which is supposed to be so wonderfully appealing? I appreciated Lewis’ description of his initial understanding of glory, “Either glory means to me fame, or it means luminosity.” Yet Lewis goes on to thoroughly explore what Scriptures are referring to and how we currently see our longing for glory. He reaches the conclusion that glory means “good report with God, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgement, and welcome into the heart of things.”
If this is the glory that God is referring to, which I believe it is, then humanity is already desperately displaying its longing and desire for this type of glory. Man’s desire to be noticed, acknowledged, and valued is blatantly obvious in our relentless pursuit of success, recognition, and love in life. We seek to be known and loved in so much of what we do every day. I thought Lewis gave another insightful example that indicates that we are also destined for glory. He pointed out that we become enthralled with the beauty of this world, yet we feel limited. We do not want to merely observe glory and feel insignificant before it; we want to be a part of such glory ourselves. I think our desire to have recognition from God and man, and our desire to be a part of the beauty we see in the world reveals that we were created for glory. Yet we will never experience the fullness of the glory God intended us for until we reach heaven.
tackles the concept of glory. Lewis identifies five scriptural promises regarding heaven. First, we will be united with Christ; secondly, we will be made like him; thirdly, we shall have glory; fourthly, we will be fed and entertained; fifthly, we will have an official position in the universe.
I appreciate that C.S. Lewis does not shy away from pointing out that these promises may seem somewhat odd to us from our standpoint. He brings up a very interesting question, which I have often wondered before: what is the glory that God promises us which is supposed to be so wonderfully appealing? I appreciated Lewis’ description of his initial understanding of glory, “Either glory means to me fame, or it means luminosity.” Yet Lewis goes on to thoroughly explore what Scriptures are referring to and how we currently see our longing for glory. He reaches the conclusion that glory means “good report with God, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgement, and welcome into the heart of things.”
If this is the glory that God is referring to, which I believe it is, then humanity is already desperately displaying its longing and desire for this type of glory. Man’s desire to be noticed, acknowledged, and valued is blatantly obvious in our relentless pursuit of success, recognition, and love in life. We seek to be known and loved in so much of what we do every day. I thought Lewis gave another insightful example that indicates that we are also destined for glory. He pointed out that we become enthralled with the beauty of this world, yet we feel limited. We do not want to merely observe glory and feel insignificant before it; we want to be a part of such glory ourselves. I think our desire to have recognition from God and man, and our desire to be a part of the beauty we see in the world reveals that we were created for glory. Yet we will never experience the fullness of the glory God intended us for until we reach heaven.
Plantinga - Chapter 2
I enjoyed chapter 2 of Plantinga’s “Engaging God’s World,” particularly because much of what he discusses in this chapter connects with other classes I have taken at Calvin. I enjoy approaching one specific topic in different classes.
One thing that stuck out to me was only a very minor point Plantinga made, yet I think it has huge significance in how we live our lives. Plantinga reminds us that God created the earth for six days, then rested on the seventh day. He also points out that God not only rested on the seventh day, but also during the nights between each of the days. I find that to be remarkable and to be a statement about how we should live our lives. Not only did God command us to take a Sabbath day to rest in the Ten Commandments, but God Himself rested when he created the earth.
I see a couple reoccurring lies in American culture that concern the concept of rest. I believe that American culture is a highly "hyperactive" culture. By hyperactive I mean that it is highly valued to be a constantly busy, highly-involved-in-everything, never-resting person. Americans place emphasis on “doing,” instead of “being.” Those who keep themselves busy are highly valued in society. Even if you are a family with young kids, there is often pressure for families commit their children and the parents to multiple activities each, in addition to school and hyperactive church involvement. I would go so far as to say that in most settings, being a person who never rests is seen as a good thing. I think this trend is true for both believers and non-believers.
I find that unhealthy trends and pressures exist within the American church culture or in full time Christian ministry families. The reasoning behind hyperactive Christians may look something like: “In order to prove that I love God, I must be highly committed to serving and to my church.” People then begin being involved in church for the sake of being involved itself, instead of out of an overflow of God’s love. It becomes legalism. But I grew up in a missionary community, and I have also seen another kind of justification for hyperactivism without rest: “There is so much need to serve and to build God’s Kingdom and I am accomplishing so much (or have so much to accomplish) for the Kingdom; how could I rest when there is so much I could do to serve?” When I observe this kind of justification for hyperactive Christianity, I think back to the fact that God rested. God could have accomplished and created great things during the time that he rested; yet he still took the time to rest.
There is a time to rest and a time to work and serve. God himself demonstrated this when he created the earth; he then commanded it to us in the Ten Commandments. I think rest is something American culture, and even more so the American Church Culture, should be obedient in. We are not what we do. We do not create our value by what we do. We are who we are through Christ’s redemption. All we can do is accept his love and forgiveness.
One thing that stuck out to me was only a very minor point Plantinga made, yet I think it has huge significance in how we live our lives. Plantinga reminds us that God created the earth for six days, then rested on the seventh day. He also points out that God not only rested on the seventh day, but also during the nights between each of the days. I find that to be remarkable and to be a statement about how we should live our lives. Not only did God command us to take a Sabbath day to rest in the Ten Commandments, but God Himself rested when he created the earth.
I see a couple reoccurring lies in American culture that concern the concept of rest. I believe that American culture is a highly "hyperactive" culture. By hyperactive I mean that it is highly valued to be a constantly busy, highly-involved-in-everything, never-resting person. Americans place emphasis on “doing,” instead of “being.” Those who keep themselves busy are highly valued in society. Even if you are a family with young kids, there is often pressure for families commit their children and the parents to multiple activities each, in addition to school and hyperactive church involvement. I would go so far as to say that in most settings, being a person who never rests is seen as a good thing. I think this trend is true for both believers and non-believers.
I find that unhealthy trends and pressures exist within the American church culture or in full time Christian ministry families. The reasoning behind hyperactive Christians may look something like: “In order to prove that I love God, I must be highly committed to serving and to my church.” People then begin being involved in church for the sake of being involved itself, instead of out of an overflow of God’s love. It becomes legalism. But I grew up in a missionary community, and I have also seen another kind of justification for hyperactivism without rest: “There is so much need to serve and to build God’s Kingdom and I am accomplishing so much (or have so much to accomplish) for the Kingdom; how could I rest when there is so much I could do to serve?” When I observe this kind of justification for hyperactive Christianity, I think back to the fact that God rested. God could have accomplished and created great things during the time that he rested; yet he still took the time to rest.
There is a time to rest and a time to work and serve. God himself demonstrated this when he created the earth; he then commanded it to us in the Ten Commandments. I think rest is something American culture, and even more so the American Church Culture, should be obedient in. We are not what we do. We do not create our value by what we do. We are who we are through Christ’s redemption. All we can do is accept his love and forgiveness.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Our English Syllabus
I thought Lewis’ article touched on many interesting points. The point that interested me the most was his distinction between pursuing education for the sake of gaining an education, and pursuing education for the sake of knowledge in and of itself. He compared it to games and health: “Games are essentially for pleasure, but they happen to produce health. They are not likely, however, to produce health if they are played for the sake of it. Play to win and you will find yourself taking violent exercise; play because it is good for you and you will not.”
I found Lewis’ example to be interesting and made me think about the relationship between education and my motivation for obtaining an education. Just as someone said in class, I think we have a different approach to college today than in Lewis’ day. The average, middle class American is often expected to go to college. They are persuaded to attend college by their parents and teachers because “you can’t do anything without a college degree,” or because “everyone in the family went to college.” Although I think there are students who go to college out of their passion for knowledge, I think these students are more and more rare. This means that many students’ end goal and purpose while attending college is to get their graduation diploma, instead of learning for the sake of learning.
I think this causes many problems to society and to our educational systems. One of the main dangers I see is that students would become lazy and unmotivated. If they simply want a diploma, yet have little interest in knowledge itself, they risk seeing the education before them as pure work and not something with intrinsic value. If education is simply work to get through in order to reach the ultimate goal of a diploma, students may begin looking for “shortcuts” and try to “get by” without investing themselves in their education. In the past this may have been a danger for grade school and high school, but not for college. I would imagine that since fewer students attended college 100 years ago, less college students attend school because of expectations (and with the main goal of obtaining a degree); and those who did attend college were likely more passionate to acquire knowledge itself. It seems that that is now the role of graduate school. Those who wish to pursue their education at a deeper level go to graduate school. They will find students who are more motivated and whose purpose is to invest themselves in their education in order to acquire knowledge.
I found Lewis’ example to be interesting and made me think about the relationship between education and my motivation for obtaining an education. Just as someone said in class, I think we have a different approach to college today than in Lewis’ day. The average, middle class American is often expected to go to college. They are persuaded to attend college by their parents and teachers because “you can’t do anything without a college degree,” or because “everyone in the family went to college.” Although I think there are students who go to college out of their passion for knowledge, I think these students are more and more rare. This means that many students’ end goal and purpose while attending college is to get their graduation diploma, instead of learning for the sake of learning.
I think this causes many problems to society and to our educational systems. One of the main dangers I see is that students would become lazy and unmotivated. If they simply want a diploma, yet have little interest in knowledge itself, they risk seeing the education before them as pure work and not something with intrinsic value. If education is simply work to get through in order to reach the ultimate goal of a diploma, students may begin looking for “shortcuts” and try to “get by” without investing themselves in their education. In the past this may have been a danger for grade school and high school, but not for college. I would imagine that since fewer students attended college 100 years ago, less college students attend school because of expectations (and with the main goal of obtaining a degree); and those who did attend college were likely more passionate to acquire knowledge itself. It seems that that is now the role of graduate school. Those who wish to pursue their education at a deeper level go to graduate school. They will find students who are more motivated and whose purpose is to invest themselves in their education in order to acquire knowledge.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Platinga - Chapter 1
Platinga discusses the concept of longing and hope first chapter of his book, “Engaging God’s World.” What caught my attention was the connection Platinga made between longing and hope. “Longing is an ingredient of hope.” He explains that if we sincerely and whole-heartedly hope for something, we must want it; if we want it, we will long for it. Since we have hope of God’s coming Kingdom and hope in our relationship with our Savior, we long for a time when we will no longer be constrained to our earthly bodies and when we will fully experience the complete intimacy of a perfect relationship with God. Yet this longing will never be fulfilled until we reach heaven.
I find the idea of an unfulfilled longing to be fascinating. It is fascinating because it is so visible in our world today; everywhere we look, we see men trying to fulfill its God-intended purpose by giving their hearts to something other than God. Every human being worships something, whether they worship God or not, and whether they are consciously aware of it or not. This longing that we have for heaven plays out in different ways. Because of our sin nature, our first natural and flesh-driven response to this longing is to satisfy ourselves and our desires, giving ourselves up to something other than God. But we will never be satisfied because earthly satisfaction is not what we actually long for. One we are redeemed and transformed by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit redirects our longing towards the hope and purpose God rightfully intended us for. When we live in and through the Holy Spirit, we desire God above all else and are satisfied in God. Yet we still live in our earthly bodies in a world where we do not belong. So that is why we continue to long for the day when we will be truly home, living in the fullness of what God intended for us, living in perfect relationship with God and glorifying him in everything we do.
I find the idea of an unfulfilled longing to be fascinating. It is fascinating because it is so visible in our world today; everywhere we look, we see men trying to fulfill its God-intended purpose by giving their hearts to something other than God. Every human being worships something, whether they worship God or not, and whether they are consciously aware of it or not. This longing that we have for heaven plays out in different ways. Because of our sin nature, our first natural and flesh-driven response to this longing is to satisfy ourselves and our desires, giving ourselves up to something other than God. But we will never be satisfied because earthly satisfaction is not what we actually long for. One we are redeemed and transformed by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit redirects our longing towards the hope and purpose God rightfully intended us for. When we live in and through the Holy Spirit, we desire God above all else and are satisfied in God. Yet we still live in our earthly bodies in a world where we do not belong. So that is why we continue to long for the day when we will be truly home, living in the fullness of what God intended for us, living in perfect relationship with God and glorifying him in everything we do.
A Right to Happiness?
I believe that the reoccurring debate of our right to happiness is reflective of the American culture. One of the things that we, as Americans, pride ourselves on and highly value is our long list of rights based on the freedom of our country. Many other countries possess such freedom and rights, but the American mindset seems quite obsessed with its rights more than many other countries. I do not think this is right or wrong; it simply is.
As American culture places so much emphasis on our political rights, it is simultaneously creating a culture in which people like to believe that these are not only political rights, but also God-given rights. This is where I see the danger of the American mindset and its focus on our rights. God created us to glorify Him and to draw near to Him, not to be happy. Yet just as a father delights in giving a gift to his children, so God delights in blessing us with moments of happiness (a state of being that results from outside circumstances); but God never promised us happiness. He did, however, promise that we would experience trials. These difficult circumstances are no reason (and should not be reason) for happiness much of the time. However we still have cause for joy, because joy is not rooted in circumstances; it is rooted in Christ’s powerful love and results from the supernatural hope God graciously gives us. This kind of joy far surpasses any form of happiness. True, we may at times experience happiness from our relationship with God. But God has guaranteed that we will not always experience happiness. That is why God’s joy is so powerful and mighty – because it transcends circumstances and happiness. If we were always happy, joy from the Spirit would not be the same radical testimony to God's work in us.
As Christians, we not only have a right to experience God’s joy, we are commanded to be joyful! In our joy we do not deny the trial and circumstances, but we embrace that God’s plan and purpose is so much bigger than our circumstances. James 1: 2-4 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” When a child dies or a friend is diagnosed with cancer, God does not call us to be happy. He commands us to weep with those who weep when these events occur. But instead He calls us to have joy, the fruit of our eternal hope in the Lord, because we look towards God’s purpose and His coming Kingdom with hope. Ironically enough, when such times come we may want to cling to our right to not be joyful. Yet it is not so much that we have a right to be joyful, but that we do not have the right to not be joyful.
As American culture places so much emphasis on our political rights, it is simultaneously creating a culture in which people like to believe that these are not only political rights, but also God-given rights. This is where I see the danger of the American mindset and its focus on our rights. God created us to glorify Him and to draw near to Him, not to be happy. Yet just as a father delights in giving a gift to his children, so God delights in blessing us with moments of happiness (a state of being that results from outside circumstances); but God never promised us happiness. He did, however, promise that we would experience trials. These difficult circumstances are no reason (and should not be reason) for happiness much of the time. However we still have cause for joy, because joy is not rooted in circumstances; it is rooted in Christ’s powerful love and results from the supernatural hope God graciously gives us. This kind of joy far surpasses any form of happiness. True, we may at times experience happiness from our relationship with God. But God has guaranteed that we will not always experience happiness. That is why God’s joy is so powerful and mighty – because it transcends circumstances and happiness. If we were always happy, joy from the Spirit would not be the same radical testimony to God's work in us.
As Christians, we not only have a right to experience God’s joy, we are commanded to be joyful! In our joy we do not deny the trial and circumstances, but we embrace that God’s plan and purpose is so much bigger than our circumstances. James 1: 2-4 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” When a child dies or a friend is diagnosed with cancer, God does not call us to be happy. He commands us to weep with those who weep when these events occur. But instead He calls us to have joy, the fruit of our eternal hope in the Lord, because we look towards God’s purpose and His coming Kingdom with hope. Ironically enough, when such times come we may want to cling to our right to not be joyful. Yet it is not so much that we have a right to be joyful, but that we do not have the right to not be joyful.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Bulverism
C.S. Lewis’ article, “Bulverism,” explains the concept that many debates in our society focus on judging a person’s motives with the presupposed assumption that their arguments are wrong. People’s wrong motives, rather than the validity of their arguments, discredit their claim. When this type of debate occurs, the focus of the game is to prove and explain the corrupted intentions of your opponent, rather than exploring the rationality of your opponent’s arguments. Each person assumes that their opponent’s argument is based on unrelated causes, while their argument is based on reason.
As soon as I read Lewis’ article on Bulverism, I tied it back to some of his points brought up in “Meditation in a toolshed.” In a debate, the person on one side of the debate will strongly uphold their views and perspectives. They “look along” and experience their beliefs personally. Yet they will “look at” their opponent’s arguments, without having the personal conviction and experience their opponent has. However in the context of Bulverism, one who “looks at” an argument is not actually analyzing the evidence and rationality of their opponent’s arguments; instead they are assuming their opponent is wrong and judging their opponent’s motives. While people on both side of the debate may have solid and rational arguments, each one looks at the other and sees unfounded beliefs based on causes, rather than reasons. If this is the case, Bulverism is no way to discern the truth. We all “look along” our arguments and automatically reject opposing arguments, without giving them proper thought and consideration.
I believe that exploring whether opposing arguments are right or wrong can lead us to discover truths. If we fully explore and grasp opposing thoughts and reasoning, yet still reach the conclusion that our arguments are valid, this will greatly strengthen our own arguments. It allows us to take a step away from our own view and “look at” our arguments. If our reasoning is right, it will stand the test of analysis and questioning. On the other hand, if we value truth above all else, we will be willing to accept opposing arguments if we find that our opponent’s arguments surpass our own in truth.
As soon as I read Lewis’ article on Bulverism, I tied it back to some of his points brought up in “Meditation in a toolshed.” In a debate, the person on one side of the debate will strongly uphold their views and perspectives. They “look along” and experience their beliefs personally. Yet they will “look at” their opponent’s arguments, without having the personal conviction and experience their opponent has. However in the context of Bulverism, one who “looks at” an argument is not actually analyzing the evidence and rationality of their opponent’s arguments; instead they are assuming their opponent is wrong and judging their opponent’s motives. While people on both side of the debate may have solid and rational arguments, each one looks at the other and sees unfounded beliefs based on causes, rather than reasons. If this is the case, Bulverism is no way to discern the truth. We all “look along” our arguments and automatically reject opposing arguments, without giving them proper thought and consideration.
I believe that exploring whether opposing arguments are right or wrong can lead us to discover truths. If we fully explore and grasp opposing thoughts and reasoning, yet still reach the conclusion that our arguments are valid, this will greatly strengthen our own arguments. It allows us to take a step away from our own view and “look at” our arguments. If our reasoning is right, it will stand the test of analysis and questioning. On the other hand, if we value truth above all else, we will be willing to accept opposing arguments if we find that our opponent’s arguments surpass our own in truth.
Meditation in a toolshed
“Meditation in a toolshed,” by C.S. Lewis, provides a perspective on the difference between looking at versus looking along something and how this affects people’s understanding of what they believe is truth. I found Lewis’ article to be incredibly insightful. The distinction between experiencing something from the inside and looking at something from the outside is essential to understand the context of people’s arguments and views.
One of the points that struck me the most was Lewis’ question, “which is the ‘true’ or ‘valid’ experience?” He accurately observed that today’s society largely disregards looking along something and considers that looking at an idea from the outside is the way to discern truth. According to this view, looking at something is the most rational way of approaching it and allows us to discern the truth. I think this argument has been used in many contexts to dismiss people’s “looking along” experiences. From reading this article, I believe that to discern the truth you must consider both the experience of looking along and looking at an idea; I do not think you can exclusively rely on one of these ways of looking at an idea. Many people are sincerely convinced of the truth of their beliefs based on their experience. Yet the fact that they are convinced does not, in fact, make it true. They may disregard all outside and rational perspectives that counter their experience. On the other hand, someone looking exclusively from the outside will have an incomplete understanding because they have not experienced what they are claiming to know.
I also believe, as a Christian, that humans cannot reason their way to God by looking at the facts. We may be able to develop an idea of whether God exists and his characteristics based on his creation. However if we merely deduce who God is based on our reasoning, we are creating our own idea of a god, rather than discovering God as he reveals Himself to us through his Holy Spirit. As Christians, the Holy Spirit reveals things to us that we cannot know apart from the Holy Spirit; this means we must constantly be questioning and discerning what is truth from the Holy Spirit, and what is not. Another point is that our faith is not exclusively based on rationality and reason, but neither is it irrational. God has given us the ability to look at something from the outside and to reason; I think we should consider our beliefs from the outside (as much as possible, though we cannot fully remove ourselves from looking along an idea) to evaluate whether our faith is irrational.
I think this article should challenge us to ask ourselves how we are looking at the world and how we have formed our beliefs. Are we committed to our beliefs because it is what we have been taught and we are afraid to question them? Are we rejecting Christian beliefs because we are rejecting anything that is not exclusively based on rationality? Or are we committed to our beliefs because we have asked God to reveal truth, sought truth, and wrestled in faith with questions that come from “looking at” and "looking along" faith?
One of the points that struck me the most was Lewis’ question, “which is the ‘true’ or ‘valid’ experience?” He accurately observed that today’s society largely disregards looking along something and considers that looking at an idea from the outside is the way to discern truth. According to this view, looking at something is the most rational way of approaching it and allows us to discern the truth. I think this argument has been used in many contexts to dismiss people’s “looking along” experiences. From reading this article, I believe that to discern the truth you must consider both the experience of looking along and looking at an idea; I do not think you can exclusively rely on one of these ways of looking at an idea. Many people are sincerely convinced of the truth of their beliefs based on their experience. Yet the fact that they are convinced does not, in fact, make it true. They may disregard all outside and rational perspectives that counter their experience. On the other hand, someone looking exclusively from the outside will have an incomplete understanding because they have not experienced what they are claiming to know.
I also believe, as a Christian, that humans cannot reason their way to God by looking at the facts. We may be able to develop an idea of whether God exists and his characteristics based on his creation. However if we merely deduce who God is based on our reasoning, we are creating our own idea of a god, rather than discovering God as he reveals Himself to us through his Holy Spirit. As Christians, the Holy Spirit reveals things to us that we cannot know apart from the Holy Spirit; this means we must constantly be questioning and discerning what is truth from the Holy Spirit, and what is not. Another point is that our faith is not exclusively based on rationality and reason, but neither is it irrational. God has given us the ability to look at something from the outside and to reason; I think we should consider our beliefs from the outside (as much as possible, though we cannot fully remove ourselves from looking along an idea) to evaluate whether our faith is irrational.
I think this article should challenge us to ask ourselves how we are looking at the world and how we have formed our beliefs. Are we committed to our beliefs because it is what we have been taught and we are afraid to question them? Are we rejecting Christian beliefs because we are rejecting anything that is not exclusively based on rationality? Or are we committed to our beliefs because we have asked God to reveal truth, sought truth, and wrestled in faith with questions that come from “looking at” and "looking along" faith?
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