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.