Plantinga Chapter 3: The Fall

We see evidence of evil everywhere in our world. It is so hard to understand why hurricanes destroy cities, why earthquakes devastate countries, or why people die of hunger. In this chapter of Plantinga's book, he focuses on the differences and connections between evil, sin and corruption. He also describes how this part of the story affects life on earth. Many people, seeing these problems, either try very hard to fix them, or give up in despair. I have always been somewhere in between these two reactions. Sometimes I find myself trying so hard to fix everyone's problems, to make the hurt and the pain and the sadness disappear. But then, after putting in so much time and effort, i am often overcome by a wave of helplessness, hopelessness, and despair.

Plantinga says, "The human problem isn't just that we timidly conform to prevailing modes of life; it's also that nothing human can jolt us out of our slump." In other words, it is not only that we are completely and utterly lost in our own sin, there is also the reality that we can do nothing about it. No matter how often we find cures for diseases, people will continue to die. Plantinga also talks about the way that humans have always, and will always continue to "diagnose and prescribe", or point out what is wrong with the world, and come up with strategies to fix it. We organize relief efforts, mission trips, and homeless shelters. We raise money for the poor, the needy, and the organizations that help them. And we should. It is just that nothing we do can present a permanent fix for the problem. I have often felt that it is like putting a band-aid on a wound that needs stitches.

On the next page, Plantinga says that "God is for Shalom, and therefore against sin." It is a grave reminder than humanity is corrupt, all the way down to the cores of our beings. We are in a world where only God can save humanity. Does this mean we should give up helping people and cleaning up from the havoc that sin wreaks on earth? Of course not, God calls us to be compassionate and help those in need. We are to do this because we want to be like Him, and He wants to help us too. The effect of the Fall are much like the way C.S Lewis describes subjectivism (even though subjectivism is one effect of said Fall). It is a poison, a deadly poison that spreads all through our world, affecting and killing everything. It harkens back to the longing that we all have deep within us. An understanding that this is not the way things are supposed to be, and a knowledge that they will not always stay this way.