Monday, January 19, 2009

Plantinga - Chapter 5: Vocation in the Kingdom of God

Plantinga says, "Redemption goes far beyond personal salvation... God's redemption means justice is coming, liberation is coming, the King of all the earth is coming!" Plantinga puts a spin on the subject of redemption that I had never considered before. He points out that in Bible times, believers wanted so bady for the second coming of Christ to happenin their lifetime. Now we read the Bible and believe in the second coming but how many of us actually believe that the second coming will happen in our lifetime? We think we have so much time. But who knows? The world may end tomorrow... This reminded me that I need to live everyday as if it were my last and as if there is no tomorrow.

Kingdoms inside Kingdoms. Plantinga states that we all have a little kingdom that fits in the bigger kingdom which fits in God's kingdom. I am the queen of my kingdom. That is so cool to think about. God regards me as royalty over my kingdom as long as I am serving for the good of His kingdom. And Plantinga says that we need powerful Christian education in order to serve in the kingdom of God most effectively.

Vocation in the Kingdom of God. Plantinga says that our primary vocation is to become a prime citizen in the kingdom of God by actively going to church, taking part in government, yearning for shalom, building up a family if called to do so, choosing a God glorifying career, and working to better his kingdom.

Vocation and Education. Plantinga cautions against going to a secular school and trying to uphold the virtues of a citizen of the kingdom of God. He warns against going with the flow of a secular college. But what Plantinga does not address is that this 'flow' is present on Christian campuses too. Just because we are at a Christian college does not mean that everyone here is a believer and follower of Christ. I think we, as Christians, have to guard our hearts and minds no matter where we go.

Plantinga talks about the knowledge, skills, and virtues that we will gain from a Christian education. Although I believe it to be true that we will gain knowledge, skills and virtues while at Calvin College I think it is not realistic to say they will only be gained here. There are plenty of lessons to be learned outside the bubble of Calvin College and it is not fair to say that we should not go outside of these walls to learn further knowledge, skills and virtues of the world. I think we can learn a lot from our surroundings and it is good to expand our horizons with experiences outside of the Calvin College bubble as long as we use discernment for right and wrong. Some of life's greatest lessons cannot be learned in a classroom.

No comments:

Post a Comment