Integrative Essay

My Developing a Christian Mind class was called “C.S. Lewis: Integrating Reason, Imagination, and Faith”. In the class we focused on some of Lewis’ greatest works, from Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters to provocative essays like “The Weight of Glory” and “We have no Right to Happiness”. I have read a few of books in Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia Series, but besides that, I have had very little experience with his writings. I found his works to be eye-opening, insightful, and incredibly logical. I am sure I will continue to read Lewis for the remainder of my life because of what this class has introduced to me. The second part of our class focused on Cornelius Plantinga Jr.’s Engaging God’s World. Plantinga’s book is split into five parts: Longing and Hope, Creation, The Fall, Redemption, and Vocation in the Kingdom of God. While I had learned the vast majority of this in Sunday School or Catechism in high school, it was interesting to see a new perspective on things, especially coming from the president of Calvin Theological Seminary. There are many issues that both Lewis and Plantinga address. These include the innate sense of something bigger, certain aspects of Creation, and learning as a vocation.

The first chapter of Cornelius Plantinga Jr.’s book is centered on the idea of hope and longing. One of the most interesting points I found in this chapter is what Plantinga calls the sensus divinitatis. This phrase, taken from John Calvin, can be translated as “sense of divinity” and refers to mankind’s innate knowledge that there is something bigger. This means that human beings want God, whether or not they recognize what they want as God. Those of us who believe in Christ as our Savior have found God (from our perspective), but there are many others who have not recognized God as what they are looking for. They may try to fulfill their sensus divinitatis in Nature, in another person, in drugs, or in knowledge. However, the fact remains that every person knows that there is something more than what we can see or hear. C.S. Lewis holds a very similar idea in a number of his works, including “The Poison of Subjectivism” and Mere Christianity. Lewis uses logic in “The Poison of Subjectivism” to show how subjectivism doesn’t make sense; if there is nothing accepted as Truth, nothing can be proved. Creating a new reality is not possible; those who try are merely focusing on only one branch of the existing morality, and in doing so, they chop down the trunk of the tree which is holding their branch (Christian Reflections 75). In chapter one of Mere Christianity, Lewis says, “This law was called the Law of Nature because people thought that everyone knew it by nature and did not need to be taught it.” Lewis supports his idea of a natural moral law by showing how, throughout history, all cultures and civilizations have had basically the same principles (pride is bad; courage is good). All people have known that there are basic rules that should be followed. This innate sense of a moral law is closely related to the sensus divinitatis that Plantinga discusses. It is important to remember, however, that the Natural Law is not complete; God’s will can only be understood through the Law given to Moses. While the Natural Law and the Mosaic Law intersect often (murder is wrong according to the Ten Commandments, as well as wrong in all civilizations throughout history), we must realize that the Natural Law is not enough. We cannot be good Christians by just following our conscious, as our conscious has fallen into sin. Similarly, a sensus divinitatis isn’t enough. We need to use the sensus divinitatis instilled within us in order to get to know God, or we will have wasted it.

Plantinga’s second chapter is concerned with Creation. While much of it focuses on how we must care for the world, there are a few other points I would like to highlight. One of the most interesting ideas that Plantinga addressed is why God created the universe. It was not an accident; this is very apparent from Scripture: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth” (Gen. 1:1). Furthermore, we know that everything that happens happens for a reason; of course this would include the gigantic deed of Creation. It would also be incorrect, Plantinga says, to believe that Creation was something God had to do. God wasn’t lonely and therefore needed to create the universe; God was already experiencing a relationship with himself: perichoresis. This “endless dance”, as Plantinga calls it, exists between the three persons of the Trinity. This relationship is so complete that God doesn’t need anything more; creation wasn’t necessary. The question remains: why did God create everything? I agree with Plantinga that Creation was an overflow of God’s character. God is by nature a creative Being, and it was therefore natural to create. Plantinga says “it was an act fitting for God” (23). Another important point Plantinga makes is that, even after the fall, Creation retains in part some of its “goodness and promise” (35). That means there is a sliver of God in every part of our fallen world. Both of these points (Creation is an overflow of Gods nature and it retains some of God’s goodness) are crucial in understanding what C.S. Lewis says in his powerful essay “The Weight of Glory”. Lewis talks about how what we see and experience on earth is merely a reflection of the glory which we will see and experience in heaven. “We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure” (“Weight” 8). He makes the important point that we aren’t to worship Nature; that would be idolatry. However, we can, in fact see God through Nature. The beauty of the sky, the majesty of the mountains, the splendor of the forests, all reflect God’s beauty, majesty, and splendor. The mirror of Nature reflects exactly what Plantinga talked about: the remainder of goodness in Creation. Despite being fallen, Creation can be a very useful tool in seeing attributes of God, but we must remember, “Nature is only the first sketch” (“Weight” 8).

The final chapter in Engaging God’s World was called “Vocation in the Kingdom of God”. One point I found interesting in this chapter was who Plantinga talked about each of us having our own “mini-kingdom”, or sphere of influence that is our duty to redeem. As a college, this could be my dorm room, or my group of friends, or a part of the Grand Rapids community I feel called to help. Another important idea Plantinga mentions is that right now, I have been called to come to Calvin College. My vocation right now is to be the best student I can be. “For four years or so, such preparation is itself a big part of your vocation. Your calling is to prepare for further calling, and to do so in a Christian college community that cares as much about the kind of person you are becoming as what kind of job you will eventually get, and as much about how you will do your job as about which job you do” (Plantinga 117). I am really happy that Calvin is not just concerned about me getting a job, but being able to do it well and to do it as a follower of Jesus Christ. C.S. Lewis, being a college professor, has a number of essays related to education. In “Our English Syllabus”, he discusses the importance of learning over education. Learning is obtaining knowledge simply because you are hungry for knowledge. This is an important idea that Plantinga doesn’t address. While he shows that our vocation is not just about getting a job, Plantinga fails to acknowledge that as a Christian student, part of my vocation ought to be learning about God’s world because I want to. The quote I mentioned above says that my vocation is currently preparation; I agree with Lewis in that it is so much more than that. I am not only supposed to be interested in how well I will be able to serve the Kingdom in the future, but I must be interested in “the pursuit of learning” (“Syllabus” 88). Another point that both Lewis and Plantinga address is the importance of liberal arts. Plantinga stresses the importance, just like Calvin College does. Lewis agrees that, in order to understand one subject completely, you must understand all subjects. However, this is not possible in anyone’s lifetime, let alone one’s college career. Some branches of knowledge must be cut off in order to achieve any knowledge that is more than superficial.

This class has taught me a great deal, and it shows how two people, though different in many ways, can be connected in many ways. As a college student, it is an understatement to say I don’t have everything figured out. However, I can learn a lot from studying the opinions of others (like Lewis or Plantinga) and deciding for myself what seems the most like the Truth that God partially reveals in His Word.


Sources:

Lewis, C.S. Christian Reflections. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995. Print.
Lewis, C.S. “Our English Syllabus.” In Rehabilitations and Other Essays. London: Oxford UP, 1939. 79-94.
Lewis, C.S. “The Weight of Glory.” Theology, November 1941.
NIV Study Bible
Plantinga Jr., Cornelius. Engaging God's World. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002. Print.