02/15/06

Chapter 5 is definitely Wells’ best chapter yet. Everything is spelled out and the analogies are more obvious and intriguing. He opens the chapter saying, “The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton,” which is a quote from the Duke of Wellington, reflecting on the Napoleonic wars. Wells points out that this is saying that though the actions in battle were important, they would have been inadequate, pointless, and futile had the soldiers not had the proper training to prepare them for such a battle. Essentially, the training and preparation was more important than the actions themselves. Wells says, “Ethics has become the study of the battlefield without much recognition of the training ground.” Ethics has become all about the actions of right and wrong, rather than about the people who are performing the actions, and why they are doing so. Wells uses another analogy in which a child died on the operating table. If one looks on the surface, they could feel sympathy for the doctor for having to deal with the complications during and after the operation. But, one doctor knew the whole story. This doctor went to school with the one who had the patient on the operating table. He said that this doctor was very lax and inattentive to detail during school. This is what essentially caused the death of the patient. How the doctor acted many years before would have greatly impacted and improved how he acted once he became a physician. This can properly describe ethics.

Wells distinguishes two main steps in ethics: moral effort and moral habit. Moral effort is that training ground and medical school. It is what one learns and becomes used to in order to obtain the proper moral habit. One must learn to live well, especially by developing suitable habits. This kind of development is not at all easy, however. It takes much discipline and commitment. The main commitment that needs to be heeded by Christians is worship: our practice for heaven. Worship should greatly make up our moral development and formation. When we put our total focus on God frequently, it becomes habit, and eventually comes through in our actions. The more time we spend with our Lord in communion, worship, and even conversation, the more we will become like Him.

I have been striving over the last two years to make worship a habit – a constant part of life. I feel that I have had many successes, and some obvious setbacks. But this consistent longing for God appears in other parts of life – parts that one would not usually expect. I read the book Praise Habit by David Crowder (which I strongly recommend). It tells of the importance of the habit of worship through an analysis of the Psalms. It had many similarities to Chapter 5 of Wells. Once praise and worship become habit (once they become a normal, expected part of life), attributes of God will also appear in your own life. This is our ultimate goal as Christians.