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.