Integrative Essay

“Calvin understood that God created human beings to hunt and gather truth, and that, as a matter of fact the capacity for doing so amounts to one feature of the image of God in them.” (Plantinga preface x). What Plantinga is speaking of here is learning—about getting an education as citizens of God’s kingdom. Through our Developing the Christian Mind class this interim, I really learned a lot about learning. In class, we considered the works of both C.S. Lewis and Cornelius Plantinga, but I also found myself blessed to be taught by the examples of both Professors Paulo and Adrianna Ribiero, who showed me why it is important that I learn.
To truly understand how and why we learn, it is first important to realize the change that has overcome learning since we were created. Plantinga begins his book, and rightly so, with the creation of all things in the beginning. We are creatures made to learn, and we seek after knowledge. Lewis stated in Our English Syllabus that “knowledge is the natural food of the mind” and that we humans “thirst for knowledge” (84). It was created in us to crave knowledge and understanding. Prof Adrianna stated that we must learn so that we can better “love God with all our mind and strength” (in reference to Matthew 22:37). This means learning in such a way that glorifies God and shows my love for Him through how I learn.
Plantinga also points out that man was given “dominion, not in the sense of conquest” (Plantinga 31) over creation. Rather, our dominion is one of stewardship, in which we take care of the creation around us. This also involves the development of creation, expanding it to its fullest capacities. To do this, it is important to really understand all aspects of creation and really explore the inner workings of creation. Lewis himself stated in his work Our English Syllabus that “a perfect study of anything requires a knowledge of everything” (Lewis 90). Lewis taught me that everything in creation is infinitely connected, and that we cannot perfectly understand one part of creation without understanding everything else as well. It is vital, therefore, to learn as much as we can about the world around us so that we can serve as better stewards in our time here.
Something happened to this creation that we are striving to learn about, however. More specifically, the fall happened. That which was “very good” in the beginning is now distorted and fallen, including our own minds. We are no longer able to learn to the same capacity as we once did. Our “thirst for knowledge” is not so that we can learn more about God and glorify Him through creation, but rather one of personal gain. Our learning is affected by the fall in ways that we cannot ignore or dismiss.
The story, however, does not end there. The fall is not the end. Rather, we can find our hope in the redemption found through Jesus Christ. This redemption must be applied even to the fallen act of learning and gaining knowledge. To be fully one with Christ in this redemption, we have to “die to ourselves” in every aspect of our lives. This means denying the “thirst for knowledge” that exists for only personal gain. We have to strive instead to die to our “old man of sin” and through the grace of God, learn for the glory of God. Lewis states that “admitting that we cannot study it whole, but determined to neglect outlying provinces and remote connections rather than to break up the central unity” (Our English Syllabus 90). Here, Lewis taught me to realize that although I have no hope of ever fully understanding any one subject or aspect in creation because of my fallen mind, I should not just give up. I have instead learn as much as I can about how everything and see the connections between them, even when that means only learning small parts of each.
After reading the Our English Syllabus in class, I realized how much I have to value my liberal arts education. When I came to Calvin, I did not put very much emphasis on my liberal arts courses, but instead, I focused on only those required for my major. I was not too keen on English 101, because I decided it was not necessary for me. I thought, “I am a pre-nursing student, why do I care about English? I’ll never use it.” It was with this fallen mindset that I went to English class every day last semester. After reading Lewis’s work, I look back on this attitude and I am ashamed. I realize I was not redeeming my learning, as Plantinga said we should. I had succumbed to the depraved mindset that core classes were not important for my learning any more, and so I put little effort into the class and got little learning out of it. Lewis and the discussions in my DCM class enlightened me to the fact that all subjects are important, because they are all connected in such a way that they teach us about each other. I realize in hindsight how wrong this really was. If I could only go back and change the way I approached English, I know that I could have gotten so much more benefit out of it. I cannot change the past, but now I can go forward into the future with this new knowledge and change my attitude on all other core classes.
But what is my end in all of this? I know that I will never come close to knowing all there is too know, so why bother? Is it not more important to focus on the spiritual battle we are facing, and deal with our eternal state? After all, this life seemingly lasts but a moment. The answer that I have found lies in the importance of my vocation here on earth. God has brought me to this moment and has called me to learn within it. Lewis brings out our need for learning in his essay Learning in Wartime. I blogged the following in response to what Lewis wrote:
“When I read this sermon, I immediately thought about the Thessalonians. Paul admonishes them in the second letter because they are in a sense forsaking their life on earth. Some of them had quit their jobs because they were convinced the Lord’s return was imminent. With the prospect of something that was higher in importance, they had forgotten that they lived in the here and now. Those Thessalonians had forgotten about the calling and life that God had seen fit to give them here on earth, and had wasted that time in the name of religion. We must be careful that we do not follow in their footsteps, and ignoring the time and life we have been given here.”
I struggle with finding a balance between remembering that this is not my eternal home and remembering that I do live in the here and now. Learning is a good thing. It is a God glorifying thing, when used in the right way. Although this life is ultimately not as important as my eternal state, this does not mean what I do here and now does not matter. I cannot be as the Thessalonians, dismissing the time I have been given here on earth while I wait for heavenly glory. Instead, I have use the time I have been given to carry out the vocation God willed for me. At this point in my life, I believe that this calling is dominated by the need to continue my education here at Calvin College.
I was very blessed this past interim when I took the DCM C.S. Lewis class. I was blessed both by the material that was used and by the strong faith that both of my Professors exuded. Paulo and Adrianna are two really beautiful people who really embodied the fact that we must “love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.” They really showed how much I can learn from others, whether that was through the reading selections or the class discussions they started. More importantly, however, was that fact that they taught me how to learn humbly and how to better learn to the glory of God. Their love for Christ first and foremost, but also for each other and for learning really spoke to me more than anything that we read or discussed. It showed me that there is never a point when we can fall too deeply in love with Christ, and therefore, there is never a point where we have learned too much about Him. It was very obvious that they both had a hunger for knowledge, one which was infectious. Lewis states that “an appetite for these things exists in the human mind, and God makes not appetite in vain.” I have an appetite for knowledge, one that after my DMC class, I am able better able to sate to the glory of God.


Works Cited:
Lewis, C.S. Learning in Wartime. January 2010.
Lewis, C. S. Our English Syllabus. January 2010.
Plantinga, Cornelius Jr. Engaging God’s World: A Reformed Vision of Faith, Learning,
and Living. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Pain

Not surprisingly, Lewis speaks in this book The Problem of Pain about pain. He begins by describing that there are two types of pain, the first “A particular kind of sensation, probably conveyed by specialized nerve fibers, and recognizable by the patient as that kind of sensation whether he dislikes it or not” the other is “Any experience, whether physical or mental, which the patient dislikes.” Lewis states that for the purposes of his work, he will be using pain in the sense of the second definition.
Lewis says that when everything is going well for us, we think we have “all we need” and yet there are so many times we are far from God, meaning that we do not have “all we need” because we do not have God. I really identified with this because I can see this pattern in my own life. When life seems good, I often forget to thank God for the gifts He has given me. In fact, I forget God all together until this “good” time in my life changes into a “valley” or low time in my life. It is only then that I seem to remember God, and I seem only to remember Him because I need something from Him. I am ashamed to admit how often this happens to me. I think the quote Lewis mentions from his friend sums it up the best. He states "We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it's there for emergencies but he hopes he'll never have to use it."
I also have realized that I need to thank God for even these low times. It is these times of pain—the spiritual deserts that I go through that really bring me closer to Him in the end. Although I do not realize or understand why God has sent me a pain or a “thorn in the flesh” as Paul dubs it, I have learned to find comfort in that fact. Having this comfort does not, however, take the pain away. The pain is still very much present in my life.

Man or Rabbit

In this section of Lewis’s Man or Rabbit? Lewis tackles the question ‘Can’t you lead a good life without Christianity?’. First off, he makes a distinction between those who know about Christianity and those who do not know. Obviously, Lewis says, one who is posing such a question knows about Christianity because they are asking about it. One who does this is looking for a religion of convenience. They want to find out whether Christianity will bring them happiness in the end and if it is worth the effort needed to be put into it. He ends by saying that ultimately, those who know about Christianity and reject it cannot live a good life. The last sentences really sum up his idea on the matter. “Morality is a mountain which we cannot climb by our own efforts; and if we could we should only perish in the ice and unbreathable air of the summit, lacking those wings with which the rest of the journey has to be accomplished. For it is from there that the real ascent begins. The ropes and axes are ‘done away’ and the rest is a matter of flying.” Without Christianity, we cannot climb to the top of the mountain of morality, and even if it were possible, we would not have the wings to fly up and ascend from it.
I did have a question about this, however. Lewis makes a distinction from those that know about Christianity and those that don’t. What exactly is his opinion of those that do not “know”? This idea made me think of Romans 1: 18-21 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” If my interpretation of this verse is correct, there are not any that simply “don’t know.”

January Series

I attended Richard Devos’s January Series on his new book Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People. I thought that Mr. Devos did a very good job presenting himself and giving an overview of his book. I can distinctly remember Mr. Devos’s opening statement, that he was in fact, “only a sinner saved by grace.” I thought that a statement like that really conveyed his humble spirit, especially in light of what God has done through him. Most entrepreneurs in his position look at all they have and give only themselves the credit. It makes me glorify God when I hear someone such as him giving God the glory.
I want to highlight here my personal favorite phrases of the ten. The first is “I’m wrong, and I’m sorry.” I really appreciated this quote on a personal level because it is one of the hardest quotes for me to come to terms with and admit. I hate being wrong, and when I am, instead of admitting it, my pride kicks in. Sometimes even when I know that I am wrong, my pride still will not let me admit it. It is a daily struggle.
The next phrase that I really thought was important was “I love you.” Mr. Devos said that “to say ‘I love you’ with all of your heart and mean it has remarkable power.” I really believe that this is true. Consider the love of God. Because of the great love that he has for us, he chose to save us wretched sinners. Love is a powerful emotion, one that should not be taken lightly. Mr. Devos discussed the love that he and his wife share and the wonderful, faith-centered marriage that they share. He told us that he and his wife make sure to say “I love you” every day, and that it has made a big difference.
I really appreciated Mr. Devos’s speech and his application to his own life. It really showed me a side of him that I was not aware of.

Plantinga Chapter 5

Plantinga talks in this chapter about our vocation and how it applies to a creation that is fallen needs regeneration. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. There are two types of citizens—those who were prime citizens and those who are just good citizens. The prime citizens are those who are active in the kingdom, who are yeaning after the restoration of the kingdom. The good citizen on the other hand is one who is part of the kingdom, but is apathetic in its restoration. Plantinga brings up that God uses people to bring about the kingdom. But God does not just use one set group of people, but rather all different kinds of people.
Plantinga tells us that we need to act in our vocation as a prime citizen for the kingdom—always yearning. How does this apply to us as students? The Bible tells us that we must “love the Lord our God with all our minds,” which also means developing our minds to their full extent. We need to learn more about the kingdom in order to yearn for it at a greater capacity. Education is also important because we need to be prepared. We need to be ready to answer the questions of non-believers. The world does not stop learning, and we must be intellectually at the same level as them. What also is more important than what we do is how we do it.
Some problems can arise with trying work within our vocation if we try to do it on our own strength. The two problems that are most prominent are pride and desperation. When relying on our own strength, we find pride in ourselves, sinfully not giving the glory to God. When our strength fails, and we are not able to accomplish our goals, we despair in our vocation and in ourselves. We cannot truly do anything in our own strength, but rather must rely in the power of God.

The Inner Ring

Everyone has experienced the “inner ring” that Lewis describes in this oration. Many today call them “cliques” those social circles of people who are exclusive. We have all been a part of one or have been on the outside wanting in. Lewis tells us about the danger of these inner rings, and how “of all the passions, the passion for the Inner Ring is most skillful in making a man who is not yet a very bad man do very bad things.” Who has not experienced this? The peer pressure, the desire to be on the inside, to be accepted, is almost overwhelming, making one act in ways that he/she would never have before. The disappointment is, however, once we do make it into the inside of the ring, the inner ring totally loses its appeal, and we spend our time trying instead to exclude others from making it in.
One thing that I thought was an important point made in class was the fact that not all Inner Rings are bad. What can be bad, however, is our motivation for wanting in and the reasons that we exclude others from it. Do we exclude others simply because we ourselves were excluded and now since we are on the inside we feel we have an entitlement to be exclusive?
I also wanted to consider the idea that the church should be an exclusive Inner Ring. I think that when it comes to welcoming people to church, we should not exclude or discriminate. However, the same is NOT true about allowing all to become members. The church has to guard against the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and protect the members inside. So many people can seem genuine in their commitment, but will be tools of the devil to tear apart the church from the inside out. We need to be welcoming to those on the outside, but exclusive when it comes to who we allow as members.

Eros

I was very intrigued Lewis’s Four Love’s work. We listened in class to the description of “eros” which is sometimes described as “being in love.” Lewis described eros as the most mortal and fallen type of love, but as we also say in class, although it is the most fallen, it is also the closest picture of agope love (the eternal love that God has for us). I really liked that point, because it shows me that God can use the most depraved, fallen type of love to be a picture for us of His greatest love. Continuing on in his description of love, Lewis said that eros does not act in happiness. We sometimes think that if we are in love, if we find someone to share this eros with, we will be happy. Rather, the opposite is true. “We would rather share unhappiness with our lover than happiness without them” states Lewis. Many times, the voice of eros works in a way of unhappiness. This voice, however, many people mistake for the voice of God, which is not the case. Sometimes, however, we worship eros itself as if it is a god. Eros promises us that our feelings will last through eternity, but as we can see from society today, this is not the case. Too many people listen to the voice of eros and treat it as a god, allowing its lies to persuade them that their feelings will last forever—thinking that they will be on their “eternal honeymoon.” Do not be fooled by the voice of eros!
I also really appreciate Lewis’s analogy about “falling in love” and “being in love,” and the distinction between them. He said that falling in love is like diving and being in love is like swimming. Falling in love is like diving into the water—it hardly takes any work, you only have to jump, and then gravity does the rest. Once you are in the water, or in love, however, you need to put work in—you need to swim. Without swimming, if you don’t put work into your relationship, you will drown and your relationship will die.