Integrative Essay

Mark Willard

DCM – Integrating Reason, Imagination, and Faith

Professors Ribeiro

1/24/2010

They Asked For a Paper

Throughout the past three weeks, I have learned, and have been inspired to learn, more than a whole semester could have taught me.  More importantly however, this learning process was fun.  The concepts that C. S. Lewis brought into my life, along with the Christian knowledge that Plantinga gave me, has given me a new perspective on almost every area of my life.  I did not grow up in the Reformed church, so I was glad to hear about it in Engaging God’s World.  In an attempt to prove that I have indeed understood Reformed perspective, Creation, Fall, and Redemption will be the primary foci of the paper.  Though C. S. Lewis really never wrote anything specifically about this ideology that I know of, I hope his brilliance will be displayed not only in his excerpts, but in my method of writing.

Creation

“Creation was a way for God to spend himself.  I think we’re safe in assuming God wasn’t bored.[1]”  In this passage, Plantinga hits the nail on the head.  We are not toys made for God to play with…everything God made was good.  Christians today are bombarded with opposition to the idea of creation, especially from evolutionists.  It is not to say that evolution is blasphemy, but the belief that the universe is based on random events that somehow created an environment to sustain man is running rampant.  C. S. Lewis calls this group ‘Materialists’ in The Business of Heaven.  “If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents—the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else’s. But if their thoughts—i.e. of materialism and astronomy—are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It’s like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milk jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset.[2]”  Though we did not read this for class, the belief so summed up so well that the quotation had to be used.

There is a purpose for human life; more than just to live, learn, and die.  We must see the good of the world that has fallen, and use the power of Jesus Christ, mediator of creation[3], to bring about that good while we are here on earth.  It is easy to just start talking about the Fall, and forget the whole Creation part of the reformed vision, though.  For some reason, we lose sight of the fact that everything—EVERYTHING—God made is good.  Somewhere, way deep down, there is love in the heart of a serial killer.  We must try to tap into that beauty using God’s Word and not let evil, a parasite on goodness[4], blind us of out calling.

 Fall

“As matters stand, creation still declares the glory of God, but it also declares the tragedy of fallenness, of chaos, of painful carnivoruosness[5].”  The idea of the fall of man is enough for anyone to question his faith, whether it is manifested with Adam and Eve eating the apple or manifested in the act of adultery, the simple presence of sin is, in my opinion, a mystery.  To the best of my abilities, I have arrived at a suitable answer (at least for the time being) to why we are even tested with fallenness.  I believe that sin is here, corrupting us and bring about fallenness, because it provides discernment.  To provide evidence for this belief, in Meditation in a Toollshed, Lewis describes a beam of light that enters through a crack in in a dark shed.  “From where I stood that beam of light, with the specks of dust floating in it, was the most striking thing in the place. Everything else was almost pitch-black. I was seeing the beam, not seeing things by it.  Then I moved, so that the beam fell on my eyes. Instantly the whole previous picture vanished. I saw no toolshed, and (above all) no beam. Instead I saw, framed in the irregular cranny at the top of the door, green leaves moving on the branches of a tree outside and beyond that, 90 odd million miles away, the sun. Looking along the beam, and looking at the beam are very different experiences.[6]”

This is a clear demonstration of learning by experience versus learning by observation.  Although Lewis’ essay was not specifically designed to demonstrate the experience of sin, certainly it could be applicable in such a manner.  For example, I will not cheat on my wife because I have seen its effects on my own family.  On the other hand, I will not deceive my parents because I learned from the most brutal teacher of all: experience.  Had there never been sin for me to look along or look at, how could I, “Judge Angels[7]” as Paul writes?

Some might say, still, that only temptation is enough to provide discernment…that sin is not necessary.  After all, Jesus was tempted and he did not sin.  My problem with this is that, though Jesus did not sin, there was still sin to look along.  The world was still fallen, which allowed temptation to even exist.  And even if there was no sin to look along, Jesus is God, and therefore did not even need sin to understand discernment. 

There are more objections to my claim, but almost all will come down to the question, “Did God create sin?”  I know that I am going against Plantinga, as well as the CRC when I say this[8], but I believe the answer is “Yes.”  However, I do not have a problem if no one goes with me on this.  If someone wants to look at the issue as good versus evil, that is fine.  In essence that is what it is.

On a different note, we must all agree that the world has fallen into sin, and that’s not fun for us.  As Plantinga writes, though, “The good news is that God has addressed human corruption from outside the system, it is on this gracious initiative that Christian hope encounters[9].”

Redemption

            Grace.  Grace is what is offered from God if we want it.  Plantinga tells us that there is “double grace” in Christ, stating, “This lifelong conversion is called sanctification (or “becoming holier”), and regeneration is the explosion that starts its motor.  God alone regenerates, but we answer God’s calling to become sanctified people by trying to starve our old self (the one that is envious and hardhearted) and to feed our new self (the one that is grateful and compassionate) in the rhythm…[10]”  Admittedly, I did not fully understand Plantinga’s point at first.  Because of the great functionality of this class though, I asked for an explanation in one of my blogs, and sure enough, two classmates gave me help.  The point of the passage is that we constantly need filling up even after the redemption.  This is only through God’s grace, as we do not deserve forgiveness.  C. S. Lewis writes, “For mere improvement is not redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man[11].”

            In this same manner, we must redeem the rest of the world, in addition to ourselves.  This idea is synonymous with the word vocation.  Vocation is our calling in life, and it is different for all of us.  In everyone, though, vocation is for the glory of God.  As a student at Calvin College, my goal is to find that vocation so I may go out and reform the world…in fact even before I leave this college, I must find my vocation.  The world has needs and it is our responsibility, as a citizen in the Kingdom of God, to spread Jesus’ name and prepare the way.

Conclusion

            The drama of Creation, Fall, and Redemption is the story of us: humanity.  It is a concept I had never heard of until I came to Calvin, but it essential for everyone to comprehend.  After taking DCM, I have developed a new perspective on the Reformed Church, and more importantly, I have developed a new attitude of life.  I fully respect the Reformed church, despite of my few disagreements on doctrine.  This is more of a “heart” change for me, rather than a “mindset” change.  C. S. Lewis has instilled in me the ability to think like a theologian, without actually being one, and in doing so I have learned so much.  As an example, here is part of a blog I wrote toward the end of the class:

“At the end of the conversation of Plantinga's book, I had one major conclusion.  As much as I may disagree with someone about something so minute, she is still my Sister that I should not exclude from an Inner Ring in which she might otherwise be a part of.  If I can worship the same God, pray to the same God, and earnestly seek truth alongside a man, he is my Brother.  For those who would claim that [a certain touchy subject] IS a big deal, I say that it is just as big of one for me, but in the end we do have a common ground.  We must balance the finding of truth, and the ability to practice Agape with one another.”

            So what did C. S. Lewis teach me?  Perhaps the ability to forgive, forget, and conquer the fear of being an outsider.  The class taught me to think for myself, and never, ever, tell why someone is wrong before proving that he is, indeed, actually wrong.

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[1] Plantinga, Engaging God’s World, p.22

[2] C. S. Lewis, The Business of Heaven, p. 97

[3] Plantinga, p. 21

[4] Plantinga, p. 52

[5] Plantinga, p. 47

[6] C. S. Lewis, Meditation in a Toolshed, p. 1

[7] 1 Corinthians 6:3

[8] The Belgic Confession, Article 13

[9] Plantinga, p. 69

[10] Plantinga, p. 90

[11] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book 4, Chapter 10