Under the Wings of God (Cornelius Plantinga) -- A Review

UNDER THE WINGS OF GOD: Twenty Biblical Reflections for a Deeper Faith. By Cornelius Plantinga. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2023. 182 pages.

                We can all use words of wisdom and guidance when it comes to living the Christian life. That's especially true in challenging times, such as the ones we’ve been experiencing, times when one wonders whether the path of faith is workable. Although religion isn’t disappearing from the face of the earth, at least in the North American/European scene, we live in a secular age.  Religion and spirituality in different forms seem present everywhere, but institutional religion seems to be struggling, at least in some parts of the world. The challenge that we have been facing is that religion/faith can be rather thin, that is, it’s not very deep. Such forms of religion/faith are easily hijacked by cultural and political movements (such as Christian nationalism). What is needed is a more thick faith, one that is not easily hijacked by movements that run counter to our faith traditions.  In Under the Wings of God, Cornelius Plantinga offers us twenty reflections that seek to help the reader ground their faith commitments deeply in the biblical story.

                Plantinga is president emeritus of Calvin Theological Seminary and is currently a senior research fellow at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. He is the author of quite a number of well-received books, including Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be and Reading for Preaching. That Plantinga is by vocation a theologian, one would expect that his reflections would reflect his training, such that what is offered will be thick and not thin.

                There are all kinds of what one might call devotional books and guides. Some are quite shallow and don't require much thought. They serve a purpose. This is not one of those kinds of books. The twenty reflections, which run about six printed pages each, require some thoughtful engagement. In other words, it serves as an invitation to engage in the spiritual discipline of reading and reflecting on Scripture. This is the goal of the book—Plantinga writes with the hope that by engaging in the reflections the reader will develop habits that lead to a deep reading of Scripture. As such, this is a spiritual practice that helps strengthen godliness. Thus, the goal here is to invite engage in the message of reflections that take us below a superficial reading of Scripture, such that we move toward deeper maturity in our faith journeys. 

                Each of the reflections is rooted in a particular biblical text, and Plantinga tells the reader not to ignore the readings from Scripture. He writes: “The reflections won’t nourish you much if you remain unfamiliar with these readings. Dive into them. Ponder them. Think them over. If you do, what I have to offer will then make a lot more sense” (p. 3). In other words, this is not a book designed for a quick read and then a prayer. It will take a bit more of our time. Many of the texts and reflections address difficult questions of faith and life, inviting us to wrestle with the implications of the passage for our lives.

                The readings/reflections cover a variety of topics. To give one example, the third reflection, which is titled "With All Your Mind," is based on readings from Deuteronomy 6 and Matthew 22. In this reflection, Plantinga invites us to consider what it means to love God with our minds. In this reflection, he addresses both an anti-intellectualism that pits the life of the mind against life in the Spirit and a selfish intellectualism that detracts from the life of faith. Thus, he writes that “intellectual love of God means, for most of us, that we will deliberately read some things that make us ponder God’s world. We will deliberately attend events that stretch us a little. When we are with our friends, we will sometimes lay aside the chatter and gossip that so easily creeps into the conversation, and we’ll take about more serious things—about who God is, what justice demands, what it would be like in the world if just for one day people kept the Ten Commandments” (p. 32). There's another reflection that speaks of "The Inescapable God" that is based on Psalm 139. In this reflection, Plantinga proposes that, based on this Psalm, we cannot evade God. While it might be unsettling to think that God is always present, it is also comforting. He writes that “it’s a comfort that God alone knows me through and through, because nobody else is up to the job. Our secrets are safe only with God” (p. 47). He also writes about eschatology in his reflections titled "In the Interim," and takes up the question of "Self Deception" as well. In the latter reflection, Plantinga calls for an honest self-evaluation and confession of sin. These are but a few of the topics/texts explored in these twenty reflections, but this gives one a sense of what can be found in the book.

                Concerning the layout of the book. Each of the twenty reflections in Under the Wings of God begins with a scripture reading that provides the foundation for the reflection that follows. He provides a snippet of the larger reading so that the reader will know what to find when diving into that larger reading. After the extended reflection (each reflection runs between five and six pages), one will find a brief prayer, which generally runs to about two sentences. The prayers reflect the message of the scriptural text and reflection. What Plantinga would like to communicate to us is that these ancient texts can speak to us today, but it will take some commitment to discern that message. While the book has devotional possibilities, it’s not a daily devotional. Remember there are only twenty reflections. In many ways, you might say this is a starter kit, offering the reader a starting point for their own deep dives into Scripture. One might not agree with everything Plantinga offers, but that’s not really the point. The point is diving deeper into Scripture and the traditions of our faith so that our faith thickens up. When that happens we’ll be less tempted by political and cultural movements that take us places that run contrary to the way of Jesus.