CS Lewis addresses the Cultural Mandate in his speech Learning in Wartime by stating that we are "fiddling on the brink of Hell." He is simply saying that Man has always strived for knowledge during such Eternal circumstances. Our nature is to create, learn, discuss, while the battle between Good and Evil all about us rages. Sometimes, as during war, it becomes more obvious to us than others, but certainly we act this way in the face of Something much greater than we are.
He goes on to say that it is unrealistic to believe that once you are saved that somehow your life makes a move from the secular to the sacred and therefore all you think about or do must be religious in some sense. One's mind cannot constantly be in a church service or in a war (who's mind is even 100 percent in a church service even when our bodies are there?). Lewis states that while many things are worth dying for, they are not worth living for. This is not to be confused with "living for Christ" but rather living as a saved human and also attending to natural actions like eating or working or going to the dentist's.
"[Christianity]...is rather a new organization which exploits, for its own supernatual ends, these natural materials." Thus, whatever we do as Christ Followers, we are to do for His glory, because that is what is commanded of us, no matter what it is, and that action will become worship to our Creator. Nature does this naturally, (although it too, is fallen), as it was intended: wind blows or is still, the Earth turns at a certain speed, trees bloom in the springtime. And because we have a natural thirst for knowledge, we should choose to follow it.
I agree with this sentiment entirely. I know that many Christians place evangelizing, preaching, and missionary work above other forms of work, but I don't think that they are right. After all, some of us need to be plumbers, farmers, and electricians, or our world as we know it would quickly fade away. I admit that I'm biased, because I love to learn and have absolutely no desire to pester random people on street corners about their faith. (In fact I find that doing so is unloving and counter-productive - we need to form lasting and honest relationships with people!)
However, I don't know how I feel about Lewis's sentiments earlier in his speech. I think that good actions can glorify God even when they come from people who have not chosen to acknowledge Him. Maybe God won't except that person per se (although I don't know that either, and in any case it's not a situation I or any human being has a right to judge), the actions of living and breathing and working and playing and procreating all work to His glory. In this matter, none of us have a choice.
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I appreciated your observation that as "scholars" we will naturally bias towards acadamia as an agent in God's kingdom. But like a dedicated-antibulverist, you did not let that cloud your vision. I would say, though, that we do have a choice, in whatever we do, to glorify God. The attitude is worth far more than the deed. i.e. the widow's mite.
ReplyDeleteGood post, It is that you mentioned that believer could not live their lives free of secular thing, as that would mean one would have to not be in the world (as paul says). But, as believers, we are called to be in the world but not of it. However, regarding evangelism, I would have to disagree with you on point that would take way to long to explain. But, all I can say to that is, when it come to evangelizing, there is no way that God can't save, wether going up to people to engage in conversations or building relationships. The other point is this; through out all of the bible, the way the apostle or anyone else did evangelism is to approach people, building relationships came after the people accepted the gospel. Peter at Pentecost is an example that I love to look at.
ReplyDeleteI have to own your statement of our mind never being 100% on the thing to which we attend (i.e. church), as my own mind wanders excessively. Much of what Lewis says in his writing, I feel, is that moderation is a virtue, that learning, warring, giving, receiving, and so on, are best done in moderation, and you touched well on that point.
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