You are reading the FRACAT Blog Archive (also known as "FRACAT 1.0") for all posts prior to October 29th, 2007.
Beyond Business Ethics
Today, I’m starting a new regularly occurring feature. Every Monday, I’m going to do a posting in the “God In My Job” category and I wanted to explain that to you.
For these Monday postings, I’m going to explore how Christianity and business mix (or don’t, as the case may be). This means that I might (gasp!) quote the Bible and could even get a little preachy (but you’re used to that from me, aren’t you?)
Yes, the lessons here probably will apply to anyone who wants to live an honorable / ethical life, but I thought you should be warned ahead of time about the Scriptural content so it doesn’t surprise you and cause burning and itching.
Should you experience burning and itching, you may want to discontinue reading FRACAT on Monday mornings until it subsides.
There is a whole long story about why I’m going to be doing this (which I’ll go into below, if you care that much), but the basic reason is twofold:
1) Nobody is talking about how my Christianity should affect how I do my job.
2) The complete lack of business ethics seen more and more frequently suggests that people don’t think that God really doesn’t have a place in their working life. Obviously, I disagree.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a professionally trained anything. But, specifically not a preacher / pastor / priest. I am a fellow traveler on the road to (attempt to) become more like Christ. Don’t take anything I say to proceed directly from the mouth of God.
Now, to find out more about the “why” of all of this, read on. Otherwise, prepare for the burning and itching to start next Monday.
THE WEIRD TEACHER
Years ago, when I was still a young whippersnapper, my wife and I helped out with a college class at our church. Periodically, the main man responsible for the class would have me teach (which gives you an idea of how desperate he was), which I did in a very different way.
Rather than start the day with, “The Bible says this” and “The Bible says that”, I would bring up a topic and ask what the students thought. “What do you think is right or wrong and why?”
This made the students remarkably uncomfortable. Apparently, their college experience was more about regurgitation than original thought.
What’s more, I would just have someone write down the different responses so that we could keep track of them. And I would just ask questions as to why they thought something was right or wrong.
They became much more confused as we neared the end of class and I still hadn’t told them what to believe.
“BUT, THAT’S BUSINESS!”
In one of these discussions, we spoke about some big strike that was happening. I asked them whether it was right or wrong for the workers to strike and how they knew.
The repeated chorus from these college students (who are now working their way up the corporate ladder) was, “But, that’s business! You can’t apply right or wrong to business!”
That’s when I knew we were all in quite a bit of trouble.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?
This is the question that I asked them and I now ask you. If so, does (should?) believing in God have an impact on how you behave? Does that impact, whatever it is, stop when you walk over the transom of your office building?
The experiences of Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco on a large scale says that most people think, “Yes”. There are innumerable examples on a smaller scale.
Personally, I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He sent his Son to live among us, die for our sins, and rise again to sit at His right hand. (I told you it’d be preachy!)
And my God says this:
“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory…
“Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”
-Colossians 3:1-4, 22-25; emphasis mine
It is on this basis that I start this regular feature. Please participate with me in the journey.
Enjoy the Search!
-Dan
Photo by: PhillipC
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