C.S. Lewis wrote Out of the Silent Planet in 1937. This was just six years after his conversion to Christianity. C.S. Lewis enjoyed reading science fiction, so he decided to write one himself. Like most of Lewis' writings, Christian themes are evident in the work. Some of the themes in this book suggested by Lewis scholars are: "A Platonic-Christian universe," "Spiritual imagination," scientism, "true vision and right perception," personal choice, myth, and others (Teaching C.S. Lewis by Richard Hill and Lyle Smith).
The story's three main characters are Weston, Devine, and Ransom. Weston and Devine kidnaps Ransom and brings him to Mars. They intend to offer him as a sacrifice to the leaders of Mars. Ransom manages to escape from Weston and Devine. Read the book if you want to know more.
The character of Ransom has similarities with the character of both Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Ransom is between 35-40 years old and dresses shabbily. He is a philologist like Tolkien. Ransom enjoys walking tours, whiskey, and tobacco. He served in the army and is a Christian.
A thought-provoking part of the book is Weston's philosophy. He thinks that the ends justifies the means. He thinks that "anything which is done to individual people now is justified if it serves to perpetuate the human race." I was reading an essay about G. K. Chesterton this morning. Chesterton stated that each am's individual happiness is an end. Lewis strongly disagrees with Weston's philosophy. It even thought that an individual person is more important than civilizations because each individual is eternal.
Lewis does a good job in creating a new world that is quite believable. There is a sense of beauty in his description of Malacandra (Mars). Sin has not effected this world. Ransom soon finds out that he come from the silent Planet made up of bent people. He means by bent a fallen race. They are the silent planet because they live under the domain of a fallen angel.
The character of Ransom develops through the book. He learns to see through the eyes of the Malacandrians. He grows in knowledge and wisdom during his stay on Malacandra. He is also grows in the moral virtues, like courage. He also begins to see his world from the perspective of the Malacandrians.
All these things are applicable to the pursuit of education. We must have something to stand on. WE need to have a viewpoint where we can critique other viewpoints. We must also be able to critically evaluate our own viewpoint. In addition, we must be able to learn from others. God is infinite; we are not. God is all-knowing; our knowledge is limited and fragmentary. We must have the humility to listen to the views of others.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What has Rome to do with Christians? What has pagan thought to do with Christian thought?
The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on what it means to be an Educated Human Being, edited by Richard M. Gamble. Wilmington, Del. : ISI books, 2009.
I became a Christian when I was eighteen years old. I was not raised in a church or on Christian teaching. I was not familiar with the Bible. As a teenager I became involved with the wrong crowd and would eventually drop out of school in ninth grade. I grew up in a single parent home and was often alone. When I was eighteen my mother remarried and moved to Kentwood, Louisiana. My family decided to attend the First Baptist Church in Kentwood. It would be the only time my whole family would attend the church for a long time. However, I would return the next Sunday and receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
Not long after making this commitment to Jesus Christ I would begin college. Early on I experienced a conflict in what I was learning in Church and what I was learning in the university. They seemed to be opposed to each other. When in church I had to wear the hat of faith; while in the university I had to wear the hat of faith. I seemed to be a double-minded man unstable in all his ways. I spent many years reading and studying how to bring these two worlds together. It is interesting that after many years I was able to integrate these two worlds. It was not till years later I came upon two sources that would have been helpful in this journey. The first one was C. S. Lewis' essay "Learning in War-time." The other source is this book: The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on what it Means to be an Educated Human Being. What this book shows through primary sources is that Christians have been integrating their Christian faith with learning for two thousand years. It also shows the common themes in Christian education and Greek and Roman societies.
The Great Tradition excerpts works from many of the greatest authors of the Western Tradition: Plato, Isocrates, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Plutarch, Clement of Alexandria, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Erasmus, John Milton, C. S. Lewis and many others. One finds many common themes in these works: the importance of both developing the intellect and character. It also emphasizes a liberal arts education. The Christian authors find much good in the works of pagan authors. Much that can be integrated with a Christian world-view.
I was quite amazed by this anthology of readings of how many Christians have successfully integrated pagan thought with their Christian faith. They believed that all truth came from God. They also believed faith and reason were compatible. In addition, they believed virtues must be developed to be properly educated. They also taught that education was a life-long pursuit.
Gamble says about this anthology: "More than two hundred years ago, the utilitarians disconnected themselves from liberal education and the Great Tradition, redefining and redirecting the 'useful' away from that which forms the 'complete man,' and toward that which primarily promotes man's material well being. . . . The Great Tradition, in contrast, anchored in the classical and Christian humanism of liberal education, has taken the broader view that what is useful is that which helps men and women to flourish in nonmaterial ways as well--in other words, that which helps them to be happy. Indeed, what the Great Tradition has meant by the words 'humanism,' 'liberal,' and 'education' will emerge from the full context--spanning a breathtaking twenty-four centuries--of the remarkably intelligible, unified, and coherent conversation that unfolds in these pages" xvi-xvii). I can think of no better guide to show us what it means to be an educated human being.
I became a Christian when I was eighteen years old. I was not raised in a church or on Christian teaching. I was not familiar with the Bible. As a teenager I became involved with the wrong crowd and would eventually drop out of school in ninth grade. I grew up in a single parent home and was often alone. When I was eighteen my mother remarried and moved to Kentwood, Louisiana. My family decided to attend the First Baptist Church in Kentwood. It would be the only time my whole family would attend the church for a long time. However, I would return the next Sunday and receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
Not long after making this commitment to Jesus Christ I would begin college. Early on I experienced a conflict in what I was learning in Church and what I was learning in the university. They seemed to be opposed to each other. When in church I had to wear the hat of faith; while in the university I had to wear the hat of faith. I seemed to be a double-minded man unstable in all his ways. I spent many years reading and studying how to bring these two worlds together. It is interesting that after many years I was able to integrate these two worlds. It was not till years later I came upon two sources that would have been helpful in this journey. The first one was C. S. Lewis' essay "Learning in War-time." The other source is this book: The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on what it Means to be an Educated Human Being. What this book shows through primary sources is that Christians have been integrating their Christian faith with learning for two thousand years. It also shows the common themes in Christian education and Greek and Roman societies.
The Great Tradition excerpts works from many of the greatest authors of the Western Tradition: Plato, Isocrates, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Plutarch, Clement of Alexandria, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Erasmus, John Milton, C. S. Lewis and many others. One finds many common themes in these works: the importance of both developing the intellect and character. It also emphasizes a liberal arts education. The Christian authors find much good in the works of pagan authors. Much that can be integrated with a Christian world-view.
I was quite amazed by this anthology of readings of how many Christians have successfully integrated pagan thought with their Christian faith. They believed that all truth came from God. They also believed faith and reason were compatible. In addition, they believed virtues must be developed to be properly educated. They also taught that education was a life-long pursuit.
Gamble says about this anthology: "More than two hundred years ago, the utilitarians disconnected themselves from liberal education and the Great Tradition, redefining and redirecting the 'useful' away from that which forms the 'complete man,' and toward that which primarily promotes man's material well being. . . . The Great Tradition, in contrast, anchored in the classical and Christian humanism of liberal education, has taken the broader view that what is useful is that which helps men and women to flourish in nonmaterial ways as well--in other words, that which helps them to be happy. Indeed, what the Great Tradition has meant by the words 'humanism,' 'liberal,' and 'education' will emerge from the full context--spanning a breathtaking twenty-four centuries--of the remarkably intelligible, unified, and coherent conversation that unfolds in these pages" xvi-xvii). I can think of no better guide to show us what it means to be an educated human being.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
G. I. Williamson, The Westminster Confession of Faith : For Study Classes. 2nd Ed. P&R Publishing, 2004.
It is interesting that this book was originally published in 1964. Why a second edition in 2004. Maybe, the author thinks that there is a need to remember our roots. The author says in the preface to the second edition: "I believe today, more than ever before, that the doctrines set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith are true and therefore do not need to be changed. They are not, of course, infallibly stated. Only the Bible is infallible. But even today--after some 350 years--the amazing thing is that the Westminster Assembly got it so right that little needs to be changed" (ix).
I am sorry to say after thirty years of being a Southern Baptist, none of the churches I have been a member of studied any of the major reformation confessions: Heidelberg, Westminster, and others. WE did study the Baptist Faith and Message for which I am thankful. It is only over the past year I have been the studying the reformation confessions on my own and have been profited by them. I agree with Williamson that today it is even more urgent to study the great confessions and creeds of the Christian faith since doctrine and theology is largely absent from many churches.
The Westminster Confession of faith was originally created in 1646 by the Westminster Assembly to be the standard confession of the Church of England. It is considered an essential document of the Reformed faith. It provides a Christian theology for faith and practice. The creators of this document believed that doctrine was to be lived. They believed we Christians were to live for the glory of God and to "enjoy Him forever."
The confession covers many topics. Some of them are: the Bible, creation, providence, fall of humankind, free will, regeneration, justification, sanctification, religious worship, marriage, liberty, church and state, and many more topics.
In this book, the reader has the complete text of the Westminster Confession of Faith with Williamson's excellent commentary. He does a good job in explaining what the text means. At the end of each section are questions that can be discussed by a group. The book is set up to be used in study classes are by groups, but it can be used individually as I have done. I did not necessarily agree with all of the author's interpretations, but I did agree with the majority of them. Even when I disagreed, he helped me to understand the text.
For those who want the meat of the word, this is a good place to go. Your faith will grow as you wrestle with the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. This book is highly recommended.
It is interesting that this book was originally published in 1964. Why a second edition in 2004. Maybe, the author thinks that there is a need to remember our roots. The author says in the preface to the second edition: "I believe today, more than ever before, that the doctrines set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith are true and therefore do not need to be changed. They are not, of course, infallibly stated. Only the Bible is infallible. But even today--after some 350 years--the amazing thing is that the Westminster Assembly got it so right that little needs to be changed" (ix).
I am sorry to say after thirty years of being a Southern Baptist, none of the churches I have been a member of studied any of the major reformation confessions: Heidelberg, Westminster, and others. WE did study the Baptist Faith and Message for which I am thankful. It is only over the past year I have been the studying the reformation confessions on my own and have been profited by them. I agree with Williamson that today it is even more urgent to study the great confessions and creeds of the Christian faith since doctrine and theology is largely absent from many churches.
The Westminster Confession of faith was originally created in 1646 by the Westminster Assembly to be the standard confession of the Church of England. It is considered an essential document of the Reformed faith. It provides a Christian theology for faith and practice. The creators of this document believed that doctrine was to be lived. They believed we Christians were to live for the glory of God and to "enjoy Him forever."
The confession covers many topics. Some of them are: the Bible, creation, providence, fall of humankind, free will, regeneration, justification, sanctification, religious worship, marriage, liberty, church and state, and many more topics.
In this book, the reader has the complete text of the Westminster Confession of Faith with Williamson's excellent commentary. He does a good job in explaining what the text means. At the end of each section are questions that can be discussed by a group. The book is set up to be used in study classes are by groups, but it can be used individually as I have done. I did not necessarily agree with all of the author's interpretations, but I did agree with the majority of them. Even when I disagreed, he helped me to understand the text.
For those who want the meat of the word, this is a good place to go. Your faith will grow as you wrestle with the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. This book is highly recommended.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Re-thinking the Origins Debate
Jonathan Hill wrote an article claiming that most Americans and Christians "do not fall neatly into creationist or evolutionist camps." See the link below.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/february-web-only/rethinking-origins-debate.html?utm_source=booksandculture-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=3007267&utm_content=247123866&utm_campaign=2013
I would concur with this claim. Many Evangelicals probably struggle where they should stand in this debate. On the one hand, you do not want to deny science. Truly, science is a gift from God. You also do not want to discourage young people from pursuing careers as scientists. On the other hand, you want to be faithful to the witness of the Bible. It teaches that God is the creator.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/february-web-only/rethinking-origins-debate.html?utm_source=booksandculture-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=3007267&utm_content=247123866&utm_campaign=2013
I would concur with this claim. Many Evangelicals probably struggle where they should stand in this debate. On the one hand, you do not want to deny science. Truly, science is a gift from God. You also do not want to discourage young people from pursuing careers as scientists. On the other hand, you want to be faithful to the witness of the Bible. It teaches that God is the creator.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Journal of Faith and the Academy Conference February 7, 2014
I attended the Journal of Faith and the Academy Conference at Faulkner University on February 7, 2014. It was the fourth Journal of Faith and the Academy conference I have attended. I always come away from the conference inspired and stimulated to think on the relationship of faith and learning. The main speaker was Gary Selby, Director of the Center for Faith and Learning at Pepperdine University. In his first talk he introduced how he came to be involved with faith and learning. The second talk concentrated on how we can relate our faith to our learning, especially how teachers can do this in the classroom.
The second talk was entitled: "Practical Matters: Identity, content, & Pedagogy." The point of this lecture was to look for points of connection between faith and learning. The first stage is at the pre-disciplinary stage. This has to do with the particular presuppositions of the particular discipline. For example, what are the "epistemology--and limits of historical research" ? The second stage is "mid-stream." At this stage you are looking for things that you are teaching and how they connect to the faith. For example, how does leadership connect with the Christian faith? The third stage is "post-discipline." How does our faith help us to live our commitments? How does my faith influence the way I practice my discipline?
Selby gave a list of books that can help us integrate our faith with our discipline.
The second talk was entitled: "Practical Matters: Identity, content, & Pedagogy." The point of this lecture was to look for points of connection between faith and learning. The first stage is at the pre-disciplinary stage. This has to do with the particular presuppositions of the particular discipline. For example, what are the "epistemology--and limits of historical research" ? The second stage is "mid-stream." At this stage you are looking for things that you are teaching and how they connect to the faith. For example, how does leadership connect with the Christian faith? The third stage is "post-discipline." How does our faith help us to live our commitments? How does my faith influence the way I practice my discipline?
Selby gave a list of books that can help us integrate our faith with our discipline.
Astin, Alexander W., Helen S. Astin,
and Jennifer A. Lindholm. Cultivating the Spirit: How College Can Enhance
Students' Inner Lives. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011. Print.
B., Van Duzer Jeffrey. Why
Business Matters to God: (and What Still Needs to Be Fixed). Downers Grove,
IL: IVP Academic, 2010. Print.
Hughes, Richard T., and Richard T.
Hughes. The Vocation of the Christian Scholar: How Christian Faith Can
Sustain the Life of the Mind. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 2005.
Print.
Jacobsen, Douglas G., Rhonda Hustedt.
Jacobsen, and Rodney Sawatsky. Scholarship and Christian Faith: Enlarging
the Conversation. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2004. Print.
Marsden, George M. The Outrageous
Idea of Christian Scholarship. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.
Noll, Mark A. Jesus Christ and the
Life of the Mind. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2011. Print.
Palmer, Parker J. The Courage to
Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life. San Francisco,
Calif: Jossey-Bass, 2007. Print.
Ream, Todd C., Jerry A. Pattengale,
and David L. Riggs. Beyond Integration: Inter/disciplinary Possibilities for
the Future of Christian Higher Education. Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian UP,
2012. Print.
Smith, David, and James K. A. Smith. Teaching
and Christian Practices: Reshaping Faith and Learning. Grand Rapids, MI:
W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 2011. Print.
Smith, James K. A. Desiring the
Kingdom Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation. Grand Rapids: Baker
Group, 2009. Print.
Tippens, Darryl L., Jeanne
Murray. Walker, and Stephen Weathers. Shadow & LIght: Literature and the Life of Faith, 2013.
Earnings Disparity between Degree and Non-Degree Young Adults
http://chronicle.com/article/Earnings-Disparity-Grows/144705/?cid=pm&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en
"Earnings Disparity Grows Between Young Workers With and Without Degrees."
An article in the Chronicle of Higher education says there is a growing disparity between young adults "with and without degrees." (See link above.) This is based on a study by the Pew Research Center. It uses census data from the age group, 25 to 32. It also claims that college educated young people are more able to live independently of their parents.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Leisure: The Basis of Culture
Pieper, Josef. Leisure: the Basis of Culture. New Translation by Gerald Malsbary; introduction by Roger Scruton. South Bend, IN: ST. Augustine's Press, 1998. ISBN: 1-890318-35-3.
There are a certain group of authors that I read their work repeatedly. Some of these authors are Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, ST. Augustine, James V. Schall, C.S. Lewis, and Peter Kreeft. Another one of these authors is Josef Pieper. I never tire of reading Pieper and being benefited by reading him.
Leisure: the Basis of Culture may be Pieper's best book. This book includes two essays: Leisure: the basis of Culture and the Philosophical Act. These essays might be more relevant today than when they were first published. At the beginning of his essay on leisure, Pieper includes two quotes: one from Plato, and the other one from the Bible. The one Plato talks about the gods providing leisure to man as "a means of refreshment from their fatique." The one from the Scripture is Cease striving, or Be still, or as translated in this book, "Be at leisure--and know that I am God. Pieper in this essay explains what leisure is. It is not what many people think it is. It is not resting from work to go back to work. We must be at leisure to know all that exists. Our being calls to know all that exists.
This essay on leisure is a rebuttal of a total work society. The idea that we are only a cog in the machine. It argues for the importance of the liberal arts and the need for leisure to know the truth of things. Pieper argues that the "original meaning of the concept of leisure has practically been forgotten in today's leisure-less culture of total-work" (4). Technical education or career education, or training provides workers with the skills to perform specific functions in this work-world. They do not cultivate the abilities to be at leisure and to know all that exists.
Pieper disagrees with Kant that "the human act of knowing is exclusively 'discursive'" (10). In contrast, "the medievals distinguished between the intellect as ratio and the intellect as intellectus" (11). Ratio is the "power of discursive thought;" intellectus "refers to the ability of 'simply looking' to which the truth presents itself as a landscape presents to the eye" (11). Like Pieper I prefer this more broader view of the act of human knowing. Pieper thinks "all knowing includes both." Intellectus is not work; it is seeing what is there. It requires leisure to be able to see what is there. This is the reason Pieper disagrees with the concept of the "intellectual worker."
This then leads Pieper to compare and contrast the liberal arts with the servile arts. The liberal arts are for the free-man. Thomas Aquinas says, "Every art is called liberal which is ordered to knowing; those which are ordered to some utility to be attained through action are called servile arts" (21). In other words, a liberal art is an end in itself. There are two types of knowledge: theoretical and practical. In the last two parts Pieper argues that we must reserve a place for knowing all that exists and the cause of all things. We must be at leisure to know God and all His truth.
The second essay is on the philosophical act. It is preceded by a quote from Thomas Aquinas: "The reason why the philosopher can be compared to the poet is that both are concerned with wonder..." This seems strange. Both the philosopher and the poet are identified together. This must be some mistake. However, Aristotle said that philosophy begins in wonder. Pieper argues that it not only begins in wonder; it never leaves wonder. Ancient philosophy practiced by Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle is a love of wisdom. This wisdom is open to theology and mystery. To know all that exists is to dwell in mystery. Pieper shows in this latter essay that revelation and philosophy needs each other. Together they are more fruitful, than apart. In addition, true lovers of wisdom will be open to wisdom wherever it is found. Pieper even argues that ancient philosophy was even preceded by theology as evidenced in the works of Plato.
Leisure the basis of culture requires repeated readings. Pieper has a genius for making difficult subjects plain. This edition of the book contains many of the reviews of the book when it was first published. It also includes an introduction by Roger Scruton. He says, "Pieper's book is also a feast. With astonishing brevity, he extracts from the idea of leisure not only a theory of culture and its significance, not only a natural theology for our disenchanted times, but also a philosophy of philosophy..."
There are a certain group of authors that I read their work repeatedly. Some of these authors are Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, ST. Augustine, James V. Schall, C.S. Lewis, and Peter Kreeft. Another one of these authors is Josef Pieper. I never tire of reading Pieper and being benefited by reading him.
Leisure: the Basis of Culture may be Pieper's best book. This book includes two essays: Leisure: the basis of Culture and the Philosophical Act. These essays might be more relevant today than when they were first published. At the beginning of his essay on leisure, Pieper includes two quotes: one from Plato, and the other one from the Bible. The one Plato talks about the gods providing leisure to man as "a means of refreshment from their fatique." The one from the Scripture is Cease striving, or Be still, or as translated in this book, "Be at leisure--and know that I am God. Pieper in this essay explains what leisure is. It is not what many people think it is. It is not resting from work to go back to work. We must be at leisure to know all that exists. Our being calls to know all that exists.
This essay on leisure is a rebuttal of a total work society. The idea that we are only a cog in the machine. It argues for the importance of the liberal arts and the need for leisure to know the truth of things. Pieper argues that the "original meaning of the concept of leisure has practically been forgotten in today's leisure-less culture of total-work" (4). Technical education or career education, or training provides workers with the skills to perform specific functions in this work-world. They do not cultivate the abilities to be at leisure and to know all that exists.
Pieper disagrees with Kant that "the human act of knowing is exclusively 'discursive'" (10). In contrast, "the medievals distinguished between the intellect as ratio and the intellect as intellectus" (11). Ratio is the "power of discursive thought;" intellectus "refers to the ability of 'simply looking' to which the truth presents itself as a landscape presents to the eye" (11). Like Pieper I prefer this more broader view of the act of human knowing. Pieper thinks "all knowing includes both." Intellectus is not work; it is seeing what is there. It requires leisure to be able to see what is there. This is the reason Pieper disagrees with the concept of the "intellectual worker."
This then leads Pieper to compare and contrast the liberal arts with the servile arts. The liberal arts are for the free-man. Thomas Aquinas says, "Every art is called liberal which is ordered to knowing; those which are ordered to some utility to be attained through action are called servile arts" (21). In other words, a liberal art is an end in itself. There are two types of knowledge: theoretical and practical. In the last two parts Pieper argues that we must reserve a place for knowing all that exists and the cause of all things. We must be at leisure to know God and all His truth.
The second essay is on the philosophical act. It is preceded by a quote from Thomas Aquinas: "The reason why the philosopher can be compared to the poet is that both are concerned with wonder..." This seems strange. Both the philosopher and the poet are identified together. This must be some mistake. However, Aristotle said that philosophy begins in wonder. Pieper argues that it not only begins in wonder; it never leaves wonder. Ancient philosophy practiced by Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle is a love of wisdom. This wisdom is open to theology and mystery. To know all that exists is to dwell in mystery. Pieper shows in this latter essay that revelation and philosophy needs each other. Together they are more fruitful, than apart. In addition, true lovers of wisdom will be open to wisdom wherever it is found. Pieper even argues that ancient philosophy was even preceded by theology as evidenced in the works of Plato.
Leisure the basis of culture requires repeated readings. Pieper has a genius for making difficult subjects plain. This edition of the book contains many of the reviews of the book when it was first published. It also includes an introduction by Roger Scruton. He says, "Pieper's book is also a feast. With astonishing brevity, he extracts from the idea of leisure not only a theory of culture and its significance, not only a natural theology for our disenchanted times, but also a philosophy of philosophy..."
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