The book Engaging God’s World calls on students in higher education to find and connect their studies with what God wishes for the world. Christian students should understand that they need higher education to fit into the world and broaden their understanding of God. The book is aimed at helping young Christian students in college and other institutions of higher learning to demonstrate their intelligence, and articulate their authentic faith. In fact, Plantinga Jr. is categorical that students should consider their higher education as a calling from God. He asserts “Learning is a spiritual calling. Properly done, it attaches us to God”. Imperatively, the book implores Christians to love God with all they possess. The book links the scriptural mandate with the pursuit of a higher education, and shows the critical role that such education plays in both intellectual and spiritual formation of believers.
The book has five chapters that build its main themes. These include: Longing and Hope, Creation, The Fall, Redemption and Vocation in the Kingdom of God. In the first chapter; Longing and Hope, the author states that the human spirit longs and hopes because of its desire to seek more. However, he insists that both longing and hope cannot be realized without God’s help. The author also discusses how people hope not just for their sake but also for the future of other people. The author asserts that having faith in Jesus is needed for true hope in the future. Planting Jr. asserts “Biblical hope-the real thing- must have faith on one side of it and love on the other”. In the second chapter, Plantinga Jr. describes God’s creation and writes that Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity and was present at creation. Plantinga Jr. says that “Creation was a way for God to spend Himself” and was not an accident. The author states that creation was a “fitting” act for God. The chapter discusses the creation of man in God’s image and why man must always praise God. Chapter four explores the fall of man after man went against God’s command. Man lost the paradise and sin and evil affected all God’s creation. Planting Jr. says that man always makes wrong choices and thereby perverts their gifts from God. The chapter poses a question “Who’s to blame?” for the fall of man, and concludes by stating that people choose to sin and the only hope is Jesus Christ.
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In chapter four and five; “Redemption” and “Vocation in the Kingdom of God”, the author emphasizes the role that Jesus plays in restoring hope after the fall of humankind. Redemption is the hope that is equated to “God’s mercy to the undeserving”. Man can get hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and understand that they are called to serve God by using their intellectual and academic abilities. After one gets the redemption from Jesus, their hope and longing is fulfilled as they demonstrate this aspect through the education, work, and other aspects of life. Plantinga Jr. illustrates that Christ-focused education allows believers to view God’s world as His beloved creation and experience his generosity. The last chapter calls on the students to handle their knowledge critically and development good judgment. They should use their faith-focused learning to serve God’s kingdom as true believers. God abhors sin since it interferes with His plans for mankind. Therefore, as young adults in higher education, students must know that they need to develop a stop Christian perspective which allow them to be good followers of God’s word and Jesus Christ.
