The Inner Ring

The inner ring is something that everyone can relate to. Many days we are led to believe that the inner ring only existed during middle school and high school. Lewis however points out that the inner ring is part of our everyday life. Even though it may not be the social inner ring that we had in middle school it is still there. Even worse, the inner ring may have become the inner rings that expand with our growing world of responsibilities. Lewis is correct when he states that our desires will deceive us. Lewis writes, "The quest for the inner ring will break your hearts unless you break it." I look at myself and can easily find all of the inner rings that I want to be part of. It has become a built in program to my brain that tells me to do everything. The inner ring sense tells me to study hard so that I can be part of an elite group of people or talk to certain people so that I can become part of a group who is having more fun than I seem to be. Even though destroying the quest for the inner ring may be difficult it has the power to change lives. By simply living a life not to be in the inner ring you will find yourself inside. However, this time there is not a ring which can slowly corrupt a good man into a bad one. We are free to travel and not be sucked into corruption by the inner ring. 

The Problem of Pain

C.S. Lewis confronts one of the deepest problems in our society today, the problem of pain. He eloquently attempt to make sense of some of the pain that humans experience. Lewis makes a number of points that helped me to think about the pain that I experience. The first point that Lewis makes is that human cause four-fifths of the suffering on the Earth. Even though I am interested in how Lewis gets a percentage of four-fifths, the point is very striking. As humans we create most of the suffering that we experience. We often ask God why He lets us suffer but then we learn that humans have inflicted pain on themselves. This is a sad but true consequence. The second point Lewis makes that I enjoy is, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." This is both a comforting and troubling fact. Comforting because we know that God is there for us in our pain. Troubling in that humans seem to always forget about God during the good times. As a college student I can attest to this. They say that time flies when you're having fun. It goes so fast that I often simply forget about God. In a perfect world it would be easy to see that earthly desires are nothing compared to the glory of God. However, the trappings and sin of our fallen world makes it that much easier to forget about God while having fun. The third part of Lewis' writing that I found interesting was when Lewis describes what he thinks of pain. His words are worth repeating at length here:

"When I think of pain - of anxiety that gnaws like fire and loneliness that spreads out like a desert, and the heartbreaking routine of monotonous misery, or again of dull aches that blacken our whole landscape or sudden nauseating pains that know a man's heart our at one blow, of pains that seem already intolerable and then are suddenly increased, of infuriating scorpion-stinging pains that startle into maniacal movement a man who seemed half dead with his previous tortures - it 'quite o'ercrows my spirit.'"

Lewis goes on to state that his pain is no different than our pain. Lewis seems to simply abandon thinking about pain and simply begins an almost poetic paragraph to describe pain. Sometimes that is all that we can do. Thankfully we have hope in Jesus Christ but that sometimes feels like it may not be enough.

Plantinga Chapter Four

The fourth chapter of Engaging God's World is one that calls for humbleness as well as action. Our redemption come from a God who consistently bails us out. From the beginnings of the Bible to now, God has rescued his people time and time again. Plantinga writes, "God rescues people ant then lays down the law." However, God laws are ones that are for our benefit or as Plantinga calls them, "pro-life." Obedience to God's laws will help us prosper. Even so we still fall short and must be humble. Thank goodness we are saved by God's persistent grace. The death of Christ on the cross for our sins built a union between humans and God. God is not longer a distant figure who stands over us rescuing us and punishing us again and again. God became one of us in Jesus Christ and that is our calling to action. As Christians we are called to reform all things. Everything, including our beliefs are in constant need of reformation. However, we must not get carried away by talks of reformation. Christians must reform by Biblical standards, by the laws set out by God in order for us to prosper. The modern church today is often troubled by this call for reformation. Changing generations requires some changes to how the church operates. I can say that I personally have witnessed a church that has transformed away from Christianity in my view. As Christians we will continue to debate and hopefully grow through our differences. As C.S. Lewis wrote in our first reading, we should be sure to look at more than one viewpoint without prejudices in order to gain a full knowledge and understanding of what needs to be done. Our redemption in Christ calls us to action in order to transfrom and glorify God's kingdom. 

Man or Rabbit?

Lewis asks, "Can't you lead a good life without believing in Christianity?" The short and difficult answer for all Christians should be "No." Short because it is clear what the Bible requires for us. Difficult because we see so many people who have been extremely good people without being Christian. Lewis writes near the end of his essay, "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." He has made it clear to everyone that it is not possible to live a good life without being Christian. However, nonbelievers point out that all over the world people are living a good life by helping others who are less fortunate than they are. The problem is that nonbelievers only provide help with earthly things. They may help improve the lives of people on Earth but they can do nothing to help those same people eternally. As Christians we are called to glorify God in everything that we do and that is what matters. For a nonbeliever to give their life to Christ is enough to say that a person has a good life. The nonbeliever has looked past his or her own life on earth and looked towards an eternal life all due to the opportunity for salvation in Jesus Christ. A nonbeliever may ask how we know if we have lived a good enough life. God calls us to do more but He does not punish us for doing less. There is no possible way that we could measure up to the standards of God for living a good life. That is the beauty of being a Christian. How do we know that we have lead a good life? Because accepting Christ is simply enough. We have no fear that we have fallen short or have not done the right things to be near the One who has given us everything.

The Abolition of Man

After reading The Abolition of Man once and two different summaries I can say that I still have not fully comprehended what Lewis is trying to say. I guess that could be a bit of bad news. However there is good news. The parts that I did understand I have enjoyed thoroughly. The first part that I enjoyed was the second "Men without Chests." Lewis writes, "In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function....We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst." Lewis argues that education which is taught will be the destruction of society that accepts it. I believe that this can be applied today just as it was when Lewis said it. Society today asks many questions that it knows the answer to. I more applicable quote for today could be: we methodically disassemble the economy and then wonder why it does not work. Or, we cut funding from schools and then wonder why only two-thirds of high schoolers graduate. Lewis has a very valid and applicable point.

Lewis also works to help people see that their instincts will lead them astray. So often we believe that our instincts will lead us in the right path but this can be deceiving. Lewis writes, "Telling us to obey instinct is like telling us to obey 'people'. People say different things: so do instincts. Our instincts are at war." One instinct will be gratified at the expense of the rest. We must be very careful when we follow our instincts. No matter what we believe our selfishness and subjective nature will lead us down an unhealthy path.  

The Four Loves: Eros

C.S. Lewis goes into great detail about Eros in his writing The Four Loves. This section may be better understood by someone who is married rather than someone who is still single. None the less this writing provides some excellent thoughts on what love really means. Eros is defined as "that state which we call 'being in love'; or if you prefer, that kind of love which lovers are 'in.'" I was surprised when Lewis separates sexuality and Eros love. Lewis writes, "Sexuality may operate without Eros or as part of Eros." A true reply of Eros love Lewis writes would be, "To go on thinking of her." I believe that this sentence would make a good billboard. Since so many marriages end in divorce in the United States it seems that people are definitely thinking of something besides their relationships. Lewis goes on to say, "But in Eros, a Need, at its most intense, sees the object most intensely as a thing admirable in herself, important far beyond her relation to the lover's need." More words of wisdom from Lewis however I don't know if this would fit as well on a billboard. 

The other part of "Eros" that I enjoyed was where Lewis compares the relationship between husband and wife to the relationship between Christ and the Church. He writes, "The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church. He is to love her as Christ love the Church...and give his life for her (Eph. V, 25)." Even though there is no way that human relationships can be as flawless as Christ's relationship with the Church it still provides a great example. Christ loved the Church so much that he died for us. Many people believe that their love is as strong as that when they get married but so often they fall short. Eros love is much harder to reveal than it appears. 

Learning in War Time

Learning in War Time is now one of my favorite writings by C.S. Lewis. He asks the question, "He must ask himself how it is right, or even psychologically possible, for creatures who are every moment advancing either to heaven or 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 had never thought of this question but it is a very important question. Lewis also explains that the war (World War II I believe) has not created a new situation for human nature. He states that we have been deceived into believing we live a normal life when it is always far from normal. 

If we were to suspend all of our intellectual or aesthetic activity for our religion or our nation we would only "succeed in substituting a worse cultural life for a better." This is clearly not what we want or need. The solution to this is to glorify God in everything that we do. Lewis writes, "All our merely natural activities will be accepted, if they are offered to God, even the humblest: and all of them, even the noblest, will be sinful if they are not." Our vocation should glorify God because even though we may do something completely different we are all members of one body. 

So it is possible to "advance the vision of God" through our intellectual challenge even as we are work and learn towards something that does not directly appear to Christ's work. God's kingdom is at work no matter what we try and do. The entire cosmos is part of God's kingdom and we cannot escape it. Our purpose can be made clear through a variety of things that we do. Calvin College has done an excellent job working towards showing that it is possible to glorify God in everything that you do. All type of learning are clearly directed towards furthering God's kingdom to benefit ourselves and those around us.