Works Cited

Dynamic Schedule - DCM Lewis Syllabus. Paulo and Adriana Ribeiro. Web. 22 Jan. 2010. .

Jr., Cornelius Plantinga. ENGAGING GOD'S WORLD A REFORMED VISION OF FAITH, LEARNING, AND LIVING. Boston: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2002. Print.

Lewis, C.S. "God in the Dock: Bulverism." (1941): 1-5. Print.

Lewis, C.S. "Have No ‘Right To Happiness." 1-3. Print.

Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. Geoffrey Bles, 1942. Print.

Final Integration Essay

Finding My Calling

On the first day of class when asked why we had chosen this class, the only thing I could think of was that I wanted to know what “C.S.” stood for (which I eventually found out to be Clive Staples). If I remember correctly, I was the only person who had not actually read at least one of Lewis’ works. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of our class discussions and have always taken away something of value. Also, at the beginning of class, when we took our first look at his writing I worried that I would not be able to keep up, especially in a class where the professor seemed a little too obsessed with Lewis, but now I see why he loves Lewis so much. Lewis’ writing was unlike anything I had ever read before; so complex and unbelievably deep, yet so simple and clear at the same time; though that is not to say that some things he says were way over my head. In this class I have connected with three of Lewis’ writings, those being Bulverism, We Have no Right to Happiness, and The Screwtape Letters; as well as Plantinga’s chapter titled Longing and Hope in his book Engaging God’s World. In this essay I will discuss the meaning of each, and what they have taught me.

The first essay that caught my eye was God in the Dock: Bulverism. The idea of “bulverism” is to attack the person, and not the facts someone presents in an argument. This is what we like to call the easy way out because it requires no intelligent thinking or reasoning. Lewis wrote that “You must find out on purely logical grounds which of them do, in fact, break down as arguments. Afterwards, if you like, go on and discover the psychological causes of the error.” (2) This is a huge problem because of the enormous number of uneducated people in society today; they are everywhere. At least to me, these people can be so infuriating at times that I just wonder how in the world they get by. Our job is to learn from our mistakes and encourage a culture of reason. His reason for “bulverism” being the incorrect way to argue he says that, “But thought has no father but thought.” (4) That statement in itself proves Lewis’ argument against “bulverism,” which does not use “bulverism” itself. Our thoughts cannot prove anything, for there is no way to prove that they themselves are correct. We must use the facts, and anyone who pretends to be correct on a matter with real proof is lying to themselves, as well as making a fool of them.

This changed me significantly. Never had I heard someone so boldly call out everyone who merely put others down to prove themselves right. No doubt I have found myself among that group before, and thinking about that makes me not only feel guilty, but like a cheater and dishonest as well. I have taken things from people that were not mine and gotten undeserved glory. However, because of our study of this, I now feel a bit of conviction to be legitimate in how I converse with others. Now when I find myself about to attack someone in instead of their arguments I more often stop myself from doing so and look for legitimate solutions. It’s nice to have had someone like Lewis with the courage necessary to challenge all of society.

Now let’s take a look at another one of Lewis’ works: Have No ‘Right To Happiness.’ In this essay, Lewis tries to prove why no man has any rightful claim to happiness, in this case defined as “a freedom guaranteed me by the laws of society I live in” (1), and then narrows his focus to sexual happiness because of it’s transcendence. He says that, “A society in which conjugal infidelity is tolerated must always be in the long run a society adverse to women.” (3) What he is saying is that by seeking our own happiness, it is possible that we take away someone else’s happiness. Under that logic it is impossible for every person to get their own happiness, for people have no obligation to give what is necessary for someone else to find happiness. The only other thing to be said is that God wants us to be happy in Him.

I learned a couple very valuable things about this from taking this class. First, we have a right to pursue happiness, but not to happiness. There were times in class when I would have liked for things to go a different way, but I realized that there is no valid reason for me to choose how things go. Collectively, every subject we talked about showed me how we have no right to anything, including happiness and life itself because of sin. I learned to be grateful for life, to take it serious, and remember that it is a gift. As a result of that, it only makes sense to conclude that we should praise God for giving us life.

Lastly, I greatly appreciated the twelfth letter of The Screwtape Letters. Before I elaborate on this, I just want to say that I think it was very brave of Lewis to try to put himself in the position of an experienced demon. The part of this that scared me the most was when Screwtape speaking about the “patient” says, “I am almost glad to hear that he is still a churchgoer and a communicant.” (1) That made me realize that going to church does not protect me from anything the devil may want to do to me. You must stay on your guard at all times. Screwtape concludes this letter by saying that, “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” (2) This is a warning against small sins. Too often, we can convince ourselves to believe that one small sin even if repeated over and over again will have no consequence in the end. People need to know that the devil is crafty, and never gives up.

Out of this came my realization that every sin is meaningful and is not to be ignored. Even the smallest of sins need to be repented for and forgiveness needs to be asked for. I saw myself as the “patient” all throughout and it made me feel very uncomfortable because it showed me all the problems I deal with every day that I like to think I don’t when I look at non-Christians. It made me be brutally honest with myself. The band Switchfoot has one song that states “We were meant to live for so much more,” in their song “Meant to Live” that I listened to recently. This song perfectly exemplifies how I feel every time I slip up and convince myself some small sin doesn’t mean anything. Another song by them called “Twenty-Four” is about how we learn from our mistakes, and finding truth in Christ as we grow older. I wish I could have the courage at all times to do what I know is right, because I know I could be living a life always in the light, instead of sometimes hiding in the shadows.

The first chapter of Engaging God’s World titled Longing and Hope encourages the reader to yearn for knowledge and God’s kingdom. He quotes Augustine as saying, “O Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” (6) This demonstrates that because we are God’s workmanship we feel in our hearts the need to be close to God. We feel unfulfilled until we have found God in our lives. Plantinga goes on to say that, “To hope for your future is to affirm the life God gave you and the range of possibilities that it generates.” (11) No doubt hope is a very serious issue. If we want to honor God, we absolutely must have hope for our lives. This chapter shows the serious of longing and hope, as well as clearly defining what it is that we truly want in life.

Before reading this I had always just thought of hope as merely something that can make me happier with my life, but never had I considered that it was a way of praising God. Now I have more hope and I feel somewhat of a sense of joyfulness. Also, I have found that it is easier for me to be hopeful in things and it is not a strain for me to hope for things that I had at one point thought to be unattainable. Plantinga showed me that I need to seek out God and not be content to live a mediocre life, for there are far greater things for me in God’s world.

The three works of C.S. Lewis as well as the one by Plantinga that I really invested myself in came together to show me something that has changed me. First, Bulverism showed me how I need to be strong in my faith and not waver when people try to challenge it. Have No Right To Happiness without a doubt explained to me that though I do not deserve earthly happiness, there is no reason that I should not find true happiness in Christ and nobody can take that from me. The Screwtape Letters illustrated the dangers of not protecting myself, but they more reiterated that I am in control of my life, not the devil. Finally, Longing and Hope challenged me to look for God everywhere and believe in Him at all times. Knowing these four things I know I am much more prepared to seek out God’s kingdom as well as live the life that God created me to live. The only thing left to say is that in finishing this class I truly hope that C.S. Lewis lived everything he wrote in his own life, and I trust that he did.

Works Cited

Dynamic Schedule - DCM Lewis Syllabus. Paulo and Adriana Ribeiro. Web. 22 Jan. 2010. .

Jr., Cornelius Plantinga. ENGAGING GOD'S WORLD A REFORMED VISION OF FAITH, LEARNING, AND LIVING. Boston: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2002. Print.

Lewis, C.S. "God in the Dock: Bulverism." (1941): 1-5. Print.

Lewis, C.S. "Have No ‘Right To Happiness." 1-3. Print.

Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. Geoffrey Bles, 1942. Print.

The Problem of Pain

First off, I wish we had the opportunity to discuss this as a class because it would have greatly aided me in my understanding of the text. Nevertheless I will try to dissect the meaning myself.

What is this problem exactly, and what causes it? According to Lewis, "Pain is unmasked, unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt." (90) It is so very important to keep in mind that pain is not something God wanted for us to experience, it is the in a sense the presence of evil in our world. Lewis follows that up by saying that, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain..." (91) Not only is this one of the most beautiful and poetic things I have ever read, it is something I had never noticed and thought about before. When we feel pain, whether it be emotional, physical, or spiritual, God takes the opportunity to speak to us because our attention has been grabbed. We must be careful to listen for God.

Pain is the face of evil. Wherever there is pain, there is evil, but that does not mean the one who feels the pain is one doing evil as seen in the Holocaust for example. The one question about this I have is war. If two men (who are enemies) are ordered to shoot at each other or else be shot themselves and they both do obey commands, are they both filled with evil at that point? Where does the evil lie, and who is at fault? It seems to me that it would have to trace back all the way to the top, but does that mean for the United States for example that our President and other leaders are bad people. I have no clue where the evil is found, even though evil can be found anywhere. I think that there is no real answer, but it is just the result of the fall of man.

Some people would say that pain is God punishing us, but that is about as far from the truth as you can possibly get. God does not make us pull the trigger, throw a punch, drop bombs (not in the baseball sense of the phrase of course), or draw blood with a knife. In fact, God tells us to turn the other cheek, not to get selfish revenge by striking back only to make matters worse. So, next time you feel pain, don't be quick to blame, but instead forgive the one who brought it on you and maybe even say a prayer.

Man or Rabbit?

In this short essay, Lewis addresses the question which I think is seen very often in society today: "Can't you lead a good life without believing in Christianity?" In a sense of doing good on earth I would say yes, but in a good life that honors God, I would say no. He writes about Christianity that, "...if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all...If Christianity should happen to be true, then it is quite impossible that those who know this truth and those who don't should be equally equipped for leading a good life. Knowledge of the facts must make a difference to one's actions." (109) What I believe Lewis is trying to say much more elaborately than I could ever say is that if we do not believe what is right, what is just, and what is in fact good, how can we possibly be able to live out a life that exemplifies those characteristics. It's essentially like not being able to drive a car or play a sport correctly under its rules without the proper knowledge. You will certainly fail, at least at first, in whatever the task may be. Lewis calls this phenomena, "working in the dark."
Lewis turns his attention to the motive of the people who ask this question, to find out if they simply do not believe because they are afraid of the truth "like the man who won't look at his bank account because he's afraid of what he might find there." (111) Instead of being in a state of honest error, Lewis writes that, "He is in a state of dishonest error, and that dishonesty will spread though all his thoughts and actions..." (111) Again, Lewis is stating that you cannot do good if you choose to not know good, which I would have to agree with. God does not forgive those who turn a blind eye to Him, or "conveniently" ignore any sign of him. As Lewis reminds us, we cannot live "a good life" without Christ, and if that is our final goal, "we have missed the very point of our existence." After reading this, I now take pity on the people who ask this question, because they are asking the wrong question. Instead, they should be asking "Will Christianity help me to live the life I was created to live?" However, you may have a problem convincing them that they in fact were created (instead of being the result of chance) and have a purpose. In the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 tells us "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That is the answer to the question.

Paradise Now

I had previously seen this film in my high school English class. This time was different though, because it was dubbed, or not in its original language. The English voice overs completely ruined the movie for me. Going into watching it this time I had a very good feeling about the movie, but after I thought to myself, Wow that movie was not as good as I remember." The voice overs took away the credibility of the characters, setting, and general idea being presented. So, let this be a lesson that you should avoid dubbed movies at all cost.
This movie gives a good representation of Islamic extremists turned martyrs. The only problem is that the movie does not have much development and there is a lack of a story line. It simply drags on forever what could have been just as good if it was condensed to about 45 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half. It caused me to get distracted and get irritated with the very slow parts of the film.
The part that interested me most was how one of the bombers changed his mind but the other went ahead with the mission. One of them receives advice from a friend and realizes that his bombing of some innocent people will not really stop anything at all, but in fact only fuel the fire. The other bomber goes through with the mission and chooses to ignore his partner's change of heart. He remains convinced that his retaliation will bring them closer to victory.
As Christians it is very easy for us to say how ridiculous it is for these people to do this. But honestly if I were raised in that faith and culture whose to say I would not find myself in that same situation, although I think I am easily sane enough to know that blowing up other people and myself cannot possibly solve any problem. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that these people are just like us, no better and no worse in God's eyes.

Vocation in the Kingdom of God (Plantinga Ch. 5)

Just what is our vocation and what does it mean? Some people would say that their vocation, or calling, is to be do what it is that they are passionate for. That needs to be taken a step further. It should be to bring us closer to the kingdom of God. This needs to be done in all that you do, no matter when or where you may find yourself, including doing what you are passionate about. It all comes down to being conscious that each and every decision we make either brings us closer to or pushes us away from God. Now I know some things may seem so minimal and inconsequential that we think to ourselves, "In the end, is this really going to have an affect on God's kingdom or whether or not I get into heaven?" The answer is yes, because as I said in a previous blog, it indicates whether or not you take God seriously, which is kind of a big deal; I don't know if you realize that (but hopefully you do). Also, if you do not practice your faith, you're in trouble, because the Bible tells us that faith without works is dead; although I cannot remember the exact verse that is from.
In the midst of all this we need to keep in mind who the glory is for. People are selfish creatures and naturally like to take all the credit for good deeds and accomplishments, even if on the surface they say "Oh ya, and I couldn't have done it without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." I mean, I know some people actually do mean that, but there are others who I just think are flat our lying and everyone knows it. You can tell by the life they live. All they have accomplished is blemishing the name for those who take it seriously and truly believe. Sorry to be so cynical, but it's true. So, I would like to ask that those people just say "Ya this was all on me and I super amazing and nobody else could have done it better," I think that would be much better even though they would completely tarnish their reputations.

The Inner Ring & the C.C.C.

It would be a lie for someone to exclaim that they have never been involved in or observed an inner ring. They are everywhere, and come about naturally just from being social creatures. The thing is, not all people are aware of every one of them and as Lewis says, "There are no formal admissions or expulsions. People think they are in it after they have in fact been pushed out of it, or before they have been allowed in: this provides great amusement for those who are really inside it." (2) This is no doubt the sole reason for all middle school and high school drama: especially among girls. These inner rings completely determine all peoples' social lives and relationships.
The perfect example of this is a high school "clique" or a gang, because of the value individuals place on being part of the "in crowd" and the insecurity and need for acceptance. Like Lewis said, it can be extremely entertaining to watch happen. But the thing to remember is that we have those same experiences. These happen at school, on sports teams, at work, and even at church. For me, my main experience with this was my high school cross country team. For anyone who has observed this, they are familiar with the C.C.C., also known as the Cross Country Cult. This is cult like team bonding is much more apparent in cross country than in any other sport that I have observed. Because of the demands of the sport: running everyday in the summer and at practice in secluded areas, and because of the sheer size of my team, you have no choice but to be a very tightly knit group. The result of this is that cross country kids ONLY hang out with other cross country kids, well at least %90 of the time. The few traitors that there are may go down to about %50, which is still a significant number. That explains why, at least for me, all of my closest friends from my cross country running days were members of my team, even the younger kids. Running simply has a very significant effect on relationships and needless to say some intense team and individual bonding takes place. The example of my experience with the inner ring tells us that they are not necessarily a bad thing and Lewis even states that in themselves, they are a good thing. (3) It turns into something bad when it is manipulative and has bad objectives at the core.
There is simply no way to avoid them. Lewis writes that "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." (4) This parallels the Screwtape Letters in that it can be a tool of the devil in slowly corrupting us we must keep our guard up at all times. Also, we need to remember that we cannot blame these Inner Rings, because we did in fact create them ourselves. Finally, I'd like to close with a provocative thought presented in class: If Christianity does not make you better, it makes you much worse, and very cynical and aggressive as well.