Integration Essay

C.S. Lewis and The Reformed Vision

In my Developing a Christian Mind section titled C.S. Lewis: Integrating Reason, Imagination and Faith we learned about many different topics. As we went through the course we read several different readings from C.S. Lewis, along with the book Engaging God’s World by Neal Plantinga. There are several topics from both Lewis and Plantinga that complement each other and shed new light on a topic. In the writings by Lewis he discusses many subjects from theology, to education, and problems of society. To explain everything that we went through in this class would take about 10 essays, so I will just select a few issues to highlight. The first topic I will discuss is Plantinga’s description of vocation, compared with Lewis discussing a college education in the essay “Our English Syllabus”. The second topic I will go over is sin and the idea of total depravity in Plantinga, along with the book the Screwtape Letters by Lewis. Finally, the third topic I will be discussing is not about any connections between the two, but more about other important life issues we encountered throughout all of the writings by C.S. Lewis. These issues have consequential implications for all Christians and made this course into a great learning experience. It is important to note that similarities between the two may not always be seen on the surface but Lewis always writes with a sense of deeper meaning.

In Plantinga’s chapter on vocation he explains how a career and a vocation are things that are very different from each other. To God it is not important that we pick the perfect career or that we are the best in our field of work. The only thing that is important is that we are glorifying God in any career that we do choose. For example, when I first came to Calvin I thought that I wanted to be a doctor and that was my calling. I realized that even though I am good at science this was not something that I wanted to do the rest of my life. Now I am a business major and I hope that this is where God wants me to be. The important thing to remember is that to God it does not matter, because as long as I am serving him to the best of my abilities God will bless me throughout my life. Lewis in “Our English Syllabus” explains the great importance of getting an education. It is during this education where our vocation begins to develop. During our college education we do not have to think about a career or trying to survive in the world. The only thing we have to worry about is learning.

In chapter three of Engaging God’s World Plantinga writes about evil and sin. He points out that evil and sin are different things and that every sin is evil but every evil is not a sin. Another issue he brings up is that of total depravity which says that everything that we do is corrupted but through God it is made well again. Evil includes all that is wrong with our world, from murder to the recent earthquake in Haiti. God did not bring this sin upon us, we brought it upon ourselves and as such there is only one way to defeat it. Lewis in his writings ponders sin on many different levels. One of his quotes that I find very profound is this, “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.” (Screwtape Letters, letter XII) In this quote Lewis is saying that the path to hell is a gradual one and it is not one big sin that will lead a person to hell. The act of repeated sins will slowly but surely tear away at a person’s faith and ultimately lead someone completely out of God’s presence. The devil knows our weaknesses very well and looks to exploit them at any opportunity. For this purpose we have to recognize when the devil is tempting us and resist against it. Of course this is easier said than done, but the Lord will always be by our side.

One essay that I especially enjoyed was titled “The Weight of Glory” and it brought up many very interesting observations. This quote was one of my favorites, “But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit-immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” Lewis is saying that we have to think of all people as being immortal. I had never thought about that idea in such a sense before. Every person I come in contact with is going to live forever; whether that be an eternity in heaven or hell, I do not know. Everything I say and do, good or bad, could have an effect on that person’s soul and that will remain there into eternity. I have always known that everyone will either go to heaven or hell but it has been sort of a second thought. It is weird thinking of everyone as immortal beings but it definitely changes the perspective of how people should look at each other. As Plantinga points out in Chapter 4 we have all been given the right of a “double grace”. Christ has given us justification and sanctification if we have faith in him. This quote tells us how important this double grace is, “As Calvin says repeatedly, the double grace releases us, relieves us, redeems us. (Plantinga 92)

Another writing that really struck me was “The Poison of Subjectivism.” Subjectivism is described in simple terms as altering or inventing new moral values other than the innate moral law that is in all humans. The moral law of humans is the concept that all people know that certain things are simply wrong. These could be murder, rape, stealing, and more. To change these is when humans run into their problems. Lewis thinks that this is one of the most dangerous parts of modern society. An example of subjectivism took place with the Nazis and Hitler. When Hitler first took over Germany he wanted to give a reason for his country’s problems, so he blamed the Jews. He made it so that terrorizing and even killing Jews was not against the laws of society and this eventually lead to the Holocaust. This is an extreme example but it shows the major problems subjectivism can cause. I have a quote from Lewis that gives another perspective, “If we once admit that God means by “goodness” is sheerly different from what we judge to be good there is no difference left between pure religion and devil worship.” (Poison of Subjectivism) It is saying that the innate moral law built into all humans is what we have to follow and by changing that it is as if a person is going against God and worshiping the devil.

In conclusion, I think that an immense amount of knowledge and insights can be gained from reading just a small amount of the writings of C.S. Lewis. Plantinga and Lewis go side by side fairly well together, as they agree on many points. I never have studied one man so intensely and in depth like I did in this class. What is really impressive however is that with many other people, to spend that amount of time studying there works would be a waste of time, but we barely scratched the surface of what C.S. Lewis did in his lifetime. It is truly incredible that a man who wrote essays 60 or 70 years ago and they are still relevant to modern society. I did not even have the chance to cover half the topics we discussed in class in this essay. We also read about being in love, times of war, struggling with justice, having a right to happiness, and several other subjects. There are some points when I was reading Lewis where I just did not understand what he is saying at first. If I went back and read it three or four more times, then I would begin to see what he was trying to say. His writings are those that can be read over and over again as our Professors reminded us. They have been teaching the class for 10 years but still learn new things from his writings every year. It is truly amazing how C.S. Lewis can open up our minds to new thoughts and revelations. He helps us to broaden our faith, to live in society, conquer grief, learn about love, and so much more. I will end with one of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” (Mere Christianity)


Works Cited
Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. 1952
Lewis, C.S. “Our English Syllabus” 1939
Lewis, C.S. Screwtape Letters. 1942
Lewis, C.S. “The Poison of Subjectivism” May, 1933
Lewis, C.S. “The Weight of Glory.” Theology, November 1941.
Plantinga, Cornelius Jr. Engaging God’s World: A Reformed Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

The Problem of Pain

In this essay Lewis mostly does not discuss simply physical pain. He is referring more to any pain that causes use discomfort or is unpleasant whether it be mental or not. Lewis describes pain as the evil that is most tangible. This is because pain is something that can not be ignored. If we are feeling pain there is nothing we can do but try to stop it.

Lewis explains why he thinks that God's reasons are for allowing pain to exist in the world. Pain is used by God to awaken us from the sin that we are blind to see and bring us closer to him. Another reason God uses pain is to make people who think that the reason their lives are so great is because of themselves. When we believe that we are successful only because of ourselves and our accomplishments, is when pain can remind us this is not true. God is the source of all that is good. Without him we would have nothing and therefore we need to thank him for that he gives to us. Sometimes when life is going well we forget to thank God for everything he has done for us. Pain is used by God to build a stronger relationship between his children and himself.

Lewis continues by going as far as to say that pain may even be a blessing. This quote helps to put this in perspective, "Let me implore the reader to try to believe, if only for the moment, that God, who made these deserving people, may really be right when He thinks that their modest prosperity and the happiness of their children are not enough to make them blessed." Sometimes it is only through our pain that we can learn obedience to God. It is the times of the greatest pain and suffering that brings us closest to God. How easy would it be if our will and God's were the same? If we can weather the storm our relationship with God will grow and the pain that God has put upon us will have done its purpose.

Man or Rabbit

In this essay Lewis poses the question, can people who are not Christians live a good life? During the remainder he attempts to answer this question. The first thing he points out is that the people who are asking this questions are those who want to know if it is worth it to learn more about Christianity or not. This statement again brings up the question if a nonbeliever can do any good whatsoever. If we said that God views good works the same from both Christians and nonbelievers then we can continue to answer this question. Lewis argues that if there are two people who both want to do good works, the one who is more familiar with the moral law will have the better idea of what to do. This would say that yes a nonbeliever can do good works. However, since the nonbelievers are the ones who are asking the question, then they are admitting that Christians in some way have an advantage over the nonbelievers when it comes to performing good works. So if you are not a Christian you are deliberately putting yourself at a disadvantage.

Lewis sums the essay up with reminding people that a good life is not enough to get you to heaven. No one can be perfect; therefore we fall short of the glory of God. Only through his love and grace can we be saved. This quote from Lewis helps to explain, "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." So the real goal of our lives is not just to live a good life. Lewis says that once we realize that living a good moral life is not the goal is when we can truly experience the joy of living in the Lord. Our main goal should be to glorify God in everything we do and try to return the love that he has shown us. By doing this it would seem unavoidable that you would be doing good works throughout your lifetime.

The Inner Ring

I enjoyed this essay very much and thought that Lewis brought up a great point about people and there desire to be included. An inner ring refers to a "circle" of friends, basically a group that hangs out together. Lewis discusses the problems that these inner rings can present. Everyone wants to feel like they are part of something and people want them to be around. In order to be accepted into a certain group people will do many things they would not do otherwise. It could be because they want to be considered popular or increase their status. Whatever it may be, people seem to disregard what would seem sensible in order to be apart of one ring or another. This is exactly what Lewis is trying to warn us about in this essay. This quote explains it well, “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.” However, there is a counter to the pressure of being in a certain ring. The first thing that is most important is that people should not do anything they wouldn't ordinarily do just to get in a ring. A ring of friends should just come naturally with no extra effort. People with similar personalities and values will instinctively gravitate towards each other eventually. When you start to ignore this principle, and try to get into rings by going against your values is when Lewis says you become a scoundrel.

Another point that Lewis makes that I also agree with is that these inner rings are not necessarily bad things. It is good to have a circle of true friends that you can trust and spend time with. There are both good and bad rings, so it is up to you what rings that you should be apart of. We as humans have been given by God a desire for intimacy, so it is important to experience "storge" with a group of friends. We just have to make sure this desire is not trying to be fulfilled through the wrong people.

Plantinga Chapter 5

This chapter is all about Vocation and doing it while in the kingdom of God. I liked what Plantinga had to say about vocation and its importance. He says that your career and your vocation are not one in the same but very different. To God is not important that we pick the perfect career and that we are the best in our field of work. What is important is that we are glorifying God in that career and serving him in every aspect of it. I thought this was a good lesson for me because I am not really sure what career is best for my abilities. At first I thought I could be a Doctor because I am good at science but I don't think that is what is best for me anymore. I now am a business major and I hope that is the right choice, but at the same time I should not worry to much about it because God has a purpose for me. As long as I am serving him everything will turn out okay and I can give back to the kingdom.

Another point that Plantinga makes regards us as being either good citizens or prime citizens in God's kingdom. A good citizen accepts the commission of Jesus and likes being part of the kingdom. However, a prime citizen enthusiastically accepts the commission of Jesus and longs for the kingdom of God. As these prime citizens we should not be striving for wealth or power, but for the kingdom of heaven. We should look to spread shalom to everyone and everything we come in contact with. God wants us to work towards a common good and to be evangelists of his great word. Prime citizens are part of what makes God's kingdom so special and it is our job to find what God is calling us to perform. Whether it be some kind of career or to serve in other ways, we always should be listening for when God is trying to speak to us.

Four Loves - Eros

There were a few points in this chapter that caught my attention but I really liked how Lewis explained and compared "Venus" versus "Eros". These refer to two different types of love or desire. Venus is the love that involves simply sexual desire. This would be the case when a man sees a woman and simply wants her to satisfy his sexual urges caused by the hormones of the body. Eros however is the true love of a person. Eros is the love that needs to take place between a man and woman to determine if they should be married. If it is all Venus that keeps a relationship together, it will never work in the end. That kind of love will never keep people happy together. They can not relate to each other in any way. Venus however is needed in certain situations. Lewis says that at first Eros should be experienced for long lasting relationships, but after marriage Venus should also be present. Eros is much stronger and will be everlasting but Venus will just come and go.

Another point that Lewis makes and I agree with is the difference between falling in love and then actually being in love. It is very easy to fall in love with an individual but to stay in love with them after the "falling" wears of is something that it totally different. At first everything seems so wonderful and you seem to get along so well. However that affect wears off with time and to be in love requires there to be a lot of work involved. I liked the comparison Lewis made to being in love and growing a garden. A garden requires attention daily, otherwise the plants will wilt or weeds will start to take over. To be in love requires that the proper amount of time is put into the relationship. There should never be a sense that everything will always be the same because that simply is not true. Circumstances will change and people's ideas will change. There always has to be the sense that the relationship is never perfect but always a work that is progressing.

Learning In-War Time

Lewis brings up many different ideas and statements throughout this sermon that took place in World War II. One quote that I liked was this, "If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure the search would never have begun. We are mistaken when we compare war with normal life. Life has never been normal. Even those periods which we think most tranquil, like the nineteenth century, turn out, on closer inspection, to be full of cries, alarms, difficulties, emergencies." This quote brings up the point that humans through history have always had their problems. Just because now a days we have more advanced technology, it does not mean that it rids people of their numerous obstacles. They are impossible to escape and Lewis is saying we cannot wait for our lives to be totally secure and without worry before we seek out knowledge. Even in war time life goes on and it does not change the outlook on knowledge and beauty.

Another point that Lewis made was about the enemies of humans. The one that I found was most interesting was fear. Lewis mentions that the main fear of humans is the fear of death. It is inevitable all human beings will die. This quote from Lewis explains it well, "But there is no question of death or life for any of us; only a question of this death or that -- of a machine gun bullet now or a cancer forty years later. What does war do to death? It certainly does not make it more frequent; 100 percent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased." This quote puts our lives in perspective and makes you really think about life and death. He also mentions how the war makes fear of death worse because you are always thinking about it. If you have cancer later in life it does not bother us before hand. It is a good point that War makes us prepare for death and this can bring people even closer to God. The preparations for death must be made and prayer and the acceptance of God become much more frequent. Humans greatest enemy is death and Christians know that this enemy has been defeated and the thought of death becomes less frightening. If I were fighting in a war I know that my greatest comfort would be to know that even though my death may be likely, it will not be the end.

Plantinga Chapter 4

In this chapter the main focus is the redemption given forth when Christ died on the cross. I liked the quote given by Abraham Kuiper that states there is not one inch of the universe that God does not claim. This concept is very difficult to think about but it is completely true. Many people probably forget this fact as the universe is so massive. What this inherently means is that not just the earth was redeemed but the whole universe. Every part of the universe is important to God and it all deserves to be saved.

Another part I thought was interesting was when Plantinga talked about the sin in our lives. I liked this metaphor Plantinga used, "Sin traps people and makes them wilt; godly obedience liberates people and helps them flourish." This is referring to a plant I believe and is good way to put how sin can affect our lives. Another thing that Plantinga talks about is how confessing our sin can bring us freedom. I think this is very true and in my experience confessing your sin is very liberating and helps to relieve any guilt and pent up frustration. Repentance is something that I think people tend to forget about these days and it should not be overlooked. Another thing about sin that Plantinga brings up is how when Adam and Eve realized they were not clothed and God gave them garments. This shows that God is not just going to leave is in despair of our sin but with his great mercy he sent Jesus Christ to save us.

A final point Plantinga makes is about the Ten Commandments. They are not there to tie us down and suck all the fun out of life. They are there to guide us through life and help us to understand our responsibilities as human beings. The commandments can also take away the burden of sin as we are striving to follow the commands that God gives us.

Inconvenient Truth

Inconvenient Truth is a documentary that is trying to show that Global Warming is in fact real, and if we do not do something about it; the consequences will be dire. I thought the documentary had some good points and a few bad points, first I will mention the good points. One simulation that really caught my attention was when they discussed how if the polar ice caps melted the water level of the oceans would raise twenty feet. This would result in many coastal places around the world to be completely flooded. The Netherlands would almost be totally under water, as well as Manhattan, Beijing, San Fransisco and Shanghai. Another point they made was about population growth and how the world has doubled in population in the last fifty years. Not just that, but the world is going to double again in the next fifty years. That amount of people could present a major problem for our world as there are only so many resources to sustain them. This will also dramatically increase the effects of Global Warming.

There were a few things that I did not like about the documentary. Al Gore did not just talk about Global Warming but also brought stories about how his son almost died at the age of six, and how his sister died from lung cancer. I do not see how these pertain to the documentary and it seems that he is just trying to get people to listen because of pity. The second point is that I thought there was not enough evidence shown to back up all of his accusations. He showed many graphs of what was happening, but he did not give very much information on how it was happening.

Overall the documentary was fairly well made and brings up several good points on why Global Warming is real. In the end, I think that Global Warming is a serious issue and we have to do something about it. However, I would not go as far as to say I am as worried as Al Gore is about it. Some damage has been done, but nothing has happened that will totally destroy the world. Our problems are fixable, and it does not need to happen tomorrow, even though Al Gore would say it does. Even if we believed it would happen tomorrow, there is no way it would. Our society lives a certain way and it is going to be very difficult to change that mind set.

The Poison of Subjectivism

The Poison of Subjectivism was the most difficult piece for me to read thus far. I found a few points interesting however and first I want to point out what Lewis thinks subjectivism really means. This quote sums it up, "It does not believe that value judgments are really judgments at all. They are sentiments, or complexes, or attitudes, produced in a community by the pressure of its environment and its traditions, and differing from one community to another. Lewis explains how the idea from this quote leads people to create there own moral values which can be extremely dangerous. When people twist our innate moral law and start to make their own right or wrong is where many problems can arise. Lewis brings up the Third Reich and how Hitler changed peoples beliefs and made Jews into the enemy. People started to believe that to harm Jews was not something that was wrong, it was just necessary. This is the kind of thing that Lewis is trying to warn society about. The dangers of that thought can be devastating as we saw with the Holocaust.

Lewis goes on to explain that there is no standard of truth or justice; we have no way to measure this. Someone cannot say whether a person is necessarily a good or a bad person, or if they are living up to certain moral standards. When people point out flaws in others, who are they to judge upon what they believe is right or wrong. Lewis shows that throughout history civilizations have had very similar sets of laws or morals. This helps to prove that all humans have the same morale law written in our souls and trying to change this, also called Subjectivism, is where humans fall prey to major problems. To think that things such as what happened with the Nazis could never happen again is to be very naive.

Plantinga Chapter 3

This chapter was all about evil and sin, but Plantinga also mentions Christ's saving grace. The main topic that was greatly argued in class was about total depravity. One side was saying that any nonbeliever who is doing what on the this earth we would consider a good act, but not glorifying God with that act is sinning. The other side was saying that God loves all humans and still sees the good in nonbelievers too. I have a few comments I want to make about this point that I did not mention in class. I thought it would just cause more problems and we would be there all night. I can see the point being made by both sides and do not wish to ultimately choose one or the other. My problem with saying that nonbelievers cannot do anything good is almost like saying that Christians are better than them or above them as people. This is simply not true as God created everyone equally. Secondly, I believe this very statement to be one of the reasons that some nonbelievers have a strong dislike for Christians. If someone told you during your entire life nothing you have ever done has been good, how would you respond to that? I understand that everything has come from God and therefore we should glorify all that he has given us. In the end, it should not matter what you believe about this statement because every human being can be saved, and it does not matter if they have sinned all there lives. Any Christian is still a sinner, there is no perfection, and whether something is being done for good or evil, in the end, is irrelevant.

Another point that we talked about was the difference between evil and sin. Plantinga used the reference of a two-year shooting and killing someone as being evil but not a sin, because he is not aware of what he has done or realized he has caused any harm. I would tend to agree with this statement. This is definitely a great evil but a two year old simply does not have the conscience to understand what he has done. Once he is older and knows the evil that he had committed of course that kid would repent. As soon as we are born we are born as sinners, so I am not saying there is a certain age where all of a sudden you become a sinner. There is however a difference between evil and sin.

BBC Program

I thought that it was great to get a view of C.S. Lewis from another angle. The only thing I knew about him was that he was a phenomenal writer and a great philosophical thinker. To learn more about his personal life gives me a different image of him. This image is definitely not a worse image at all, but just a different view of how he was as a man, not just a brilliant writer. It was interesting to hear about how simply he lived, with no decorations in his house or anything of great interest. He was content to to live a simple life with minimal physical luxuries. His real luxuries were molding young minds and furthering his and others relationships with the Lord. What is truly amazing to me is that he gave two-thirds of his income to the Church. That is almost unheard of, and it just shows that he greatly appreciated everything that God had given him, and knew that all earthly possessions really belong to God. No one can ever complain about giving 10 percent back to the church again.

It seemed that everyone had different perspectives about C.S. Lewis, such as whether he had a sense of humor or about his personal life. However, almost everyone mentioned what a kind man he was and the positive effect that he had on everyone's life. This can tell you more about him than all the readings on him combined. Through reading one of his essays it is difficult to understand what kind of a man he really was. By listening today I know that he had a few flaws just like other men, but he definitely lived his life to the fullest and. He has not just effected people after he has died with his writings about had a lasting effect on many people during his lifetime.

Mere Christianity

One part of these chapters I found interesting was when Lewis talked about how everyone has two impulses when someone is in danger. The first impulse is what Lewis refers to as the herd instinct which basically means that you have the inclination to help that person in danger. The other impulse is that of self preservation, where there risk of injuring yourself is the thought that prevents you from helping. It would seem that the better choice would win in the end, but Lewis gives a third way of looking at it. He brings in the idea of moral law and how there are no bad or good impulses. It depends on the situation and I agree fully with this statement. If your house is burning down but your younger sister is still inside, the first impulse would be to go save her and to suppress the impulse of self preservation. Even though the danger is great, in that situation the act of saving your sister may be more important.

Throughout the chapters Lewis mentions the idea of the Moral Law. This is something that all humans have inside but cannot be externally recognized. It means that everyone has an idea of what is right and what is wrong and through that it greatly affects our decision making. I think this law is definitely present in every human being and is one reason that helps to prove the existence of a greater being (God). This law is instilled in us because that is the way God made us. There is no other obvious reason to explain why it is there. No other organism on earth follows this principle that is innate in humans. Of course we still make choices that are obviously wrong, but it is always in the back of our minds that we know what we are doing is not acceptable.

Screwtape Letters XII

One idea that I thought was very important was about how the devil uses small and seemingly inconsequential habits to worsen our relationship with God. This concept could be a synonym for an athlete participating in a certain sport. For example, in basketball one must practice his shot and dribbling skills daily in order to be at the top of his game. By deciding to take days or even weeks off, you can lose track of your goals and you are not improving. Each day off could represent a "small sin" as mentioned in the letters, and these small sins can have a snowball effect to eventually lead someone away from Christ. This can also apply to how God wants us to "practice" our faith. We have to constantly maintain our relationship with God and make sure we are going to church every week and reading from the bible on a regular basis. The most important thing you have to remember is that God should be at the center of your life and there should always be time set aside to be with God.

Another part of the letter I want to touch on was about how giving into temptations can be a slippery slope. This quote from the letter helps to explain, "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." It may be a slow process but if we are not careful we could drift away from God. This can happen to even the most devout Christian. The devil is always working at this, seeking it with all of his might. It could be that the first time we may hesitate to give in to a certain sin, but then gradually it becomes easier and easier, almost second nature. These are the situations we must look for, and it probably is not intentional but avoiding it can be difficult. The devil understands humans beings very well, and he knows our weaknesses. For this purpose we have to know how to recognize the devils temptations and resist against them. This may be something easier said than done, but the Lord is always by your side.

The Weight of Glory

One point C.S. Lewis brings up that really struck me was about how ever human being is immortal. This is not something that you think about every day because the ever present realization of eventual death. However, every person will either spend eternity in heaven or in hell. This quote from C.S. Lewis helps to sum it up," But is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit-immortal horrors or everlasting splendors." It is a hard concept to put your mind around but everyone will go on into eternity either with me in the presence of the God Almighty or in a place of unimaginable horror. All of our actions, good or bad, effect our eternal soul and will never leave us, and this fact is something that should always be in the back of our minds. Lewis says that because of this realization, that does not mean we should be in a constant state of solemness. We however must take everyone seriously without judgment or presumptions of anyone.

Another section from this sermon can link into the writing on immortality, and that would be the thoughts Lewis has on heaven. Lewis says that," heaven by definition, is outside our experience. We cannot experience heaven or no what it is like because it is to comprehensive for us to understand and obviously none of us have ever been there. From what we do know, heaven is by far better than anything that we could possibly experience on earth. God does not however want us to simply wait for heaven to come or for the second coming, but to try and bring a little of heaven here to earth. An appropriate term to describe this would be agents of renewal, which is a term that everyone at Calvin is very familiar with. Plantinga also mentions being stewards of creation and having respect for everything that God has created. With God's guidance we can do all of this, and bits and pieces of his eternal kingdom can be found on earth.

Plantinga Chapter 2

There was one section in this chapter that made me really think. This quote from Plantinga, "Creation was neither a necessity nor an accident." In no way did God have to create us if he did not really want to. Plantinga also mentions that God had everything that he ever wanted before he created the earth and human beings. God never suffered from boredom or loneliness he had his son and the holy spirit to keep him company. All in all he was probably perfectly happy with how he was. The only explanation for why he would create us is an overwhelming abundance of love that God possesses. We as human beings provide many difficulties and problems for God, yet he does not hesitate to love us with all his might and want the best for not some but every single one of his creations.

Another point that I wanted to discuss was about God's creation and the goodness off it. In class there was a few comments about whether God's creation is all good when we bring in the fact that we are part of a fallen world. I believe as does Plantinga that every part of God's creation has some form of goodness. This quote from Plantinga helps to show his view," everything made by God retains some of its goodness and promise." The great philosopher Augustine would also agree with this statement and has a reason why. The people who would doubt this statement would probably use the argument, how can everything be good when there is so much evil in the world. My answer to this question would be that evil is not really a thing, it is just the absence of good. An analogy would be if good represented a beach and you dug a hole in that beach, the evil would be the hole. You cannot physically pick up that hole or touch it, but it is there. Every Christian would agree that God is completely good, so how could a completely good being create anything that was not good?

Our English Syllabus

In this essay, a main point that Lewis makes is distinguishing the difference between education and learning. I think he does a great job of explaining these differences and putting the two in perspective One difference between these two is that learning is something that humans can always experience throughout their. Education on the other hand, takes place in a specific time frame. Education allows us the privilege to pursue knowledge and participate in activities without having to think about our relation to careers or surviving. Learning on the other hand is not forced upon us or used in a way to better ourselves or achieve some kind of goal. Rather the process of learning allows us to gain knowledge about a topic that we have a particular interest in or a desire to learn about. One point that C.S. Lewis makes is about how modern Oxford (or any college) has changed since he has been there. He says that Oxford has become a place of teaching, where students have the idea of completing there education. This quote sums up what he actually believes the university should be," rather than with the idea of entering a society devoted to the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake."

Another section of the essay that I found interesting was his distinctions between vocational training and education. Lewis explains how society must find a balance between the two and find time for both of them. Training is needed because otherwise society cannot function because so many careers require training such as a plumber of a surgeon. Lewis says however that society cannot totally depend on training or as he says, "for if education is beaten by training, civilization dies. This is one of the fears that Lewis thinks could come to fruition. That is one reason why I believe the liberal arts education given at Calvin College is very important, because I am not receiving just training in business that I can use in my career but also a well rounded education. I think that this education will give me a better view of God's world and that may seem a little extreme, but so many subjects are intertwined together. Lewis believes that a broad range of knowledge is more important than a great amount of knowledge in one subject area, and I think this is a very profound statement.

We Have No Right to Happiness

In this essay C.S. Lewis points out many problems with society when it comes to people who are seeking happiness. The thing that is truly incredible is that this essay shows problems that are even greater today then when Lewis originally wrote this essay several decades ago. One of the United States current issues is that of greatly increased divorce rates and they are always rising. People seem to be using others for more of a sexual happiness than being truly in love with there spouse. If their spouse can no longer provide sexual happiness then they are tossed aside, as if there is no reason to be with them anymore. Part if this could be attributed to current popular movies and music, in which there are these romantic relationships where people find the perfect spouse. People expect that this should happen to them and become to easily dissatisfied.

Do people have the right to happiness? C.S. Lewis would disagree with the statement that we have a right to happiness. It would seem that people do not have an idea of what happiness actually is. I would say that people do have a right to pursue happiness within all lawful means just as the U.S. constitution states. God gave us the capacity to enjoy life and if his intent was not for his children to enjoy life than why would he put us here. It is true that the world is filled with sin and hardship but this is necessary in order for human’s souls to mature in order to live in heaven for eternity. The one thing many people have to learn is how to be happy which is something that is so difficult in a country like the United States. Secondly, in order to be truly happy something that is of the greatest importance is that of Christianity and the knowledge of an eternal life in heaven. Without an intimate relationship with God humans will always feel there is something missing in their lives and will not be able to satisfy it.

Plantinga Chapter 1

In Chapter 1 Plantinga is trying to show that people long for and hope for many things but only one thing truly matters. In the end most importantly our hope centers upon Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Longing to me seems very similar to hope or almost a type of hope. Plantinga puts it this way, "You can hope only for something you want, and if you really want it, you will long for it." I believe this is a good definition and points to our longing for God in our lives. The word Plantinga uses to help to define our longing is a German word, sehnsucht, which means searching or yearning. Humans are searching for joy, security, and meaning in their lives and many do not know that there is only one way to achieve this goal. This way is to be close to God and to help to bring renewal to a fallen world.

This Chapter and the essay " We Have No Right to Happiness," by C.S. Lewis have a few similar points that are made. Lewis talks about sexual happiness promising to provide us with lifelong happiness and worth, but he states that this promise is empty. This statement agrees with Plantinga's view that happiness cannot be found by worldly means, not by wealth, fame, or possessions. The Hebrew word shalom can help to explain our longing, our sehnsucht, and we must hope for shalom in our lives as Plantinga puts it. Shalom simply refers to peace, but it means so much more than just a peace in our minds. It means that all our natural needs will be met and natural gifts will be bestowed in the loving arms of God. All that we need is trust, a complete trust in our Lord and all the problems of this world can be defeated, even that of death.

Bulverism

In the essay called Bulverism, C.S. Lewis goes in detail on the definition of this word and what the consequences of its use are. In a quote from the essay Bulverism is described in simple terms like this, "you must show that a man is wrong before you start explaining why he is wrong. This is possibly the simplest explanation of Bulverism but just this quote can reach so many different areas and facets of life.

One example of where Bulverism runs rampant is in politics. C.S. Lewis even makes several references to politics in his essay. An example of Bulverism in politics could be the new health care reform that was recently voted on in the senate. The plan consists of thousands of pages of information and hardly any of the senators actually read what the plan consisted of. Many democrats just voted for the plan because other democrats did. Not because they know that it is the right thing to do or not. The plan was rushed to be passed and the time and effort that should go into something as important as health care was not set aside. C.S. Lewis also mentions reason as the correct way to find the rights and wrongs of something. Reason for this health plan was not properly used or explained and many questions are left unanswered. Reason must be the basis of everything and is the only way to avoid the snare of Bulverism. Neither a Democrat nor a Republican should just simply follow what their party wants and not know or understand the facts behind what they are voting for. They are elected to lead one of the biggest nations of the world. Do we really want our leaders to constantly struggle with the effects of Bulverism?

Meditation in a Toolshed

This statement from C.S. Lewis, “One must look both along and at everything", is a very profound statement and is something I believe to be true. The entire essay is an argument in order to try to prove this to the reader through many examples. C.S. Lewis is trying to say that people frequently do not go by this principle and simply extrapolate meaning from both viewpoints from the inside and the outside. Without a complete understanding from both the along and at views there cannot be a complete picture of a situation. For example most people believe that being rich will solve all of there problems and from the outside it seems that this could bring happiness. From the inside this is a not always the case and there are many examples of the problems that the extremely wealthy experience. For example, there is a Tiger Woods; the first athlete to ever make one billion dollars has many disturbing problems. Even with a wonderful family and without the worry of financial issues, he still cannot obtain happiness. This concept is something that many people do not understand because there viewpoint is at and not along the situation. It would seem that being rich would alleviate the many problems of life but there is more to life than people can simply observe, and this is an important reason why experience and observation are both needed to avoid mistakes and falsehoods that people may otherwise believe.