Plantinga Chapter One- Impressions

Plantinga talks of three things in this chapter: Longing, hope and shalom.

Longing I believe is best examined under the impression of that Lewis gives of it, using the German word Sehnsucht, which means ‘seeking union with something from which we are separated.” When we consider this, we realize that everything we long for is something we wish we could have, and in having become apart of, in a way. What Plantinga presents as the sad truth is that we cannot be fulfilled by any of the things we wish for. What he presents as the reason for this though is that nothing on this earth can finally satisfy us. I believe this is because ultimately, we were not created for this world. Everything here is temporary, but where we are meant to be with God, is eternal. The summum bonum of Augustine just clarifies this, and tells us that all we truly long for is God, and everything else we direct this longing to, though we may also want these things is merely a veil covering the actual object of our affection.

Hope is very linked with longing. Plantinga makes it very evident in that if you want something you will hope for it and a strong want is a longing. Shalom shares a similar link with hope and even with longing. In order to reach the state that is described, one of a “universal flourishing, wholeness and delight” we must have fulfilled our longings and hopes have been met. He emphasizes the truth that we are already aware of, that our world has certainly not achieved this at all, with the suffering that we observe all around us.

This chapter helps to present us with the logical ingredients to a world which we can make a change in, one which is worth living in. in order to achieve this we must have imagination, and envision a world where our true longing, that for God, is applied and hoped for for not just ourselves, but for the world, in order to move closer to shalom.