Final Essay

Tyson Klecha
Professors Paulo and Adriana Ribeiro
DCM ~ C.S. Lewis
January 21, 2010

Although our class seems that it has been somewhat short, I believe that I have taken more from these three weeks than I have any other class. I had read some C.S. Lewis before, but have never actually studied it. My pre-school teacher was a Christian and she read us Lewis at a young age. So I was at least familiar with his fantasy stories. This class showed me that there was a lot more to him than I had imagined. My initial thoughts about this class were that we would go over Narnia and that series. That we would point out that Aslan died on a stone table just like Jesus died on the cross for us. Once we got into it, though, I found out Lewis wrote about much deeper things than that.

Our first assignment for class was to read “Meditation in a Toolshed.” I began reading it and instantly recognized that Lewis had a unique writing style. As I continued to read I was amazed at Lewis’s genius. The way he wrote in this essay was amazing. I had never read anything so complex, yet so simple! Lewis described in this essay how it was important to not only look “at” something, but look “along” it too. At first this puzzled me, but Lewis quickly solved that. He says that:
“But this is only a very simple example of the difference between looking at and looking along. A young man meets a girl. The whole world looks different when he sees her. Her voice reminds him of something he has been trying to remember all his life, and ten minutes casual chat with her is more precious than all the favors that all other women in the world could grant. He is, as they say, “in love”. Now comes a scientist who describes this young man's experience from the outside. For him it is all an affair of the young man's genes and a recognized biological stimulus. That is the difference between looking along the sexual impulse and looking at it.”

It all made sense now after I read this. He then related it to Christianity. From reading this essay I understood. When speaking about Christianity to a non-believer you can’t always tell them how it is from looking along it. You have to look at it and interpret what they are seeing, and feeling. You can’t always tell them how it feels to you. If you try to relate to them in that way they won’t understand it. Not necessarily because they don’t want to, but because they can’t. They can’t understand what it’s like to have that personal relationship because they have never experienced it before. That is why you must look “at” something like that to be able to relate it to them.

I think it was great reading this essay first because it really helped me look at the other essays and understand them more. Just applying this one essay was an immense help. I became excited to see what else we would read. After continuing the class we read so many of Lewis’s works. I never even knew he had this many! Each one was different, but great. I took something away from each and every one of them.

“Our English Syllabus” was a great essay that really made an impact on me. In this essay Lewis talks about how we should not learn for the grades, but because we should thirst for knowledge. If we go into our classes looking at what we can learn from it we will be able to get much more out of the class than someone very smart who is in it for a good grade. He also mentions that teachers or professors are not to “teach” us anything. They are to guide us in the right direction, and to even learn along with us. We should have the initiative to learn on our own.

This essay was very insightful for me personally. I always slacked through classes in school. I never really got anything out of them. I was smart enough that I could do fairly well without trying at all. I never had that hunger for more knowledge. To learn for the sake of learning was something incomprehensible to me. I thought that would change in college. My first semester was a repeat of my high school experience. Even the beginning of this class was. The more I think about it, the more I understand what Lewis is saying. The more I want to strive to become that model student. The only piece of the puzzle missing is that I don’t know what I want to study yet. Lewis says

“The proper question for a freshman is not 'What will do me most good?' but 'What do I most want to know?' For nothing that we have to offer will do him good unless he can be persuaded to forget all about self-improvement for three or four years, and to absorb himself in getting to know some part of reality, as it is in itself.”

This really struck me when I read it. I had always kind of just thought God would tell me one day “Tyson, you will become this. Take these classes, and graduate and go into this profession.” I had declared myself undecided for this very reason. Now, after reading Lewis it made me think that God has already shown me what He wants. I just have to take the time to listen for it and take my first step forward. I don’t know where I’m going, but God will point me in the right direction. I just have to start moving in order for him to guide me.

In chapter 5 of Engaging God’s World he talks about the vocation of the kingdom. God calls us all to do something to further His kingdom. Plantinga notes in his book that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a job in the missionary field, or a pastor of some sort. He points out that God wants us to go into vocations not only as Prime Citizens of the kingdom, but into earthly vocations as well. As long as we are upholding Him and honoring him in everything we do we can be useful even in our secular lives. God’s glory can be shown through you in anything you do. This was also very encouraging knowing that we can honor God in any vocation we go into. God commands us to go out into the world and be “fishers of men.” We can’t all be pastors, or missionaries, or youth group leaders. We are still to go out and evangelize and the workplace is as good as anywhere else.

Reading these essays have taught me a lot. I think that everyone can take away something useful from each one. Lewis writes in such a way that everyone can understand, but in a way that’s difficult and much deeper than you can imagine. I think that everyone should take this class sometime in their time here at Calvin. If not I think that they should at least read some of Lewis’s works.

Works Cited
Lewis, C.S. “Meditation in a Toolshed.” From God in the Dock. 10 January 2010.
Lewis, C.S. “Our English Syllabus.” 10 January 2010.
http://www.calvin.edu/~pribeiro/DCM-Lewis-2009/DCM-January_2010-rev1aa.htm
Plantinga, Cornelius Jr. Engaging God’s World: A Reformed Vision of Faith, Learning,
and Living. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.