Plantinga Chapter 3

Plantinga points out in this chapter that all humanity and indeed all of creation is fallen. This is a central teaching in the Christian faith and one well worth looking at in depth. First Plantinga talks about what it means to be fallen. It means that we sin each and every day and which is part of what the Christian Reformed Church would say is the total depravity of creation. The reason this connection applies is because Sin is, as Dr. Ribeiro would say, the d/d(t) of Evil (d/d(t)) is an attempt at putting a derivative in a blog if you couldn't tell) and Evil is what defines the total depravity of all creation.

Plantinga goes on to say that Evil is not a new invention purely of the devil's own design for the devil cannot create only attempt fake mockeries of what has already been created. In this case, the devil's mockery of good is evil for in order for evil to have an existence then good must exist, but even when there is no evil then Good still can exist which means that Good is a separate and stand alone entity from evil and should not be confused as such. However the devil is of the wily type and is quite good at parading about the twisted happiness-es and joys as the real deal and exempting the parts of them that prove that the apparent "good" that the devil would have us do is in reality an evil because it does not satisfy and does not accomplish the lasting joy and happiness that it promises, but rather a empty joy and a fleeting fulfilling happiness.

God has a response to the crafty manipulative evil that the devil has created for all humanity and that is common grace. Common grace is the little nougat of goodness that can be found in all institutions, reason, and people and if nurtured can flower into righteous prosperity for the institutions, heightened insight to reason, and faith in God for the people. Common grace also acts as a barrier to prevent evil from fooling the whole world and turning creation into a very benighted place empty of God's loving light and presence. Thus, it is our duty as Christians to encourage any application of this common grace where ever we see it, be it in Christians or non-Christians, for it is one of the driving forces that is preserving and can save our ever more benighted race.