Professors Paulo & Adriana Ribeiro
IDIS-150-07
24 January 2011
Work Count: 1,909
When I signed up to take the C.S. Lewis DCM (Developing the Christian Mind), I figured we would read the Chronicles of Narnia, discuss it a bit, and then watch the movies. Boy was I wrong. This class challenged me in ways I didn't know were possible. Many days I left class with a headache from thinking things over so thoroughly! The three hours I spent in that classroom everyday allowed me to discern and reckon with things that had never crossed my mind before. Over these few short weeks I feel like I've become more of a threat intellectually to the outside, chaotic world.
Many of the readings helped me in one way for another but I don't have the time (or patience) to include every single one. The first essay I'd like to reflect on was oddly enough the first reading of the class, called Meditation in a Toolshed. I love the picture that C.S. Lewis paints in the beginning of his meditation when he describes the stream of sunlight shining in the dark shed. I can see the dust particles floating and practically feel the heat of the suns rays. As he describes that two points of view, I can picture myself in a dark shed of my own experiencing the two angles. Continuing to read, I kept asking myself, "do I look at or along?". The answer I found was that it depends on the situation. I don't think you can live a fulfilled life with only one or the other. You need both an understanding and a personal experience to fully appreciate the ordeal (no matter what the thing is). The order in which the two different types occur can vary from person to person. But obviously, the two ARE related to one another. The example Lewis used to show how you cannot live with just one of the views was pain. "A physiologist, for example can study pain and find out what that it 'is' (whatever is means) such and such neural events. But the word pain would have no meaning for him unless he had 'been inside' by actually suffering. If he had never looked along pain he simply wouldn't know what he was looking at". For me that's a very powerful point because who am I to judge someone else's life style or choices when I've never looked along? I believe that as Christians we are called to use both angles.
For me, the first reading also tied into the last one (Problem of Pain chapter 6) The example of the physiologist and the two angles of pain really allowed me to dig deeper into Lewis' book on pain (specifically human pain). Oddly enough through the whole reading I found my mind wandering to the question as to why pain even exists? I mean I understand the fall, but why pain? The answer I came up with was evil. Because of human kinds spoiling of shalom, evil came to be. We as a human race have decided to live against God, each other, and God's world. As a result of this rebellion, sin, pain, and other unpleasant qualities exist on this "groaning" earth. God never wanted it to happen like this. Yes He gave us free will and He wants us to make the decision to follow and love Him but He (I'm assuming) initially wanted it to go a different route. I'm not saying that God had no say in the matter because obviously He could've prevented to fall if He wanted to but we let Him down. Does that mean the Lord is punishing us for our mistake? No. We must face the consequences of our own actions.
This is where Plantinga come in. The second chapter of his book Engaging God's World was written about the fall. This chapter was a great reminder for me. So often when we talk about sin and the fall I get depressed because I feel like those things bog us down and make us miserable. But, what Plantinga said on page 49 hit me; "Human life is not the way it's supposed to be". This also fits in with the Longing and Hope chapter from earlier in the book. We as humans aren't meant for this earth, but for something much better. During our life time here we will never be fully satisfied because we have a thirst for something eternal: life with the Creator. It's such an encouragement to know that we won't have to suffer under sin and evil forever. Someday our chains will break and we will be set free!
Another interesting point made was the fact that, "... evil needs good in order to be evil". You don't usually picture evil and good going hand in hand but (at least in this world) you can't have one without the other. We as humans also have both qualities inside of ourselves. Aleksandor Solzhenitsyn puts it this way, "If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?". There is no way to vanquish sin (until to coming of our Lord). Many may blame the entrance of evil into the world on Adam and Eve when we probably would have all done the same thing. We as a human race have corrupted all the good things God has given us. But remember, He has/will redeem them for good.
Thankfully, the story of our race has a happy ending: Redemption. Plantinga assures us of this in his fourth chapter. It's hard for me to actually wrap my mind around redemption. I mean, I know what it is but I feel like I can't fully appreciate it because I don't entirely know what complete redemption consists of. I can see glimpses of shalom here and there but we won't be completely exposed to perfect harmony until Christ comes back again. That being said I feel like it becomes easy to split our world into sections. The "holy section" and the "non-holy section". Plantinga refutes this very well; "The world isn't divided into a sacred and a secular realm, with redemptive activity confined to the sacred zone. The whole world belongs to God, the whole world has fallen, and so the whole world needs to be redeemed -- every last person, place, organization, and program". What a comfort to know the He will redeem every square inch of His creation. The earth will groan occasionally and we will suffer throughout life but we have an anchor in the storm: Our Lord and Savior!
The final sentence of the chapter really articulated with me. Plantinga ends with these words: "Christians seek wisdom because it helps us find and follow our vocation within the kingdom of God, which has 'come near' but has not yet 'come home'". Before I came to Calvin and even still today I pray about the plans for my life. I feel God calling me in a certain direction but what if it's only my selfish desires telling my to take that path? How can I tell the difference? I guess the only answer I can think of is I have to do what's in accordance with the Word. Only then can God's kingdom come close. But, I get so easily frustrated when God doesn't talk back to me. I want to do what He wants but how can I if every time we talk it feels like a one-way conversation? For now I guess I just have to be content, patient, and trust that He has a plan far greater than mine. I also believe that finally someday, His kingdom will come home forever. In a strange way, I'm almost excited that I don't fully grasp the concept of redemption, that way I will have no expectations. And even if I did, I know the Creator of the Universe would blow them out of the water.
Plantinga ends his book with a chapter about Vocation in the Kingdom of God. This reading was probably the one that hit closest to home for me. I know that vocation can involve every part of life and not just the college years but especially as a college student, I can't help but think about vocation and God's calling towards my future career. To be honest, I'm still not completely sure what He wants me to do, but I feel like that's part of His plan. If I knew exactly what my life held, where would my dependence on Him go? Probably out the window. He's not a cruel God that's trying to hide things from me, He's a loving God that wants me to trust Him.
As far as careers go, God calls us to be more than just an engineer, teacher, or doctor, (etc) but to be a sister, student, spouse, or friend... "This isn't a job that appears on any government list of occupations, but it is a calling from God, and it is surely a contribution to the kingdom on God". The kingdom of God (also known as the kingdom of heaven) is mentioned quite often in this chapter and I'd like to dwell on that for a little bit. 'Malchut ha-shemayim' also means the kingdom of heaven. The direct translation is: where the kings influence/authority is respected, and the sky or heavens. Now this is not an actual place. Where ever we do God's will is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 6:10 is the second part of the Lord's prayer that says: "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". This may seem like just a simple line that we've been told to memorize since we were young but it's actually such an encouragement. My discipleship teacher in high school told us to insert a "when" between 'come' and 'your'. With that it says, "your kingdom come, when your will is done on earth...". The Lord's prayer says that when His will is done on earth, His kingdom will come. Plain and simple. Now, understanding that isn't so difficult... it's the doing that makes things tough. The only encouragement I can give you is that we know the final chapter. We know that chaos does not prevail over shalom and His kingdom. Rejoice in the fact that the final victory is ours.
These few readings by C.S. Lewis and Plantinga only skim the surface of everything we discussed in our class over interim. Many of our talks brought up concepts and ideas that were new and interesting to me. Having the opportunity to learn and engage in such a welcoming and healthy yet (intellectually) challenging environment really allowed me to diminish doubts and fears about the future, set my true beliefs deeper in stone, and realign my life with Him.
Works Cited
Lewis, C. S. "Chapter 6: Human Pain." The Problem of Pain. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1940. Print.Lewis, C. S. Meditation in a Toolshed, God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics. Grand Rapids. Eerdmans, 1970. Print.
Plantinga, Cornelius Jr. Engaging God's World. Grand Rapids. William B. Eerdmans, 2002. Print
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