Christian minister and Reformed Theologian, Cornelius Plantinga Jr. produced a graceful reading adventure of deeper thinking in his book entitled, Engaging God's World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living. In his preface and first three chapters, Plantinga discusses his own traditions and the Christian worldview background, followed by our natural desire for God. Plantinga then goes on to discuss Creation and the Fall in relation to "our" history, present, and future. Through my reading, I imagined the type of conversation I would have with this Calvinist "groupie" if we were able to sit down for a chat, I imagine he would tell me just as Paul told the Ephesians; "For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus …show more content…
and your love for all of God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you.
I remember you in my prayers and ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him." (Ephesians 1:15-17 GNT) So, how exactly does Cornelius Plantinga Jr. attempt to "make us wise so that we will know God better?"
If we go in chronological order, we begin with the Preface portion of Engaging God's World, along with the first chapter Longing and Hope. In the Preface, we find Plantinga starts by discussing the background to the Christian worldview as it dates back to John Calvin and St. Augustine. This background includes Harvard College promoting Jesus in their mission statement. Plantinga also makes an interesting testament to how Christian colleges should operate and minister. As I read the preface of this book, I began to realize that what our professor told us is true. We need to read this part of our books because they often carry meaningful information. Plantinga says, "Reformed" Christians have always believed that getting educated is one way to prepare for service in the Kingdom of God. Educated Christians, therefore, need to "know their
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Bible" in order to lead a life that fits with the purposes of God." (pg. xii) This got me thinking "could I be a "reformed" Christian? It's another aspect of my worldview that is being challenged and encouraged to dig deeper within myself and my studies. So as I continued to "engage in God's World" I entered chapter one: Longing and Hope, where the author discusses our natural desire for God. He makes note of St. Augustine's description summum bonum, the "supreme good". St. Augustine sums up the meaning of summum bonum, "you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." We are a neurotic race, always going and worrying, stressing and complaining. We are never satisfied, calm or stable until we rest in Jesus. When we rely on Him to sustain us, to provide for us and to love us then we can rest comfortably enjoying the life He intends and having absolutely shalom with God. Once we know our longing or our "true" purpose, Plantinga then asserts we have our Christian hope and that hope centers on Jesus Christ. (pg. 6-8) In the Bible, shalom was obtained at first. Then it was lost and will be until the new age Kingdom comes. Engaging God's World explores this more in the next two chapters. Starting on page 22, Plantinga gives us his take on the Book of Creation.
He states, "creation is not necessary for God, neither is it an accident or a whim." I had never thought of Creation as such a want or desire for God. He didn't have to but He did. Plantinga continues "creation is neither a necessity nor an accident; creation is an act that was fitting for God; creation is an act of imaginative love." God graciously gave us life. A gift that He didn't necessarily have to give to us. I liked how Plantinga noted God's sense of humor with examples of animals such as the duckbilled platypus. The text then explains to us a very biblical standard to the first days of creation, from nothing to mankind. Plantinga then discusses the meaning of the Christian Doctrine of Creation. (pg.34-41) I particularly liked this part in the reading because of the in-depth meaning and characteristics, some I had never "fully" understood or investigated further until now. This chapter helped me understand and apply my "status" to everyday life. God calls us to be rulers of our realm, to bestow life and goodness unto others, and to help others
flourish. But what has happened to our world? That is pretty much everyone's question and Plantinga addresses the touchy subject with grace and poise. "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Romans 7:15 Look at our world today, nothing but hostility and indifference, judgment and oppression, disease and decay. Plantinga sums up the Doctrine of Original Sin. "Evil is what's wrong with the world" Cornelius states. (pg.51) He also makes another great point, "God hates sin. Sin grieves God, sin offends God, and betrays God." It was nice to read this particular point because so many people claim God hates the person, which we true Christians know that is completely false. I appreciated that Plantinga correctly noted this in his book. It is so often this idea is twisted and distorted within our society. God hates the sin, not the person. Ultimately I enjoyed Engaging God's World: A Christian Vision on Faith, Learning, and Living (Preface & Chapter 1-3). The book was extremely engaging (no pun intended). The author Cornelius Plantinga Jr. writes with a contemporary style to a wider audience of Christian believers, despite his Calvinistic quotes, Reformed theologian ideas mixed with evangelical notions. It was entertaining. I found we had similar views. I have also found myself exploring Reformed Theology further to see if it reflects my worldview. This book reiterated my thoughts regarding Christian history, Creation and the Fall. But it also led me to more questions, more digging within myself to understand the ideas expressed. I now have a better and deeper understanding of my worldview in relation to Christianity and our history as well as our present time, and soon to come future. Plantinga has inspired me to work harder on experiencing shalom and summum bonum. This will assist me in becoming the creation God had intended and for me to become a better Christian to others while preparing for service in the Kingdom.
When I conducted the advisor interview with Mr. Ted Mashburn, the survey asks for him to answer three questions, such as (1) What advice would you give to help me integrate Christian faith with my academic coursework? (2) Which of the following models of faith and learning Integration most closely represents your approach in the classroom? (3) What resources (books, journals, articles, films, etc.) Do you recommend me to consult in order to write a paper on Integrating Christian faith into this academic major? When Mr. Mashburn was asked these questions, he answered them truthfully. First, he was asked what advice would you give to help me integrate Christian faith with my academic coursework. His answer was, “I think of life, work, studies are part of the work of the gospel in a person’s life. One who professes faith in the gospel will be constantly looking at everything using the values of mercy, grace, forgiveness, justice, and love. To be Christian is to be about the task of integration. It is not a particular action one takes, rather, it is who we are.” The second question he was asked was which of the following models of faith and learning integration most closely represents your approach in the classroom? His answer was, “I have long believed that where one finds God, one finds truth; and where one finds truth, one finds God. Obviously, as a Christian, I believe that in Jesus we find the ultimate revelation of God. So constantly, I am drawn back to the mission, massage, and spirit of Jesus. I should add that God is above religion, books, institutions, etc. whenever we try to encapsulate God, we demonstrate a lack of understanding.” The third question he was asked what resources (Books, journals, articles, films, etc.) Do you recommend me to consult in order to write a paper on integrating Christian faith into this academic major? His answer was,
Chapter one introduces the book as an effort to explain the purpose behind going to a liberal arts university and taking general education classes. Ostrander, the author, states that understanding the concept behind a worldview is key to thriving in a Christian college, explaining that a worldview is not just a set of ideas, but a way of life, and everyone has one. He expounds on this idea with his next point, that all education comes with a worldview. Each professor you have, whether religious or secular, will bring his or her background and history with him into his teaching. In a Christian College, though, there is a single concept that unifies and connects everyone's worldviews, but this worldview is constantly changing and open ended,
Christian education is for this project. Christian education is the training of special agents of the kingdom of God and the consummation of creation.” (pg.139) I found it fascinating that Plantinga describes ‘us’ within the Christian education system are called or elected to help God regain and restore His earth here with Christ. We have to remember, “no matter what our primary occupation we cannot let it become a preoccupation.” Plantinga helped me to reflect on my current life, my current job, and my current Christian education. I found that when we let these other aspects of our lives, whether it be bills, work or exams, we often allow reality to fade into the background. Or perhaps we could look at it this way: Our lives get so busy and hectic that we tend to put God on the back burner. Christian education whether in a university or biblical studies at home will give us guidance through our hectic lives, renewing our minds and keep us in close connection with our Creator and the rest of His Creation. Plantinga sums up Christian education as “for the kingdom of God. It equips us to be agents of the kingdom, models of the kingdom in our own lives and communities, witnesses to the kingdom wherever we go in the world.” (pg.143) When we ‘put on the full armor of God’ we not only protect ourselves from this fallen world but we are also able to project God’s glory to all those who we encounter.
The following three articles examine the different effects secularization has had on society. Firstly, Swezey & Ross (2012) discuss what potential implications secularization may have on faculties’ perception of religious institutions who appear to be abandoning its religious mission to bolster academic creditability. On a similar note, Stallones (2011) discusses the implications that secularization has on the development of progressive educators. The takeaway of this article is that progressive educators need to be reminded that education should be student-centered. Stallone states: “[T]his value arose from a conviction each child has dignity, which in turn has its roots in the theological concept [. . .] that people have intrinsic value because they bear the image of God. [. . .] that the school is a community derives from the ecclesiological idea that the Church is actually an expression of the Body of Christ” (p.
The continuous reading of Cornelius Plantinga Jr.’s book Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living, has left me lingering on a lot of thoughts towards my relationship with God. In the conclusion of his book, Plantinga focuses on the redemptive qualities of God as well the the redemptive possibilities of mankind. Another main subject is the vocation in the Kingdom of God, correspondingly the Bible says in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God- what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Plantinga (2002) states clearly, “given Jesus’ summons, his followers have always understood that to be a ‘Christ person’
Started by the Congregationalist, Harvard was founded as a school that trained men for the ministry of being a pastor (Barton, (2004)). Its philosophy was “Christ and the church and to the glory of God” (Barton, (2004)). This school produced great men such as Cushing, Pickering and many more that would lay a Godly foundation for education (Barton, (2004)).
Many people believe that today’s Christians are too sheltered and oblivious to the real world around them. When asked, many outsiders compared today’s Christians to “The Titanic - a ship about to sink, but unaware of its fate” or “a hobby that diverts people’s attention” (Kinnaman 120). It is important Christians to not just stay secluded in one group (church group), but to be talking to others (outsiders) so we are aware of the problems and thing that are going on in the world around us. As Christians we are called to be disciples of Jesus by reaching out to those in need, praying for those around us, and calling people to become the church. In “Unchristian” David Kinnaman outlines three main things we as Christians should include in our lives: accepting responsibility, not being fearful, helping the desperate, being prepared, and keeping a balance.
Mark Driscoll brings out different viewpoints relating to creation. As Christians, Genesis 1:1 can be our foundation in our belief, “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This helps us realize the miraculous act of God by which He brought the universe into existence. We should not have to rely on individuals using Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory to help explain the origin of life apart from God. God creation set us apart. After all, God stated His creation was made “very good”.
The biblical narrative is one that is still going on to this day. The biblical narrative tells the story of God and how he reveals himself to us. Rhodes points out that “God comes to each through a historical event or series of events” (2). It is in this way that God reveals himself to us and this maintains the relevance of the biblical narrative in our lives. God reveals himself through formative stories in the bible such as Creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall of Man, The Flood, God’s Covenant with Noah, and the Tower of Babel. From the very beginning of the biblical narrative we see that God relates to us on a personal level. He created us, he formed us, he created the world in which we live, and he has been an active participant in the narrative since before it began.
Plantinga’s Free Will defense could defend the aspect of why God should allow there to be moral evils in the world, but there is no explanation or evidence for God to allow there to be natural evils. Who is Plantinga or anyone to know what God in truth is allowing or not. No one is God, we don’t know his reasoning behind his actions but all we do know is what attributes he has. And the attributes of a person or a being like God show the character and being God wants to be and everyone he creates. Andrea M. Weisberger sums up the reason for the Problem of Evil to be successful best when she states: “Both natural evil, the suffering that occurs as a result of physical phenomena, and moral evil, the suffering resulting from human action, comprise the problem of evil.
Francis Thompson lived in London at the end of the nineteenth century. He led a life that was often out of accord with the will of God, but repented near the end of his life and found God. He wrote an autobiographical poem, "The Hound of Heaven", based on his experiences. By analyzing this poem and Thompson's message, we can learn the truth of the statement "God's greatest attribute is His mercy."
Every day God created something new and blesses it. God created nothing irrelevant or unworthy. Entirely everything he created served a purpose. Also all he had created came from nothing. The fish were undeniably produced out of the waters, and the beasts and man out of the earth; but that earth and those waters were made out of nothing. God created what is known as the world today and everything that exists on the earth. Reading Genesis 1 gives all mankind an idea of how life started and how the earth was formed to be this magnificent place. The earth is very complicated yet God could solve all of the problems and create blessings. He gave us light and darkness, day and night, water and land. He created all living creature including mankind.
W. Andrew Hoffecker. Building a Christian World View, vol. 1: God, man, and Knowledge. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, New Jersey : 1986.
The Kingdom of God and its significance can be found within the gospel of Luke. First off who is Luke? Some experts think that “evidence points towards him being a physician and a companion of Paul" (Franz, 2014). “Luke the physician was one of the disciples who wrote the longest gospel, and it has been speculated that he also was the author of the book of Acts” (Franz, 2014). Within Luke’s gospel it contains a vast amount of information and attention that was documented on the life accounts of Jesus and the kingdom of God. Jesus knew what his mission was early on, as it was described in the early chapters of the gospel of Luke. This paper is being written for personal exploration of the Kingdom of God and is intended to examine information
Did God create the world? Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” I do believe that God did create the world and listed below are a few of my contentions: