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.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Learning in Wartime
"The University is a society for the pursuit of learning." I know several people that would disagree with this statement; people that would disagree with the need for education entirely. However, I believe, as discussed in class before, that education is a necessary evil. Vocation is something I have struggled with greatly during my first semester of college. Choosing a career path seems like such an important life decision but as seen in this reading and through Professor P. Ribeiro's testimony God will guide. Education may not be for everyone. I believe that as long as you follow the will of God and listen to his guiding voice in life's decisions then you are on the right path.
Ok. Now that I've given my rant about education and vocation, let me focus on the points brought up in the essay Learning in War-Time. The point that my mind kept reverting back to while reading was that "life has never been normal." I don't know if I, or anyone else for that matter, can give a definition of normal because we all have different ideas of 'the norm'. But this is especially key to remember in wartime that even though there is a war going on life is no more or less normal than it was the day, month, or year before.
In class we discussed duties and whether or not every duty is a reliegious duty. Some may agree, but I think every action, every decision, every move we make is part of our duty to Christ. Everything we do must glorify God and yes, even the littlest of decisions make an impact in the Kingdom of God. As Lewis says, "there is no middle way." We cannot half heartedly do something for Christ. It's all or nothing.
Lewis wrote about the enemies that war raises against the scholar. The first is excitement. This relates to my life now as well as it did during the war when Lewis wrote it. We are always waiting for something, always anticipating the end of a current situation that we wait and do nothing. Like Lewis says, "favourable conditions never come" so we "must do the best we can."
The second enemy is frustration. There never seems to be enough time to finish the things we wish to accomplish. But we must not let that frustration stop us. We must press on and we will see that the reward in the end is unimaginable to our human minds in the beginning.
The third enemy is fear. Lewis speaks specificall of the fear of death because war makes death real. Loosing a loved one makes death real. But for me, the fear that encompasses me is not a fear of death but rather a fear of failing in the hear and now. I'm not fearful in regards to the end of my life. I'm afraid about the necessary steps to get there. This is where faith comes in to play. If my faith were stronger I imagine I wouldn't be so fearful.
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God." - Psalm 143:10
Ok. Now that I've given my rant about education and vocation, let me focus on the points brought up in the essay Learning in War-Time. The point that my mind kept reverting back to while reading was that "life has never been normal." I don't know if I, or anyone else for that matter, can give a definition of normal because we all have different ideas of 'the norm'. But this is especially key to remember in wartime that even though there is a war going on life is no more or less normal than it was the day, month, or year before.
In class we discussed duties and whether or not every duty is a reliegious duty. Some may agree, but I think every action, every decision, every move we make is part of our duty to Christ. Everything we do must glorify God and yes, even the littlest of decisions make an impact in the Kingdom of God. As Lewis says, "there is no middle way." We cannot half heartedly do something for Christ. It's all or nothing.
Lewis wrote about the enemies that war raises against the scholar. The first is excitement. This relates to my life now as well as it did during the war when Lewis wrote it. We are always waiting for something, always anticipating the end of a current situation that we wait and do nothing. Like Lewis says, "favourable conditions never come" so we "must do the best we can."
The second enemy is frustration. There never seems to be enough time to finish the things we wish to accomplish. But we must not let that frustration stop us. We must press on and we will see that the reward in the end is unimaginable to our human minds in the beginning.
The third enemy is fear. Lewis speaks specificall of the fear of death because war makes death real. Loosing a loved one makes death real. But for me, the fear that encompasses me is not a fear of death but rather a fear of failing in the hear and now. I'm not fearful in regards to the end of my life. I'm afraid about the necessary steps to get there. This is where faith comes in to play. If my faith were stronger I imagine I wouldn't be so fearful.
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God." - Psalm 143:10
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Plantinga - Chapter 3: The Fall
The fall. We all know about the fall and I have probably read more books on the subject this year alone than I will ever read on the topic again in my life. But it seems that every book I read I get a different opinion that helps me dig deeper in my own learning and comprehension.
Plantinga states that evil is the main human problem. He goes on to describe what evil is and why it contributes so perfectly to the fall. "The human problem [of evil] is not just ignorance; it's also stubborn pride." How true this is in our society today. Pride is an issue that seems to be growing by the minute. We live in a 'me' society where everything is about making a name for ourselves. We become so big headed that we forget to look outside of ourselves to see the people in need around us. Evil doesn't always come in a tragedy. It's in the simplest of things like pride that we all suffer from on a daily basis.
Plantinga ties the 'evil' back to the concept of original sin, or "that the corruption and guilt of our first parents have run right down the generations, tainting us all." From this statement I understand that we are inherently evil. I do not believe that to be true. I believe everyone is born good. Evil is a choice. By saying that evil is passed down from generation to generation and that it is unavoidable simply gives us an excuse to be evil. We cannot excuse our actions. We must take responsibility for our actions and prevent the 'evil' from spreading to future generations.
Corruption. Something that stood out to me while reading was the section about idolatry. Plantinga says that "idolatry is also the act of putting fame alongside God and trying to serve them both." I had never thought about idolatry in this sense. I always thought of idolatry as the worship of idols and idols only. And when I say idols, I mean gold statues. I never fully realized that idols can be anything that we place above God. I have never intentionally put anything before God but now I can see that even things like friends and family can be idols and have been in my life.
Plantinga relates corruption to spiritual AIDS. This caught my attention. No one sets out to get AIDS but many contract it by meddling in sexual impurities. So are we all infected with spiritual AIDS? Is there hope for any of us to remain pure? I'm afraid not because put very plainly we are all sinners and we are all corrupted by the world we live in - the culture around us forms our character whether we like it or not.
So who is to blame? I think we are the only ones to blame. We are responsible for the way we are. It is not God or even Satan that destroys us by corruption. It lies within us. Plantinga states that "the evil one seduces only those who are in the market for seduction. Satan deceives only the already self-deceived." We cannot blame Satan for our sins. We are sinful and our weaknesses make Satan stronger - but only because we are already self-deceived.
Another point that Plantinga makes is this: "People often take pride not only in their accomplishments but also in their intelligence, good looks, good breeding, and good coordination, as if they had gifted themselves with these things!" I laughed upon first reading this statement until I realized the severity of the truth behind it. Like I said, we live in a 'me' society but the fact of the matter is that we are nothing without Christ so who are we to boast and brag about our accomplishments when they are not ours to brag about?
Plantinga states that evil is the main human problem. He goes on to describe what evil is and why it contributes so perfectly to the fall. "The human problem [of evil] is not just ignorance; it's also stubborn pride." How true this is in our society today. Pride is an issue that seems to be growing by the minute. We live in a 'me' society where everything is about making a name for ourselves. We become so big headed that we forget to look outside of ourselves to see the people in need around us. Evil doesn't always come in a tragedy. It's in the simplest of things like pride that we all suffer from on a daily basis.
Plantinga ties the 'evil' back to the concept of original sin, or "that the corruption and guilt of our first parents have run right down the generations, tainting us all." From this statement I understand that we are inherently evil. I do not believe that to be true. I believe everyone is born good. Evil is a choice. By saying that evil is passed down from generation to generation and that it is unavoidable simply gives us an excuse to be evil. We cannot excuse our actions. We must take responsibility for our actions and prevent the 'evil' from spreading to future generations.
Corruption. Something that stood out to me while reading was the section about idolatry. Plantinga says that "idolatry is also the act of putting fame alongside God and trying to serve them both." I had never thought about idolatry in this sense. I always thought of idolatry as the worship of idols and idols only. And when I say idols, I mean gold statues. I never fully realized that idols can be anything that we place above God. I have never intentionally put anything before God but now I can see that even things like friends and family can be idols and have been in my life.
Plantinga relates corruption to spiritual AIDS. This caught my attention. No one sets out to get AIDS but many contract it by meddling in sexual impurities. So are we all infected with spiritual AIDS? Is there hope for any of us to remain pure? I'm afraid not because put very plainly we are all sinners and we are all corrupted by the world we live in - the culture around us forms our character whether we like it or not.
So who is to blame? I think we are the only ones to blame. We are responsible for the way we are. It is not God or even Satan that destroys us by corruption. It lies within us. Plantinga states that "the evil one seduces only those who are in the market for seduction. Satan deceives only the already self-deceived." We cannot blame Satan for our sins. We are sinful and our weaknesses make Satan stronger - but only because we are already self-deceived.
Another point that Plantinga makes is this: "People often take pride not only in their accomplishments but also in their intelligence, good looks, good breeding, and good coordination, as if they had gifted themselves with these things!" I laughed upon first reading this statement until I realized the severity of the truth behind it. Like I said, we live in a 'me' society but the fact of the matter is that we are nothing without Christ so who are we to boast and brag about our accomplishments when they are not ours to brag about?
The Poison of Subjectivism
I must confess that this essay was confusing for me to read and try to comprehend. I do not know if the reason for my lack of understanding is because I am visiting a friend for the weekend and was distracted while reading or because this material is just too difficult for me to fully comprehend. I am afraid that I do not quite understand the meaning of subjectivism so I cannot adequately understand what the poison of it is. I looked on dictionary.com to get a definition of subjectivism which is...
1. Espistemology. The doctrine that all knowledge is limited to experiences by the self, and that transcendent knowledge is impossible.
2. Ethics.
a. Any of various theories maintaining that moral judgments are statements concerning the emotional or mental reactions of the individual or the community.
b. Any of several theories holding that certain states of thought or feeling are the highest good.
Lewis says that a reason we are miserable is because we are too greedy and prideful and believe to easily in false philosophies. I believe this to be true but I am not sure how it relates to subjectivism.
At one point in his essay, Lewis says "All this is so obvious..." Well none of this material seems obvious to me. I do not analyze a situation from a subjective then objective point of view, decide which view is better and then act on my implications. I simple act as I feel I should as long as my decisions won't negatively effect or influence another. I suppose that plays into the idea of 'do as you would be done by'. But I do not see anything wrong with following that philosophy in life.
One thing Lewis said that made complete sense to me was this, "The human mind has no more power of inventing a new value than of planting a new sun in the sky or a new primary colour in the spectrum." So often we do something or make something that we think is completely original. This goes back to a thought from a previous post that we are not our own. We are not our own and we cannot create anything anymore than we can change the sun. Creation is from God, not man. We just like to think we had some part in the miracle of it.
Lewis mentions the 'goodness' that relates to 2b of the definition I found. He compares subjectivism to the objectivism that is the Law of Nature. Objectivism is defined as "a tendency to lay stress on the objective or external elements of cognition." I do not understand the difference between objectivism and subjectivism and why one or the other is the better way to go about things. But it is obvious that Lewis prefers objectivism over subjectivism when he says, "unless we return to the crude and nursery-like belief in objective values, we perish." Subjectivism is definitely something I will have to spend more time on at a later date.
1. Espistemology. The doctrine that all knowledge is limited to experiences by the self, and that transcendent knowledge is impossible.
2. Ethics.
a. Any of various theories maintaining that moral judgments are statements concerning the emotional or mental reactions of the individual or the community.
b. Any of several theories holding that certain states of thought or feeling are the highest good.
Lewis says that a reason we are miserable is because we are too greedy and prideful and believe to easily in false philosophies. I believe this to be true but I am not sure how it relates to subjectivism.
At one point in his essay, Lewis says "All this is so obvious..." Well none of this material seems obvious to me. I do not analyze a situation from a subjective then objective point of view, decide which view is better and then act on my implications. I simple act as I feel I should as long as my decisions won't negatively effect or influence another. I suppose that plays into the idea of 'do as you would be done by'. But I do not see anything wrong with following that philosophy in life.
One thing Lewis said that made complete sense to me was this, "The human mind has no more power of inventing a new value than of planting a new sun in the sky or a new primary colour in the spectrum." So often we do something or make something that we think is completely original. This goes back to a thought from a previous post that we are not our own. We are not our own and we cannot create anything anymore than we can change the sun. Creation is from God, not man. We just like to think we had some part in the miracle of it.
Lewis mentions the 'goodness' that relates to 2b of the definition I found. He compares subjectivism to the objectivism that is the Law of Nature. Objectivism is defined as "a tendency to lay stress on the objective or external elements of cognition." I do not understand the difference between objectivism and subjectivism and why one or the other is the better way to go about things. But it is obvious that Lewis prefers objectivism over subjectivism when he says, "unless we return to the crude and nursery-like belief in objective values, we perish." Subjectivism is definitely something I will have to spend more time on at a later date.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Mere Christianity (Chpts: 1-4)
I like this text because even though it is titled Mere Christianity it is not only for the Christian to read. This is a book that addresses all of humanity with topics so relevant to our daily lives that we don't stop to think of on a regular basis. Lewis states that he is not writing his book for a specific denomination of peoples. This makes me think about the differences between denominations, and why we, as Christians, even divide ourselves into denominations. So often we focus on the differences between denominations when we should be focusing on the similarities. If we focus on the similarities we can grow together in community regardless of our denomination because after all isn't the most important aspect of Christianity our personal relationship with Christ? The denomination shouldn't matter. That is the meaning of mere christianity.
If you had asked me what the law of human nature is before I read this excerpt I would probably have given you a blank stare. The law of human nature or the 'moral law' is the code by which we all live by inherently so. It is the law that all of us are supposed to know even though it is not taught in schools or discussed in daily conversations. But if you sit back and observe people you can see the law played out in your surroundings. Everyone has their own thoughts as to what is right and wrong and this law of nature pulls all of those thoughts together so as to decipher right from wrong, fair from unfair, etc. However, there is a flaw with this law being that it is not an official law at all. It is not recorded anywhere and each person interprets it differently. The fact of the matter is that the moral law is not like the law of gravity. The outcome is never certain and the consequences may very.
Lewis uses the analogy of the piano to further explain how this law works. He says that "the Moral Law tells us the tune we have to play; our instincts are merely the keys." Being the musical person that I am, this analogy makes perfect sense to me. When reading music the musician sees what notes to play. There are no right or wrong notes in terms of the piano but there are right or wrong notes in terms of a certain piece of music. A note might be right at one point but wrong at a different point. However the musician has creative license to play whatever notes he or she wants. They have the choice of notes just like we have the choice of which instincts to follow. Lewis says that there is no such thing as a good or bad impulse. How we react to that impulse is what makes it good or bad. So there is no bad music, no wrong notes but the way we play the notes can be interpreted as good or bad.
At the end of the fourth chapter Lewis states, "I find that I do not exist on my own, that I am under a law; that somebody or something wants me to behave in a certain way." This statement is almost comical to me because as much as we all try to be individuals we are not. We are just as unique as everyone else. Our friends, family, teachers, co-workers, and peers influence us in our decisions every day. Another thing to remember is that we are not our own. We belong to Christ so we should remember to act the way He wants us to act instead of acting the way "somebody or something" wants us to behave.
If you had asked me what the law of human nature is before I read this excerpt I would probably have given you a blank stare. The law of human nature or the 'moral law' is the code by which we all live by inherently so. It is the law that all of us are supposed to know even though it is not taught in schools or discussed in daily conversations. But if you sit back and observe people you can see the law played out in your surroundings. Everyone has their own thoughts as to what is right and wrong and this law of nature pulls all of those thoughts together so as to decipher right from wrong, fair from unfair, etc. However, there is a flaw with this law being that it is not an official law at all. It is not recorded anywhere and each person interprets it differently. The fact of the matter is that the moral law is not like the law of gravity. The outcome is never certain and the consequences may very.
Lewis uses the analogy of the piano to further explain how this law works. He says that "the Moral Law tells us the tune we have to play; our instincts are merely the keys." Being the musical person that I am, this analogy makes perfect sense to me. When reading music the musician sees what notes to play. There are no right or wrong notes in terms of the piano but there are right or wrong notes in terms of a certain piece of music. A note might be right at one point but wrong at a different point. However the musician has creative license to play whatever notes he or she wants. They have the choice of notes just like we have the choice of which instincts to follow. Lewis says that there is no such thing as a good or bad impulse. How we react to that impulse is what makes it good or bad. So there is no bad music, no wrong notes but the way we play the notes can be interpreted as good or bad.
At the end of the fourth chapter Lewis states, "I find that I do not exist on my own, that I am under a law; that somebody or something wants me to behave in a certain way." This statement is almost comical to me because as much as we all try to be individuals we are not. We are just as unique as everyone else. Our friends, family, teachers, co-workers, and peers influence us in our decisions every day. Another thing to remember is that we are not our own. We belong to Christ so we should remember to act the way He wants us to act instead of acting the way "somebody or something" wants us to behave.
Screwtape Letters (Letter XII)
The Screwtape Letters put an interesting twist on the way we interpret the devil and how he intervenes in our lives. We don't often think of sin from the devil's perspective. The Screwtape Letters are very erie to me because I find as I read them that I am guilty of giving into some of the temptations that Wormwood is feeding to his patient. There are times when I go days without reading my bible or make church nothing more than a habit. There are times when I falter but justify my actions by saying "it's ok, I'm still a Christian". Lewis uses reverse psychology in The Screwtape Letters to teach a lesson to all of us of what Christianity should look like.
From letter XII I particularly like the line, "He must not be allowed to suspect that he is now, however slowly, heading right away from the sun on a line which will carry him into the cold and dark of utmost space." I think a lot of the time we give into temptation and sin knowingly without thinking of the consequences. We may hesitate to sin at first but once we give in we do not realize that by allowing ourselves to sin just that one time that the next time the opportunity presents itself to sin we will not be so hesitant to take it. Walking away from the Lord is a slow but very dangerous process that is usually not a result of intentional actions. It simply "happens" and we wake up one day completely alone, drowning in sin, wondering what happened to our faith and where God is in the midst of everything.
The Screwtape Letters put everything into perspective. The devil knows us well. He knows our weaknesses so it is up to us to recognize the devil for what he is and resist his temptations. The most important thing I gained from this reading is that we are nothing without Christ. We cannot stand up to the devil without Christ and we certainly cannot resist temptation without Christ's guiding hand in our lives. Life is so hectic. There is always somewhere to go, someone to see, and something to do that we get distracted from what is really important. Nothing on earth is more important than our relationship with our heavenly father. I need to focus on my weaknesses and get rid of the distractions in my life so my focus can stay solely on Christ.
From letter XII I particularly like the line, "He must not be allowed to suspect that he is now, however slowly, heading right away from the sun on a line which will carry him into the cold and dark of utmost space." I think a lot of the time we give into temptation and sin knowingly without thinking of the consequences. We may hesitate to sin at first but once we give in we do not realize that by allowing ourselves to sin just that one time that the next time the opportunity presents itself to sin we will not be so hesitant to take it. Walking away from the Lord is a slow but very dangerous process that is usually not a result of intentional actions. It simply "happens" and we wake up one day completely alone, drowning in sin, wondering what happened to our faith and where God is in the midst of everything.
The Screwtape Letters put everything into perspective. The devil knows us well. He knows our weaknesses so it is up to us to recognize the devil for what he is and resist his temptations. The most important thing I gained from this reading is that we are nothing without Christ. We cannot stand up to the devil without Christ and we certainly cannot resist temptation without Christ's guiding hand in our lives. Life is so hectic. There is always somewhere to go, someone to see, and something to do that we get distracted from what is really important. Nothing on earth is more important than our relationship with our heavenly father. I need to focus on my weaknesses and get rid of the distractions in my life so my focus can stay solely on Christ.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Show and Tell
In class today each of us shared a little bit of how we have applied the things we have been discussing and learning in class to our personal lives. I shared a song by Phil Wickham called Desire from his album Cannons. Phil Wickham is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary Christian artists because his lyrics are so alive and applicable to my life. Each song tells a story and this song tells of the desire to be with Christ. From the reading, The Weight of Glory, I learned that glory should be a desire and that we should all strive to have that desire to be with Christ. One of the phrases from the reading that stuck with me is "We remain conscious of a desire which no natural happiness will satisfy." The lyrics of the song I chose for class today speak of that desire. (to hear the song go to www.last.fm/music/Phil+Wickham/_/Desire)
I'm running through the gates of love, as fast as I can
I can't wait to see You I'm a desperate man
You made the light and sent it down
To show us who You are
Now It's bursting out my heart
My desire is burning like a million stars
And I'll keep reaching out, reaching out for You
My desire, is burning with the fire You sparked
And I'll keep reaching out, reaching out for You
I'd be nothing without You, yeah I would die
If I didn't have Your hand if I couldn't look into Your eyes
Jesus if Your love's the fuel then I'm the desperate flame
That's screaming out Your name
This is glory rising, over a new horizon
I See Your love, I feel Your smile
Your in my heart and I will run with all I have to You
I'm running through the gates of love, as fast as I can
I can't wait to see You I'm a desperate man
You made the light and sent it down
To show us who You are
Now It's bursting out my heart
My desire is burning like a million stars
And I'll keep reaching out, reaching out for You
My desire, is burning with the fire You sparked
And I'll keep reaching out, reaching out for You
I'd be nothing without You, yeah I would die
If I didn't have Your hand if I couldn't look into Your eyes
Jesus if Your love's the fuel then I'm the desperate flame
That's screaming out Your name
This is glory rising, over a new horizon
I See Your love, I feel Your smile
Your in my heart and I will run with all I have to You
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