Now
that I am in my 8th decade of life I should have experiences that can be passed
on to younger people. My thoughts at the moment are in the realm of employment.
When
I left school I was faced with what to do with a future career. Yes, that was a
question that could be asked then, unlike today where careers are short lived
and hard to identify in many cases. In my case, through a series of steps, I
ended up in the new discipline of Ceramic Engineering, finishing as the first
full time graduate and the first post graduate (PhD) in Australia. Such was the
exciting possibilities at that time.
For
my post doctoral work I had a choice of two directions, industry or research.
Both were open to me but there was no one I could discuss these choices with
from a moral point of view, even if the question of morals had occurred to me
at the time, which it didn't. I should add that I was a disciple of Jesus by
this time.
Eventually
I chose to stay in Australia and pursue a career in industry.
If I
had chosen, the offered, post doctoral research in the USA, I would have been
involved in research about nuclear triggers for the nuclear bomb industry. Such
was the thrust of most Ceramic research in those days. It was purely the grace
of God that kept me away from that direction.
In
biblical terms there should have been other Christians who could have pointed
out the moral consequences of the decision I faced. There was none that I knew
of, or would have sought if I had known of one.
Here
is one crucial area I believe that biblical eldership should have applied. It
was even worse since by this time I was considered an elder” in my local
church. What a travesty of the concept of eldership (or more
properly ‘oldership’.
One
important caveat. I am not arguing here for an eldership which directs people,
but one that, in consultation, can advise those younger in the faith. The
former ‘directing’ form gave rise in the late 20th Century to the heavy
shepherding movement which devastated many lives.
Why
have I described my experience in such detail? Surely, you might say, such
decisions are simple, automatic and nothing to do with our faith. I would beg
to differ. Once we are citizens of the Kingdom of God we come under a higher
standard than otherwise. The decision about the direction of our life is a
crucial one. There are many other crucial decisions, at various stages of life,
that would benefit from godly counsel.
We
tend to assume that it is only in the so called “faith” area that elders
should be involved. However this assumes a duality of life. Life in the Kingdom
of God is not a duality but a unity. All of life is “spiritual”. All of
life is the concern of our King, the Lord Jesus.
In
the one example I gave above, the direction of my life was set for n a
particular direction. It is not to say that God could not have directed me from
Sandia Laboratories in New Mexico, but it would have been a different
direction. I probably would have made far more money in the USA and have had a
high profile in the nuclear industry. But at what cost.
My
point is more about the morality of my decision. Industry or the atomic bomb.
It seems clear now. Then it was not so clear. A mature elder could well have
pointed out the issues involved.
How
does this apply today? There are many ethical issues involved in career
choices. Christian ethical investors usually concentrate on a very limited
group of “no go” companies: tobacco, alcohol, armaments, etc). But there
are many other areas that need careful consideration. Areas such as banking,
financial companies that use money as a commodity rather than a means of trade,
theatre that involves questionable activities, some parts of the legal industry
and aspects of the accountancy industry, companies that exploit the poor and
disadvantaged, politics where you have to compromise personal values, etc. I am
not saying any of these areas are ‘no go’, but they need mature
consideration. It is interesting how many of this list are in the financial
sector.
Just
getting a job is not enough. The type of job is just as important.
