I live in Cebu City. A city that Tholons (a business
processes outsourcing consulting group) has dubbed the most viable place to set
up and operate Business Process and Knowledge Process Outsourcing enterprises.
It’s still another way of saying you can get it done
cheaper here than where you live. That is, if you live in the developed world
that’s being crippled financially.
No matter. There are more job opportunities for the
25,000 or so college graduates that finish a four or five year degree course
only to find themselves awake at night, making or receiving calls overseas in
behalf of clients that need to keep their CRM costs down. Way down.
That way, they are still able to maintain a certain
degree of good customer relations and the otherwise potentially unemployed have
jobs, except that their nightlife is ruined forever. (While they are still working there, anyway.)
Now what has this got to do with renovating our minds?
Well, a group of friends from an old school got together
just recently and gave us the chance to catch up, as some of us hadn’t seen
each other for almost 33 (?) years. One
became a pastor, after a profound career change from being Army officer.
The inevitable question had to be asked: “So…how do you…make
a living??” or something similar to that was brought up.
I wasn’t quite prepared for his answer, but somehow it
made sense. “There are certain people who appreciate our efforts to provide
spiritual direction in the lives of people, and they decide to invest in our
ministry.” Very tactful, gracious and a
sufficient answer. Never mind if there
are other justifications for it. Other
people would have quoted irrelevant scriptures or cite practices that are
somehow inconsistent already, given the covenant of Grace which we are already
subject to. ( Read Obligations and Contracts, and study the matter of contract novation to understand it better.)
In the congregation where we gather to worship, we are
studying the matter of shepherding – sheep behavior and what is involved in the process
of shepherding. As it is – shepherding,
the way our King expressed His wish for Peter, was not a paid job, but a
calling and a response to our King’s wish: to care for His sheep.
And in so doing, we do what we do to shepherd His people.
Not for money or anything else, but to fulfill His call to make mathethes of
every ethnos. The difference between a career and a call.
Throughout this time, my good friend and teacher exegeted
the scriptures well enough to allow us to see that making mathethes is not a
job that can be quantified and bill for later on, on a per hour or per lesson
basis. Freely we receive, therefore we
must give freely.
BUT – though we are under no compulsion to support those
that provide this knowledge in order that we can eventually shepherd our own
flocks, we receive when we do give freely and generously to them – as we invest
in their efforts and benefit from their care and prayer support as well.
It makes sense when you realize that we no longer depend
on priests, as the new covenant has eliminated the need for the necessity of
intermediaries.
True, we are a priesthood of believers. But the stark,
sad reality is that the overwhelming majority of the new priesthood do not do
their homework. Which is why many either
fall astray or get lost altogether.
No wonder the Good Shepherd is always out looking for
lost sheep.
And this, to my understanding is where the matter of
Outsourcing the Defense is necessary.
In all of the blogs I’ve come across, ministry sites I’ve
visited and lettered apologists, scholars and theologians I’ve communicated
with, I find that there are less than 1% of followers of Jesus that engage in
the life of the mind. For whatever
reason. And another common factor is
that, when they are faced with the challenges that they don’t have answers for –
then, they call: the MYTHBUSTERS!! ( Lousy joke, I know. I was just kidding!)
It seems to be easier to call a friend who knows the
answers to meet the challengers head on and call on them to find answers
instead of reading a book, listening to a podcast, or (God help us!) thinking
it through. It seems like a dreadful chore,
but since it’s got to be done, let’s call the specialists.
While I continue to sigh inwardly at the current
inclinations of those of my generation to depend on me to help them defend what
they believe, I’m also honored because they feel that they can trust me enough
to help them out in providing the justification to what the more critical and
less thoughtful would refer to as a reasonless faith.
I am glad that I am able already (or so I think). And also, for the work that I
do that allows me to read, study, think and hammer out my own worldview so that
others can form their own, with a bit of my guidance.
This is where I think our roles as Knowledge Process
Outsources become relevant. Because we CAN provide better explanations, a
formidable defense and a strong, evidential justification for what we believe and
articulate it for those who haven’t bothered to try. If we are able to get them interested enough
to want to do the same, we take it to a higher level – to the level that our
King would so desire, and make more mathethes in the process.
And mostly, we as apologists, provide Clarity to our
faith. And in that sense, we qualify as providers.
And what about the enterprise of it?
I’m not holding my breath.
Of all the disciplines in the field of theology and
Christian philosophy, I find that the most difficult to get financial rewards
from is this path that is least trod. And not just because it’s a challenging
one. Christianity, by itself, is the
narrow road. This trail requires more
tracking skills so you don’t get lost.
So, should we be surprised if there are less that take the path towards
a more rational righteousness?
Paul was a tentmaker.
I am a media producer and a sweat equity investor in a friend’s growing
business.
And at the same time, a freelance philosopher, armchair
theologian and an apologetics coach.
(By the way, that’s a nice development from being an
erstwhile apologist.)
And thankful for the gift of reasoning skills, being able to use them and working through the tough questions myself.
