Magpapatuloy po tayo this episode sa hindi nating natapos na list ng mga general categories ng intellectual virtues na inquiry-relevant sa ating desire na makilala lalo ang Panginoon and in so doing also develop our skills in the task of apologetics. Kapag tayo ay may godly inquring mind, ang ating mga apologetics encounter ay maaring makapag secure ng hiyang na environment para ang ating kausap ay mahikayat na magproduce ng mga bagong beliefs na tama patungkol sa Diyos.
Sa mga Ratio Christi meetups namin ito ang aming simulaing ginagawa. We strive to create and facilitate an environment sa aming mga meetups na congenial o hiyang sa pag pursue ng goods of truth, understanding and wisdom. Ang 4H na apologetics na sisimulan ko po next episode ang ginagamit namin at ito ay nakadisenyo to create ang hiyang na environment na ito. At dahil ang mga nag aattend ay mga Christian college students it is fair to assume na dinisenyo ng Diyos ang mga isipan ng mga estudyanteng ito para makatuklas ng katotohanan tungkol sa Diyos.
And so, we facilitate these meetups or even one-on-one mentoring with the reliance upon God that our godly inquiring mind will be humble enough to submit to God’s leading and at the same time, etong virtuous mind na ito ay makabuo ng hiyang na environment well-suited for the production of beliefs ng mga students. Kumbaga we are putting our mind on the meeting.
So last episode we discussed three of these virtue categories ng ating isipan -- mga bagay ito na pag ating na develop would greatly help us find God’s goods of truth, understanding and wisdom. These are all qualities that we see displayed in Scripture by people who have godly inquiring minds.
Una po ang pagdevelop at pagmaintain ng initial motivation to know God. Ang totoong mananampalataya ay may patuloy na pagnanais na makilala pa ng lubusan ang Panginoon. Pangalawa, kailangan ring maging properly focused sa ating pag-inquire. Nauunawaan ng isang believer ang kahalagahan ng pagtuklas ng kaalaman patungkol sa Panginoon kaya siya ay may kakayahang mag concentrate sa pag aaral. Pangatlo, nararapat lamang na gawin nating habit magbuo sistematikong stuktura sa ating natuklas. The believer aims to develop sound biblical knowledge through biblical, systematic and practical theology.*
So ituloy po natin sa pang-apat ngayon.
Pangapat, ay makadevelop ng habit na may integrity sa pag iisip. Kung nakatuklas ng katotohanan galing sa Dios marapat lamang magka self-scrutiny at maging open na magbago sa paanan ng Diyos. This is essentially the point of “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror” (Jam 1:23 NIV). Sa category na ito kailangan matuto ng intellectual humility, honesty, transparency at iba pang mga katangian na magpapatunay na tayo ay may integridad kapag nahaharap sa katotohanan.
Madadala mo rin ang virtue na ito sa apologetics kasi sisikapin mo ding makita ang magagandang ideas ng kausap mo na maaari mo ding yakapin at isulong. Marami na akong nakausap na mga atheists (‘yung mga matitino) na parang ako ‘yung maraming natutunan sa pinag-usapan namin. Madami na rin akong inapply sa aking buhay galing sa mga pakikipag usap kong ito sa mga atheists. Napapahiyang nito ang usapan kasi ang kausap mo hindi iisipin na napaka opinionated mo at closed-minded.
Panglima ay ang makadevelop ng habit na gumawa ng action galing sa natutunan. Sabi ni Santiago,
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it--not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it--they will be blessed in what they do. (Jam 1:22-25 NIV)Ang ating relasyon sa Panginoon ay may sanctification na goal. Nais ng Panginoon na sa ating pagtuklas ng knowledge galing sa Kaniya, ay ang ating mga buhay ay ma transform. Sa Romans 12: 2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom 12:2 NIV)
Malaki ang role ng virtue na ito sa apologetics dahil maipapaalam mo sa kausap mo ang implication ng magagandang ideas niya sa real world. One time I was talking to an atheist na bank manager whose argument was “Christianity is not a peaceful religion because she created majority of wars in history.” I enjoyed explaining to him the many faulty information from where this argument comes from. Nagmatigas siya, pero when I told him na may impact ito sa stature nya as an educated bank manager kasi this argument is based on ignorance. Nakita nya ngayon ang impact nito sa kaniyang practical na life. If I had only focused on truth inside the context ng argument, mukhang hindi siya magbabago ng isip. But because I am accustomed to making true belief into to true actions sa aking relationship with the Lord, madali kong nai-orient ang aming usapan sa implication ng truth sa actions na dali-dali siyang naka relate. That was the first time that an atheist said thank you sa akin.
Panganim, ay ang pagpupursigi sa napanghahawakang katotohanan. Sabi ng aking pinakapaboritong Puritan writer na si Thomas Watson, “Perseverance in grace is the last fruit of sanctification.” Ang taong may disposisyon ay isang tao na may paniniwalang pinaninindigan at sinasabuhay. Marunong siyang manindigan. Marunong siyang magtanggol sa kaniyang pinaniniwalaan gayong siya ay mayroon din namang pagtatangi sa sinasabi ng kaniyang kausap. “Remain in me,” ika ni Kristo. Sa mga naunang grupo ng mga virtues na natutunan natin, ang pang-anim na ito ang umaaani in terms the strengthening work of the first five. A godly inquiring mind knows how to confirm and defend what it believes is true.
Sa apologetics ministry, ito ang thrust mo – to defend the truth that you know. You marshall the goods of truth, understanding and wisdom that you have and set it up in front of the person na nagtatanong sa’yo. Madadala mo ito sa apologetics by showing sa kausap mo na you have diligence sa commitment mo, na hindi ka push over. Kumbaga you know your stuff.
We are to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor 10:5. We know that men’s doubts about God are “arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:5) Kaya naman marapat lamang na pagsumikapan nating maging stable at rational ang ating pananampalataya for the purpose na maunawaan ito ng ating kausap and hopefully by the work of the Spirit change his/her belief towards the truth.
So nabuo po natin ang anim na major categories ng intellectual virtues na inquiry-relevant. Ang mga ito po ay makikita po ninyo ulit na ginagamit sa 4H apologetics series na akin pong sisimulang ipresent sa susunod na mga episodes.
It is important to understand na ang intellectual virtues ay hindi self-regarding lang o yung ginagamit for the purpose of knowing. Ang intellectual virtues ay other-regarding din o yung ginagamit siya for the benefit of other people din whether as a part of your community or somebody you want to be part of your community so that the production of knowledge would improve in collaboration. Ang role ng “other-regarding” na idea na ito sa apologetics is that tila baga ikaw ay recruiter ng mga tao to share your beliefs so that they too can be a part of the extension of the discovery. What I ultimately mean by “discovery” there is the gaining more of knowledge about God and His work. When you have this “other-regarding” idea, then doing apologetics becomes not just a “self-regarding” activity but it has an active inclination to extend the activity to other people. You can see this “other-regarding” feature in the ministry of Christians and inviduals, for example in the Great Commission -- “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)†
(C) Photo Credit
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* Adapted from Jason Baehr, The Inquiring Mind.
† The terms "self-regarding" and "other-regarding" I borrowed from Gabriele Taylor and Sybil Wolfram, "The Self-Regarding and Other-Regarding Virtues," in The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 18, Issue 72, 1 July 1968, Pages 238–248; available at https://doi.org/10.2307/2218561.
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