Integrative Essay: Developing a Christian Mind

Jeremy Li

IDIS 150-07 (DCM – C.S. Lewis)

January 25^th 2011

Professors Paulo and Adriana Ribeiro

Developing a Christian Mind

            I had no idea what to expect from a class on C.S. Lewis, as I have not read anything from him besides a couple books from his Narnia series. As a visual and active learner, I was worried that the reading assignments would be too much to handle. However, from the first reading of the class, I knew something was different about C.S. Lewis’ writing. These few weeks of discussions and readings have been the most learning I have done in a while.  While the readings themselves cover a wide variety of topics, they fit perfectly with the overarching class theme of “Developing a Christian Mind.”

            The first step in the development can be described as laying of the foundation for your worldview. In C.S. Lewis’ “Meditations in a Toolshed,” writes, “We must, on pain of idiocy, deny from the very outset the idea that looking at is, by its own nature, intrinsically truer or better than looking along. One must look both along and at everything”[1]. Lewis emphasizes the importance that there is no absolute better way in approaching something. One must try to understand another person’s perspective before they share ideas. One must also be mindful of the way their ideas are presented, especially in an argument. Lewis’ “Bulverism,” reminds us that “you must show that a man wrong before you start explaining why he is wrong.” He continues on with the important point that “you can only find out the rights and wrongs by reasoning – never by being rude about your opponent’s psychology” [2]. Too often, what people do is to assume the person is wrong and start insulting their opponents. Lewis teaches the important lesson to respect others who may disagree with you.

On a different aspect of development, Lewis’ “Our English Syllabus,” distinguishes between education and learning. He describes education as the skills and knowledge we gain, which prepares us for the real world[3]. On the other hand, learning involves using these skills to actively pursue what we find interesting. This idea is further echoed in Lewis’ “The Weight of Glory,” as he gives an example of a schoolboy that enjoys literature. The boy’s education equips him with skills to read, and he utilizes them in the learning process as he enjoys English literature. Unfortunately, the boy neglects his education of Greek, which will open him up to even greater pieces of literature. Instead he simply settles for “English poets and romancers suitable to his age”[4]. Lewis uses this illustration to show that we often have the correct desires for God, but are too easily distracted or satisfied. Cornelius Plantinga’s Engaging God’s World, shares a quote from Lewis’ “The Weight of Glory,” which reads:

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. [5]

In these first steps of developing a Christian Mind, the readings have reminded us to examine our attitudes and motives in engaging the world around us.

            The second stage in the development covers the theme of understanding ourselves. From an unconventional perspective, C.S. Lewis gives an account on human behavior from a devil’s point of view in The Screwtape Letters. In the twelfth letter, Screwtape the devil writes to his nephew Wormwood, “My only fear is lest in attempting to hurry the patient you awaken him to a sense of his real position”[6] Wormwood has been provoking little changes to the person he is in charge of tempting, and as Screwtape describes, “it does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. … Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one, the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” Lewis’ innovative literary technique in The Screwtape Letters illustrates and points out the many dangers the reader can face.

Another aspect of understanding ourselves is given through the reading of the first chapters of Lewis’ Mere Christianity. He begins by establishing the idea that everyone acts under a Moral Law, which is different from the laws of nature in that we have the free will to choose to ignore it. Furthermore, the Moral Law is not the instincts we have. A recurring analogy Lewis brings up is of comparing the Moral Law to music. “The Moral Law tells us the tune we have to play: our instincts are merely the keys. … The Moral Law is not any one instinct or any set of instincts: it is something which makes a kind of tune (the tune we call goodness or right conduct) by directing the instincts”[7]. By establishing the existence of this Moral Law, Lewis takes it further to compare how we use science to observe facts. He explains that in the same way that observing human activities will not show signs of this Moral Law, scientific observations about the physical aspect of the universe will not give any hints if there are greater powers. Lewis gives a witty example of him assuming that the packets delivered throughout his neighborhood contain letters. “I'm explaining the packets I'm not allowed to open by the ones I am allowed to open. … The only packet I am allowed to open is Man.” By exploring the Moral Law,  we can get a deeper understanding of our human nature.

From a Christian Reformed perspective, Plantinga’s chapters on the Creation and the Fall explains the theology behind these Sunday school stories. Along with the topic of corruption, John Donne is quoted, “O Lord, thou has set up many candlesticks, and kindled many lamps in me, but I have either blown them out, or carried them to guide me in forbidden ways”[8].  This truly illustrates the sinfulness of man. We often take the gifts and talents from God and use them for evil. However, a second quote by Flanner O’Connor sheds more hope onto the matter. “We have plenty of examples in this world of poor things being used for good purposes. God can make any indifferent thing, as well as evil itself, an instrument for good; but I submit that to do this is the business of God and not of any human being”[9]. Plantinga’s chapters explore the corruption and sin in all of us.

The final stage in development is to understand how to relate to the world. In the chapter “Eros,” from Lewis’ The Four Loves, Eros is the romantic love between two people. By discussing the philosophy behind romantic love, Lewis points out the significance of this love and in turn, hints at the terrible condition our society is in. “Now Eros makes a man really want, not a woman, but one particular woman. In some mysterious but quite indisputable fashion the lover desires the Beloved herself, not the pleasure she can give”[10]. In many instances, Lewis explains that Eros doesn’t simply want any woman, but the Beloved herself. This is contrasted with the sexually immoral nature of our society that glamorizes sex and encourages sexual activities based on emotional impulses rather than relationship.  In the natural romantic love, “very often what comes first is simply a delighted pre-occupation with the Beloved -- a general, unspecified pre-occupation with her in her totality A man in this state really hasn't leisure to think of sex. He is too busy thinking of a person. The fact that she is a woman is far less important than the fact that she is herself”. It also goes to show the absolute lack of true love involved in this culture of instant gratification. The reading on Eros gives readers a perspective on how to treat our relationship with others.

On a similar theme, “The Inner Ring,” is Lewis’ personal advice for university graduates on entering the working society. Lewis addresses the social phenomenon of Inner Rings, where groups of people join together and others are left out. He explains that while Inner Rings themselves can be a good place where friendships are nurtured, “let Inner Rings be unavoidable and even an innocent feature of life, though certainly not a beautiful one”[11]. Lewis’ main warning is against the desire to be included in these Inner Rings. “This desire is one of the great permanent mainsprings of human action. … Unless you take measures to prevent it, this desire is going to be one of the chief motives of your life, from the first day on which you enter your profession until the day when you are too old to care.” As a result of the pressure to advance in your career, people will challenge your integrity. They will not deliberately approach you as evil men. Instead, as described in The Screwtape Letters, the desire to be included in the Inner Ring will have you make gradual changes. “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.”

On relating with the society and our future careers, Plantinga’s final chapter places an emphasis on the vocation that God has for us in these areas. As intended for college student readers, Plantinga urges us to continually think of God’s calling. “Thinking of college as no more than job training is a narrow-minded impoverishment of the kingdom of God”[12]. After being called to go to college, one must further this calling and be equipped to contribute to God’s kingdom. Plantinga explains that “we must not only find an occupation to bring to the kingdom; we must also shape it to suit its purpose”[13].

The development of a Christian mind is evident in the readings, from the foundation of a worldview, to understanding our human nature, and finally relating it to the world around us. In my favorite quote from the readings in this course, Lewis writes, “Knowledge of the facts must make a difference to one's actions.”[14]

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[1] Lewis, C.S. Meditation in a Toolshed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.calvin.edu/~pribeiro/DCM-Lewis-2009/Lewis/meditation-in-a-toolshed.pdf>.

[2] Lewis, C.S. Bulverism. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.calvin.edu/~pribeiro/DCM-Lewis-2009/Lewis/Bulversim-rev1.doc>.

[3] Lewis, C.S. Our English Syllabus. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.calvin.edu/~pribeiro/DCM-Lewis-2009/Lewis/our-english-syllabus.pdf>.

[4] Lewis, C.S. The Weight of Glory. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.calvin.edu/~pribeiro/DCM-Lewis-2009/Lewis/weighofglory.pdf>.

[5] Plantinga, Cornelius. Engaging God's World. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002. 5. Print.

[6] Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. New York: HarperOne, 2001. Print.

[7] Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. New York: HarperOne, 2001. Print.

[8] Plantinga, 54.

[9] Plantinga, 55.

[10] Lewis, C.S. The Four Loves. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1991. Print.

[11] Lewis, C.S. The Inner Ring. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.calvin.edu/~pribeiro/DCM-Lewis-2009/Lewis/the-inner-ring.doc>.

[12] Plantinga, 117.

[13] Plantinga, 122.

[14] Lewis, C.S. Man or Rabbit?. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.calvin.edu/~pribeiro/DCM-Lewis-2009/Lewis/man-or-rabbit.pdf>.

The Problem of Pain: Human Pain

Lewis' chapter on Human Pain is an insightful read on why we have pain, and what our response should be to it. I've always considered pain as something that is bad, and does not belong. But his ideas were eyeopening, as he describes the value that pain has.

We can rest contentedly in our sins and in our stupidities; and anyone who has watched gluttons shoveling down the most exquisite foods as if they did not know what they were eating, will admit that we can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists on being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. A bad man, happy, without the least inkling that his actions do not 'answer,' that they are not in accord with the laws of the universe.

Lewis gives a great example of him and his brother drawing at a table when he bumps his brother's arm, forcing him to draw a line across the page. In fairness, his brother draws a line across Lewis' page. This simple analogy presents the truth of the justice that people must suffer for their wrongdoings. Lewis' describes it, in a more serious level, as retributive punishment. In the same way, pain puts us in our place and reminds us of our evil.

Until the evil man finds evil unmistakably present in his existence, in the form of pain, he is enclosed in illusion. Once pain has roused him, he knows that he is ill some way or other 'up against' the real universe: he either rebels (with the possibility of a clearer issue and deeper repentance at some later stage) or else makes some attempt at an adjustment, which, if pursued, will lead him to religion.

Another point on the value of pain that Lewis writes about is how God uses it to remind us that what we do to try to erase the pain we feel and the evil we commit is not enough.

Let me implore the reader to try to believe, if only for a 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:  that all this must fall from them in the end, and that if they have not learned to know Him they will be wretched. And therefore He troubles them, warning in advance of an insufficiency that one day they will have to discover.

God's reminder is that no matter how hard we try to correct our evils with "modest prosperity," in the end, it is still insufficient. I find the idea of pain as God's warning to be a fascinating one.

Man or Rabbit?

CS Lewis' "Man or Rabbit?" is more of a lighter reading compared to previous ones like the Four Loves, and I tend to like more of Lewis' lighter reads. The reading is written as a response to the question, "Can't you lead a good life without believing in Christianity?" As Lewis never gives a straight answer, he explores the implications behind the question. He comments on the question, that whoever asks it is not interested in the truthfulness of Christianity, but rather they choose to believe things based on their helpfulness to their well being. 

I like Lewis' description on distinguishing between man and animals:

One of the things that distinguishes man from the other animals is that he wants to know things, wants to find out what reality is like, simply for the sake of knowing. When that desire is completely quenched in anyone, I think he has become something less than human. 

Lewis makes the point that Christianity presents its views on the universe. When a man approaches Christianity's claims, he must make a decision to say whether it is true or not. One of the most important quotes I've read so far is this: Knowledge of the facts must make a difference to one's actions. The fascinating thing about Lewis' quotes is that they can be so simple, and yet so heavily convicting. Knowledge should make a difference to a person, but one does not always act as if they are knowledgeable.
Another interesting point that stood out is the part about the good things that both Christians and Materialists do for fellow citizens. However, even with a common purpose in mind, the two will clash in the way they do things because of their beliefs.

To the Materialist things like nations, classes, civilizations must be more important than individuals, because the individuals live only seventy odd yearsach and the group may last for centuries. But to the Christian, individuals are more important, for they live eternally; and races, civilizations and the like, are in comparison the creatures of a day.

The Christian and the Materialist hold different beliefs about the universe. They can't both be right. The one who is wrong will act in a way which simply doesn't fit the real universe. Consequently, with the best will in the world, he will be helping his fellow creatures to their destruction.

Lewis makes an important point that even with the best intentions, people holding an untrue belief will ultimately lead people to destruction. I think this gives much more significance to the decisions one makes regarding their beliefs.

Plantinga Chapter 5: Vocation in the Kingdom of God

In this chapter, Plantinga writes about our vocation and discusses our potential roles in the society. One of the side quotes really stood out to me.

Still, when we ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our would with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares (Henri Nouwen; 115)

 This quote reminded about the class we had about Screwtape Letters. At one point in the lecture, we discussed the three groups of people in a church. The groups of churchgoers are shown in times of need, or when sin is exposed. The first group are the judgmental ones, those who condemn the sinners for what they have done. The second group of Christians are the condescending ones. They'll say "I'm sorry," but speak from a higher level. The final group are the sympathetic ones. These people have gone through the problems themselves and have experienced the pain. These are the people that will truly help and support those in need.

In our small group discussions, a question was raised as to whether God calls you towards a field of work, or do you discover how God can use you in the field you're already in. While we never really came to a conclusion, as God can work in both ways, it really made me thinking about the prospective field I hope to be working in. As a student filmmaker, the industry ahead of me has one of the greatest influences on society. I wouldn't say that I'm certain God is going to have me work in this field, but I would certainly hope so. One of the quotes that brought the discussion together was by Frederick Buechner:

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.

Learning in War-Time

 While I have never really experienced what it's like to be in war-time, CS Lewis' "Learning in War-Time" still presents really good points. As the sermon was preached in 1939, Lewis begins by proposing the question of "Why should we continue to learn and educate ourselves during times of warfare?" As he continues on, the question really becomes:

He must ask himself how it is right, or even psychologically possible, for creatures who are every moment advancing either to heaven or to hell, to spend any fraction of the little time allowed them in this world on such comparative trivialities as literature or art, mathematics or biology.

I think this is an important question, in one form or another, that everyone asks themselves in one point in their lives. Its also these types of questions that makes people grow as they reexamine and reevaluate their lives.
Lewis answers the question by making a point in its simplest and most effective way: "We are mistaken when we compare war with 'normal life.' Life has never been normal." Included in the idea, he writes

The war creates no absolutely new situation: it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun.

By the end of the sermon, he comes around again to address the nature of war and what people think of it.  Lewis' discussion focuses on the topic of death. He points out that death is a part of Fear, which is the third enemy we face during times of war.

We think of the streets of Warsaw and contrast the deaths there suffered with an abstraction called Life. But there is no question of death or life for any of us; only a question of this death or of 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.

Lewis brings up the idea that the nature death hasn't been changed at all. Everyone dies at some point, whether by a bullet or a disease.

Yet the war does do something to death. It forces us to remember it.

I think this sermon really gives us something to think about. I think, while the enemies, Excitement, Frustration and Fear, are present in war, they can also creep up on us in our daily lives. Therefore we must always be on guard to defend ourselves from these enemies.

The Inner Ring

Presented as an oration at the University of Lodon, Lewis' "The Inner Ring," is a piece of advice to graduates about the world. Even though I still have (hopefully) a couple few years until graduation, I found Lewis' advice to be helpful and even began noticing its existence around me.
What Lewis describes as the "Inner Ring," is a social phenomenon of a certain special group of people. Tolstoi calls it the second or unwritten system. Lewis points out the longing and desire that everyone has to be included.

I believe that in all men's' lives at certain periods, and in many men's lives at all periods between infancy and extreme old age, one of the most dominant elements is the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside.

Lewis really does a great job emphasizing how bad it must feel to be left out.

Often the desire conceals itself so well that we hardly recognize the pleasures of fruition. . . . A terrible bore... Ah, but how much more terrible if you were left out! It is tiring and unhealthy to lose your Saturday afternoons: but to have them free because you don't matter, that is much worse.

Lewis discusses the nature of these Inner Rings. He says that they are in themselves, not a bad thing, because through these groups, friendships are found and bonds are formed. If your group simply consists of people who share similar interests, then the group can be a good thing. However, if they exist simply to exclude other people, its a whole different matter. Lewis writes:

But your genuine Inner Ring exists for exclusion. There'd be no fun if there were no outsiders. The invisible line would have no meaning unless most people were on the wrong side of it. Exclusion is no accident; it is the essence.

In my experience, I've found myself to be on both sides of Inner Rings. My youth group back home is a youth-led ministry, with a core group of teenagers leading the weekly activities, known as the Core. As I first attended the youth group, the leaders were seen as almost elite Christians, though I'm sure they don't feel it themselves. The more I attended, the more I was involved with the youth group and was eventually invited to be a part of the new group as the seniors graduated. I must say I wasn't really drawn in by the desire to be included. But during my time of leadership there, there were moments where one or more members of the team were somewhat deliberately excluding people outside of the Inner Ring.

The Four Loves: Eros

In the The Four Loves, Lewis describes the four kinds of love: Storge (affection), Philia (friendship), Eros (romance), and Agape (unconditional). I found our reading, focused on the Eros, or romantic love, to be extremely insightful. Especially, when our culture encourage us to do everything by feeling and impulse, it's a breath of fresh air to actually read a chapter that philosophizes love.
The first point that stood out to me was the process, Lewis describes, in which people go through when they fall in love.

Very often what comes first is simply a delighted pre-occupation with the Beloved -- a general, unspecified pre-occupation with her in her totality A man in this state really hasn't leisure to think of sex. He is too busy thinking of a person. The fact that she is a woman is far less important than the fact that she is herself.

Eros singles out the Beloved from everyone else, simply because she is herself. In a poetic way, Lewis describes the first moments when one falls in love.

Eros enters him like an invader, taking over and reorganising, one by one, the institutions of a conquered country. It may have taken over man others before it reaches the sex in him; and it will reorganize that too.

 Given that this is what comes first, it really shows how messed up the society is, especially when people meet after a drink and immediately have "the leisure to think of sex." I guess it also shows the complete lack of love in these activities.
Another part that stood out is Lewis' analogy of the carton of cigarettes.

 Strictly speaking, a woman is just what he does not want. He wants a pleasure for which a woman happens to be the necessary piece of apparatus. How much he cares about the woman as such may be gauged by his attitude to her five minutes after fruition (one does not keep the carton after one has smoked the cigarettes). Now Eros makes a man really want, not a woman, but one particular woman. In some mysterious but quite indisputable fashion the lover desires the Beloved herself, not the pleasure she can give.

 I like how Lewis always returns to the point that in Eros, the man does not desire just any woman, but specifically the woman he is in love with.

Plantinga Chapter 4: Redemption

One thing I like about these chapters is the interesting quotes that are placed throughout the reading. This one by Barbara Brown Taylor stood out to me.

What we have lost . . . is a full sense of the power of God -- to recruit people who have made terrible choices; to invade the most hopeless lives and fill them with light; to sneak up on people who are thinking about lunch, not God, and smack them up side the head with glory. (75)

It stood out because of the way Taylor describes what we have "lost," implying that these are things that Christians do when they have the full power of God. I like the way she writes it, using words like invade, sneak up and smack them up. It's very active and direct, giving readers a sense of empowerment. However, at the same time, it also very convicting for Christians, like myself, who have been passive and indirect.

Another quote I liked is by Jonathan Edwards.

Passing affections easily produce words; and words are cheap; . . . Christian practice is a costly laborious thing. The self-denial that is required of Christians, and the narrowness of the way that leads to life don't consist in words, but in practice. Hypocrites may much more easily be brought back to talk like saints, than to act like saints.

 Edwards addresses the issue of hypocrisy in a very serious tone. I especially liked the line, "The self-denial that is required of Christians, and the narrowness of the way that leads to life don't consist in words, but in practice." It really makes one reexamine their spiritual living. If we are to really live like Christ, we must be burdened and suffering, as Christ didn't have an easy life. The life of a Christian is meant to be tough. You're doing something wrong if you have it easy. Suffering will come. Either in a physical form, emotional form. However, this is not to say that you will not find joy. In light of the idea of longing, it's the hope and joy we have in God that makes the suffering worth it. I think the most important form that suffering comes in is the spiritual form. These are the desert phases where we are challenged in our faith. While in these periods, it seems like God is nowhere to be found, its important to keep on praying.

The Poison of Subjectivism

CS Lewis gives a good definition of subjectivism and points out the seriousness of this 'poison.'

To say that a thing is good is merely to express our feeling about it; and our feeling about it is the feeling we have been socially conditioned to have.
Out of this apparently innocent idea comes the disease that will certainly end our species (and, in my view, damn our souls) if it is not crushed; the fatal superstition that men can create values, that a community can choose its "ideology" as men choose their clothes.

Being subjective is a very common argument that people make. It essentially argues that your argument is invalid. Whats worse is that they use it to weigh how good something is. To this, Lewis writes:

If "good" and "better" are terms deriving their sole meaning from the ideology of each people, then of course ideologies themselves cannot be better or worse than one another. Unless the measuring rod is independent of the things measured, we can do no measuring.

Ultimately, Lewis has two ideas to get across:

1) The human mind has no more power of inventing an new value than of planting a new sun in the sky or a new primary color in the spectrum.
2) Every attempt to do so consists in arbitrarily selecting some one maxim of traditional morality, isolating it from the res, and erecting it into an unum necessarium.

Lewis makes the point that an ideology can make its advancements, but the ideology does not change and is essentially the same. He gives the example of changing from "Do not do to others what you would not like them do to you," to "Do as you would be done by." It is an advancement, but the principle stays unchanged.

Real moral advances, in fine, are made from within the existing moral tradition and in the spirit of that tradition and can be understood only in the light of that tradition. The outsider who had rejected the tradition cannot judge them. He has, as Aristotle said, no arche, no premises.

 I found this CS Lewis reading to be more philosophical than others. He relates back to the Moral Law, as we have read in Mere Christianity. I found it interesting that he explains how God neither obeys it or created the moral law. While I'm still confused at the point, I found this quote interesting.

The good is uncreated; it never could have been otherwise; it has in it no shadow of contingency; it lies, as Plato said, on the other side of existence.

Plantinga Chapter 3: The Fall

There are several quotes that stood out to me.

O Lord, thou has set up many candlesticks, and kindled many lamps in me, but I have either blown them out, or carried them to guide me in forbidden ways.  (John Donne)

I think this quote really points out the sinful nature in people. God has given us many talents and skills, and one of the many ways we sin is by ignoring them, or by using them in ways that He has not intended us to. However, another quote sheds a bit of hope onto the matter:

We have plenty of examples in this world of poor things being used for good purposes. God can make any indifferent thing, as well as evil itself, an instrument for good; but I submit that to do this is the business of God and not of any human being.   (Flannery O'Connor)

 Another quote that stood out is by Jonathan Edwards.

The more excellent things are ... the more manifold will the counterfeits be. So there are perhaps no graces that have more counterfeits than love and humility, these being virtues wherein the beauty of a true Christian does especially appear.

I think it's very true that love and humility have the most counterfeits. Counterfeits of love include infidelity and pornography. A counterfeit of humility may be a person who shows off his how humbleness, such as a Christian who prays or sings louder than others. While these counterfeits are the most common ones, I believe that they are also the most damaging ones too. Infidelity splits marriages, pornography desensitizes, and a proud Christian leads others astray.

This chapter on the fall of Man and sin reminded me of a poem called "Reverse Creation," by Bernard Backman

In the end, we destroyed the heaven that was called Earth. The Earth had been beautiful until our spirit moved over it and destroyed all things.
And we said…
Let there be darkness… and there was darkness. And we liked the darkness; so we called the darkness, Security. And we divided ourselves into races and religions and classes of society. And there was no morning and no evening on the seventh day before the end.
And we said…
Let there be a strong government to control us in our darkness. Let there be armies to control our bodies so that we may learn to kill one another neatly and efficiently in our darkness. And there was no evening and no morning on the sixth day before the end.
And we said…
Let there be rockets and bombs to kill faster and easier; let there be gas chambers and furnaces to be more thorough. And there was no evening and no morning on the fifth day before the end.
And we said…
Let there be drugs and other forms of escape, for there is this constant annoyance – Reality – which is disturbing our comfort. And there was no evening and no morning on the fourth day before the end.
And we said…
Let there be divisions among the nations, so that we may know who is our common enemy. And there was no evening and no morning on the third day before the end.
And finally we said…
Let us create God in our image. Let some other God compete with us. Let us say that God thinks as we think, hates as we hate, and kills as we kill. And there was no morning and no evening on the second day before the end.
On the last day, there was a great noise on the face of the Earth. Fire consumed the beautiful globe, and there was silence. The blackened Earth now rested to worship the one true God; and God saw all that we had done, and in the silence over the smoldering ruins… God wept.

Mere Christianity

I really liked CS Lewis' thought progression in Mere Christianity. He begins by establishing the fact that humans have a Law of Human Nature, but they have the choice to obey it or disobey it; "This law was called the Law of Nature because people thought that every one knew it by nature and did not need to be taught it." Lewis points out his two ideas. 

First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it.
Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in.

Lewis then moves on to objections that have been raised, such as the moral law being the same as a herd instinct. He gives the example of a cry for help from a man in danger. This instigates two desires: the desire to help the man, and the desire to keep yourself out of danger. The desire to help is the herd instinct. Lewis makes the point that "feeling a desire to help is quite different from feeling that ought to help whether you want to or not." He then gives one of my favorite quotes when comparing these desires to a piano:

The Moral Law tells us the tune we have to play: our instincts are merely the keys.

Continuing on with his analogy, Lewis writes:

The thing that says to you, 'Your herd instinct is asleep. Wake it up,' cannot itself be the herd instinct. The thing that tells you which note on the piano needs to be played louder cannot itself be that note.

Another point he makes is that there are no "good" or "bad" impulses. The same impulse can be considered good in one situation and bad in another. The Moral Law is not an impulse or a group of impulses, but rather it directs these impulses. On the same thought, Lewis writes:

The most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of your own nature and set it up as the thing you ought to follow at all costs. ... 

You might think love of humanity in general was safe, but it is not. If you leave out justice you will find yourself breaking agreements and faking evidence in trials 'for the sake of humanity,' and become in the end a cruel and treacherous man.

I also like his rationalization of a power outside the universe. He points out that if by simply observing the physical aspects of humans, we will never have any evidence of this moral law. In the same way, we will not find anything past the observed physical facts of anything. He expands on the point, saying:  

If there was a controlling power outside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe--no more than the architect of a house could actually be a wall or staircase or fireplace in that house. The only way in which we could expect it to show itself would be inside ourselves as an influence or a command trying to get us to behave in a certain way. And that is just what we do find inside ourselves.

Lewis then gives another great example using mail. When everyone down the street is receiving mail, a man deduces that everyone else's mail packets contain letters based on the fact that his packet contains a letter.

I'm explaining the packets I'm not allowed to open by the ones I am allowed to open. ...  The only packet I am allowed to open is Man. Where I do, especially when I open that particular man called Myself, 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.

I find it fascinating, as he points out in his conclusion of the chapter, that he hasn't even touched on the topic of Christianity or God. He simply establishes the grounds for the existence of a Moral Law.

Show & Tell

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The Screwtape Letters: Letter XII

I've always heard about the interesting way that The Screwtape Letters was written, but I have never read anything from it until now. Despite the "spoiler" about its literary technique, I still find it fascinating to read a Christian book from the perspective of our enemies. As fascinating as it is, it's also a terrifying thing to read because of all the hints of temptation you are in fact facing at the moment. It's scary because I see some of Letter XII of Screwtape being applied to situations in my life right now.

Screwtape writes:

My only fear is lest in attempting to hurry the patient you awaken him to a sense of his real position. ... We know that we have introduced a change of direction in his course which is already carrying him out of his orbit around the Enemy; but he must be made to imagine that all the choices which have effected this change of course are trivial and revocable.

To see the devil using what seems to be "trivial and revocable" changes to lure us astray is a scary thought. Small things like forgetting to say grace before a meal can lead to skipping church one week to study for an exam, which can lead to regularly skipping church. As Screwtape later writes, "the safest road to Hell is the gradual one," little signs of unfaithfulness will only lead to greater acts of unfaithfulness.

Another part that stood out is how the devil uses even churchgoing as a way to lead us astray.

For this reason I am almost glad to hear that he is still a churchgoer and a communicant. I know there are dangers in this; but anything is better than that he should realize the break it has made with the first months of his Christian life. As long as he retains externally the habits of a Christian he can still be made to think of himself as one who has adopted a few new friends and amusements but whose spiritual state is much the same as it was six weeks ago. And while he thinks that, we do not have to contend with the explicit repentance of a definite, fully recognized, sin, but only with his vague, though uneasy, feeling that he hasn't been doing very well lately.

I think there are several dangers presented here. The devil takes these external "Christian habits" to make one think that he's still doing pretty well spiritually. As a new Christian, after the first few weeks of church and making supportive friends, spiritual growth should already be happening. Another danger that's also a part of it, is the idea of habitual churchgoing. When there is no spiritual growth, going to church becomes a habit, much like any other habit that you do without thinking; you are going through the motions.

As if God is simply there on Sunday morning to take roll.

Plantinga Chapter 2: Creation

This reading on creation really reminded me about the Astronomy class I took last semester. On the topic of the origin of the universe, we had a discussion about the interpretation of Scripture and its relationship with scientific discoveries. According to Calvin professors Loren and Deborah Haarsma's Origins, Creationism is divided into two main categories: the Concordist view, and the Non-concordist view. The concordist view is that Creation happened in the order that the first chapters of Genesis described it. The non-concordist view describes Creation happening in a different order from Genesis 1 and 2.

Under the concordist view includes the Young Earth interpretation and Day-Age interpretation. The Young Earth interpretation describes Creation occurring in six 24-hour days, about 6000 years ago, just as Genesis 1 puts in order. This, of course, is contradictory to the scientific discovery of rocks that date back to billions of years ago. The Day-Age interpretation says that each "day" described in Genesis 1 actually happened over an extended period of time. This would explain the age of the universe. However, its the order of events that is contradictory to scientific discoveries. The order does not fit with studies of nature.

I would describe my view of Creation as non-concordist, and particularly with the Creation Poem interpretation. The Creation Poem interpretation views Genesis as a poetic description of Creation, rather than a record of chronological events. It presents as a narrative poem that describes God's solutions to "problems," such as (#1) darkness, (#2) watery abyss, and (#3) an empty Earth.God solved the problem of darkness by separating the light and darkness (Day 1), and filling it with (Day 4) Sun, moon, and stars. Against the watery abyss, God separated the waters and formed the sky (Day 2), to fill them with birds and fish (Day 5). With an empty Earth, God separated the ocean from the dry lands (Day 3); He then filled it with animals and mankind (Day 6). While it's not necessarily a reason to accept this view, it certainly eliminates scientific objections. I tend to agree with philosopher Tim Crane's perspective, that science and religion are different tools to understand the world we live in.

The Weight of Glory

Lewis' sermon, "The Weight of Glory," is probably the toughest read so far. During the first read through, it seems as though he's packing too much into it, but after a second (or third, or tenth) read, it all connects extraordinarily well. There are two ideas that I would like to share and explore.

The first one is about desire and long, and I really like Lewis analogy he presents. Lewis compares our desire for heaven to a schoolboy's desire for the enjoyment of reading. The schoolboy find enjoyment in his readings of "English poets and romancers suitable to his age." However, Lewis implies that Greek literature is superior, and more expressive and imaginative than English. Instead of studying the Greek language in order to enjoy Greek literature, the boy neglects his Greek studies, and settles for English readings. Then, Lewis makes this point:

Now, if we are made for heaven, the desire for our proper place will be already in us, but not yet attached to the true object, and will even appear as the rival of that object.

The boy's desire is the enjoyment of reading, which can be satisfied with Greek literature. In the same way, our desire for our proper place, heaven, can be satisfied by a relationship with God. Just as the boy is settling for English literature, we often find ourselves settling for earthly things that temporarily satisfy our desires. As the boy neglects his Greek studies, we neglect the proper cultivation of our relationship with God to prepare ourselves for the infinite satisfaction

found in Him. A quote later on in the sermon gives a good comment on our desire for heaven.

A ma's physical hunger does not prove that that man will get any bread; he may die of starvation on a raft in the Atlantic. But surely a man's hunger does prove that he comes from a race which repairs its body by eating and inhabits a world where eatable substances exist. In the same way, ... I think it a pretty good indication that such a thing exists ... A man may love a woman and not win her; but it would be very odd if the phenomenon called "falling in love" occurred in a sexless world.

The second idea is about approval by God. As Lewis establishes that glory to him means fame, he mentions that different Christians have taken "heavenly glory quite frankly in the sense of fame or good report. But not fame conferred by our fellow creatures -- fame with God, approval or (I might say) 'appreciation' by God." This was first presented as sort of new idea to me, as I can't really imagine or understand how to take heavenly glory as approval by God. Lewis clears it up with this example:

[No] one can enter heaven except as a child; and nothing is so obvious in a child -- not in a conceited child, but in a good child -- as its great and undisguised pleasure in being praised. ... Apparently what I had mistaken for humility had, all these years, prevented me from understanding what is in fact the humblest, the most childlike, the most creaturely of pleasures -- nay, the specific pleasure of the inferior: the pleasure a beast before men, a child before its father, a pupil before his teacher, a creature before its Creator.

I love how beautifully Lewis puts it. I would imagine that the way he "suddenly remembered," is almost the same as the surprise I had in his revelation this concept. Just as a child takes pleasure in his father's approval, we can take pleasure in God's approval.

Our English Syllabus

In "Our English Syllabus," CS Lewis discusses the difference between an education and actually learning.

Right from the start, Lewis makes the point that "the purpose of education is to produce the good man and the good citizen." With that, Lewis branches off to the idea that "our ideal must be to find time for both education and training." Along with education and training, leisure is another topic discussed. Which brings Lewis to the difference between humans and animals. Lewis first establishes what human life means:

Human life means to me the life of beings for whom the leisured activities of thought, art, literature, conversation are the end, and the preservation and propagation of life merely the means.

 With the topic of leisure in mind, Lewis says that education "actualizes [the] potentiality for leisure," and that "man is the only amateur animal; all the others are professionals." Lewis explains that animals have no desire for leisure. Animals go about their lives based on instinct alone. Therefore if animals' lives were based on education and learning, humans would only be an amateur animal.

When God made the beasts dumb he saved the world from infinite boredom, for if they could speak they would all of them, all day, talk nothing but shop.

This brings Lewis to his "idea of education," and the importance of the teacher. He explains the common perspective of the education system most of us have.

The assumption is that the master is already human, the pupil a mere candidate for humanity -- an unregenerate little bundle of appetites which is to be kneaded and moulded into human shape by one who knows better. In education the master is the agent, the pupil, the patient.

Lewis points out that in education, the teacher is far superior to the student. The teacher is there to make the student a human being, as education is about skills and pursuing knowledge The pupil is being prepared for the real world. In contrast to education, Lewis makes this point about learning:

Learning is not education; but it can be used educationally by those who do not propose to pursue learning all their lives.

He gives the example of games (activities, sports, etc). The point of games is for pleasure. As a person plays games, he also gets the byproduct of good health. However, the person is not likely to get good health if his intentions of playing games is to get good health. I like the analogy given here because its so true. Often times, our intentions are set in the wrong place, aiming for the byproduct, rather than the actual goal.

Lewis' main point is the difference between education and learning. Education is about the skills and knowledge one gains. Learning is different in that it deals with the interest and attitude that a student has towards topics. While education is essential for all of us growing up, learning is most important for us to enjoy life.

Plantinga Chapter 1: Longing and Hope

As the chapter begins, Plantinga writes about a character's feelings in John Knowles' A Separate Peace.

the feeling of yearning and longing and compares it to missing family, or the feeling on the last day of summer. While I am not familiar with the feeling described by the character in A Separate Peace, I am fully conscious of what missing a family is like. Being on the other side of the world from my family exposes me to a lot of freedom and forces me to be independent, but I count the days to each holiday break so I can go home.

Further into the reading, Plantinga quotes CS Lewis:

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambitions when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pie in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Lewis' point is very clear. God is there to provide for us with "infinite joy." While we have a longing for Him, we are to often distracted by "drink and sex and ambitions." I find this to be very true. In my own life, I am distracted by many things: studies, video games, music, sleep. However, I am certain that God is tugging at my heart.

Plantinga also makes his point clear: "The truth is that nothing in this earth can finally satisfy us." This longing for satisfaction leads into the second part of the chapter, Longing as an Ingredient of Hope. Plantinga points out that all this talk can sound too romantic and fantastic, depending on how much a person hopes. He continues to note that hope is made of imagination, faith and desire. 

This is because longing is an ingredient of hope. You can hope only for something you want, and if you really want it, you will long for it. 

On the topic of hope, I'm reminded of a quote from my favorite television medical drama House, MD. In the episode, the patient is not content with his life as a soap star and wants more. Dr. House, in all his cynicism, says:

You’d rather imagine that you can escape instead of actually try cause if you fail, you’ve got nothing. So you give up the chance at something, so that you can hold on to hope. The thing is, hope is for sissies.

While I don't agree with House entirely (and it may not be completely relevant to the reading), the quote means that instead of just holding onto hope alone, one must act as well. Instead of wishing that you had better grades, you must actually go and study to get them. Instead of hoping you'd land a dream job, you must work hard and take chances. Instead of hoping for a better relationship with God, you must reach out to Him.