Rethinking Business to Honor God and Change the World

Rethinking Business to Honor God and Change the World By: Tim Chan Cover Art: Olive Chan

This paper is about the extraordinary impact business can have in the hands of a good God. It explores how a Christian can glorify God in the midst of doing business, and why business itself matters to God. It seeks to affirm and encourage followers of Jesus working business who are often seen as second-‐class workers when it comes to advancing God’s kingdom in this world. This paper argues that for all the good that business is currently doing, there is more that can be done. It explores ways that Christians can honour God in business and change the world for the better. Let’s start with a word-‐association exercise. When I say the word “Business”, what comes to mind? You might think of words like Money, Profit, Occupation, Work, Greed, Cutthroat, Sales, Opportunity, Risk and Reward, Suits and Ties, or Buy low sell high. When Christians think about business, there can be a polarity of views. On one end of the spectrum, business is viewed as evil. On the other end, many believe Christianity and capitalism are joined at the hip1. When Christians think of ways to serve and honour God, what comes to mind is serving in a church, doing volunteer work at a charity, going on a missions project, spending time with your family, and sharing your faith. Rarely do Christians think about doing business as a way to serve and glorify God. When it comes to business, Christians often live like practical atheists, doing their work and business as if God does not exist or matter. Work is often seen as a necessary evil, a means to provide the money needed to live on. The phrase “Thank God it’s Friday” (TGIF), the inspiration of a movie, multiple songs, and even a restaurant, reflects the excitement that people feel when the workweek is finished. People think of their career as a prison sentence, hoping for an early parole. The commonly used term “Freedom 55” alludes to the goal of many working adults to reach a point when they have enough money saved up to retire and finally be “free” from doing the work that they grudging do.2 Businesses, especially corporations, are believed by many to be evil and greedy. There are valid reasons for the widespread genuine dislike felt towards businesses. Businesses have damaged the environment, violated human rights, exploited workers (including children) in third-‐world countries, deceived their customers, broken the law, bribed government officials, and the list of accusations go on and on.3 A sign of the widespread damage the corporate world has done is the

1 Van Duzer, Jeff. Lecture. Redeemer Church Gospel & Culture Conference. New York, NY, United States. 10 Oct 2010. 2 Shigematsu, Ken. Lecture. Tenth Church Sunday Service. Vancouver, BC, Canada. 4 Sep, 2011. 3 Some recent examples of this include Enron Corporation, who used financial loopholes to cover-‐up billions in debt of failed deals and projects leading to $11 billion of loss to its shareholders. Also, the Melamine scandal of 2008, where 21 companies in China were adding the industrial chemical to milk and infant formula to increase protein content, resulting in 6 infants dying and 860 babies hospitalized. Also, there are the allegations in 2011 against media giant Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp for phone-‐hacking and police bribery.

determination of some businesses to be different. For example, publicly traded Google Inc. had as their unofficial motto “Don’t Be Evil” for many years. Many Christians that seek to serve God rule out the possibility of going into business, because it seems to do more evil than good. Recent business school graduate Ryan Lui viewed business people as fake, proud, cut-‐throat, slimy, manipulative, and shallow; driven by money, not passion. The hidden selfish motives of many successful business people make it difficult to have genuine relationships with them. Their business success defined who they were. There was nothing Ryan had seen in business that inspired him. And that is a sad reality. Instead he wants to serve God by working in an orphanage in China in the short-‐term and teaching high school in the long-‐term.4 When Christians want to serve God and help people in need, most think about doing so through church, non-‐profit, government, or health-‐care work, not through business. The Opportunity In the past twenty years, God has been awakening more and more Christians to rethink business as a way to honour Him and serve the world. Pastors and speakers Henry and Richard Blackaby write, “We both strongly believe God is seeking to work mightily through these people in the business world who are wholly committed to him (2 Chron 16:9)”.5 In Matthew 5:14-‐16, Jesus told his followers, “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Christians are to be a light not only in their family life, through their church involvement, and their volunteer activities, but in all areas of our life including our occupational work. In his book “How Business in Itself Can Glorify God”, Wayne Grudem asks, “What if Christians could change their attitudes towards business, and what if Christians could being to change the attitudes of the world towards business?” What if Christians began seeing business as a way to honour God and serve the world? What if Christians saw their work as a means to fulfilling the Great Commandment of loving God and loving their neighbour?6 As of today, there are 17.3 million people that work in Canada. Of that number, 2.6 million people are self-‐employed or run their own business.7 People in Canada

4 Lui, Ryan. Personal Interview. 15 Aug 2011. 5 Blackaby, Henry & Richard, God in the Marketplace (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2008), xii. 6 Matthew 22:34-‐40 7 “Employment by age, sex, type of work, class of worker and province.” Statistics Canada. 11 Sep 2011. Web. 13 Sep 2011.

complete 582 million hours of work every week. 8 The average Canadian works 36.2 hours per week,9 which equals 32% of a person’s waking hours. A significant portion of a person’s life is spent working. It would be a lost opportunity if a Christian did not know how to honour God while working. Jeff Van Duzer, dean of Seattle Pacific University, writes about the impact of businesses on the world and the need for Christians to engage in business. “The twenty-‐first century is destined to be the century of global business. More than any other institution, business is likely to shape the face of our world. The sheer magnitude of the resources controlled by corporations makes it almost certain that business will dwarf the influence of other traditional institutions. Of the 150 largest economies in the world, nearly half are not countries. They are businesses. In short, companies doing business will, in many ways, dictate the kind of world we will live in. Thus, for Christians interested in advancing God’s agenda of peace, justice and reconciliation, a focus on business and its role in society is critical.”10 Neal Johnson writes, “There is virtually no person on earth who is not directly or indirectly affected by the marketplace. That is true now and has been true in every era and every society throughout history.”11 With so much time that people spend doing work and the impact that businesses have on the world, Christians following Jesus must engage in doing work and business that honours God. The Motivation Before answering the practical question of “How can business honour God?” it is important to reflect on the bigger picture of God’s mission and the mission of God’s people. To put this in other words, what is God trying to do in the world, and what has God called His people to do during their life on earth? From a secular point of view, the questions asked relate to the purpose, meaning, and significance of human life. Christians have been trying to answer the question of purpose and meaning for centuries, and do not always agree on the answer. The common starting place to search for the answers is in the Holy Bible, the Word of God given to His people to help them understand who God is and how life should be lived. In reading Scripture 8 “Actual hours worked per week by industry, seasonally adjusted.” Statistics Canada. 11 Sep 2011. Web. 13 Sep 2011. 9 Statistics Canada. Labour force survey estimates (LFS), by total and average usual and actual hours worked, main or all jobs, type of work, sex and age group, annual (CANSIM Table 282-0028). Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2011. 10 Van Duzer, Jeff, Why Business Matters to God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 20-‐21. 11 Johnson, Neal, Business as Mission. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 22.

and listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Christians can understand the mission of God and His people, what God is doing and how humans are called to be a part of that. It is important to note that the methods of honouring God in business written about later in this paper are a response to the varying understandings of what is important to God and what things are important to Christians. From the vast perspectives and understandings, here are the key ideas that have impacted how business should be done to honour God. Westminister Shorter Catechism The Westminister Shorter Catechism (WSC) was written by Scottish and English theologians in the 1640s, and aimed to educate laypeople on Christian beliefs and doctrine. The WSC starts by addressing God’s purpose for humans. “Question 1: What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” Modern-‐day pastor and theologian John Piper slightly modified the WSC to say “Man’s chief end is to glorify God by enjoying him forever.” Christians glorify God when they place Him at the center of their lives, when He becomes their greatest source of satisfaction and joy. The Great Commission The evangelical movement has placed a very high value on what is commonly known as “The Great Commission” given by Jesus to His disciples and followers before He ascended to heaven. Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”12 This was the command that Jesus left for His disciples to carry out. The majority of evangelical churches today emphasize evangelism as being of greatest importance: the sharing of the gospel to give people an opportunity to be saved from eternal death and live life with God in eternity. Bill Hybels, senior pastor of the influential Willow Creek Community Church, describes his belief system that sharing Jesus with people was the most important thing he or any Christian could do. “True followers of Christ who really get it right give themselves to people. Most importantly, they give themselves to pointing people to faith in Christ. That is the highest and best use of a human life – to have it serve as a signpost that points people toward God.”13 Part of what shapes this understanding is the belief that the things of the world are temporary, and the only things of eternal value are the souls of people. Therefore, evangelism is of the greatest important in this life because it impacts the eternal destiny of people. This perspective ends up generating a multi-‐tier system for the 12 Matthew 28:19-‐20 13 Hybels, Bill, Just Walk Across the Room. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 28-‐29.

value of work. Work that involves evangelism (the work of pastors, missionaries, parachurch workers) is seen by Christians to have greater value than work in other fields (work in business, health care, teaching, etc.) Work in the “secular world” is seen as valuable mainly because of the opportunities Christians have to share the gospel in the workplace and the ability to support missionary work with money earned from employment. The Cultural Mandate The Cultural Mandate can be summarized by Genesis 1:28 – the mandate God gives to people to fill the earth, subdue it and to rule over the rest of creation. Dennis Bakke describes the Cultural Mandate like this, “The Creation story begins with God working. He is creating the universe. He then creates mankind in His own image. He assigned humans to manage the Earth and all the animals, plants, and other resources it contained. God gave us the capability and authority to work. Through the act of Creation, He showed us how to undertake this responsibility. Genesis 2:6 says, ‘… and there was not a man to till the ground.’ This implies that one of the reasons mankind exists is to work.”14 The Creation Mandate The Creation Mandate is based on Genesis 1 and 2 when God created the Earth. It includes the Cultural Mandate, but covers more than that. When God created the Earth, God assigns Adam and Eve the work of stewarding the Earth and all that comes from God’s creation. The Earth belongs to God, and humans are called to manage the Earth on behalf of God. But God also calls Adam and Eve to do more than just steward His creation. Jeff Van Duzer breaks down the Creation Mandate into several parts.15

1) Human beings are called to steward God’s creation. 2) Human beings are made in the image of God and thus created to be in

relationship with God and with other people. 3) Human beings are made in the image of God and thus created to work like

God did. “Adam and Eve were called to creatively organize (name the animals) and manage these resources (take dominion), to enhance the productivity of the Garden (be fruitful and multiply) in a sustainable (guard creation) manner.”16

4) Humans are made to live within limits. Though made in the image of God, men and women are inherently limited and created to live within boundaries.

5) God delights in variety and created humans to complement one another, as Eve was created different from Adam, yet complementary.

14 Bakke, Dennis W., Joy at Work: A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job (Toronto: Viking, 2005), 247. 15 Van Duzer, Jeff, Why Business Matters to God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 27-‐38 16 Ibid., 33.

6) “God intended that men and women would take the raw materials that had been provided and, in partnership with God, help to grow and construct the kingdom here on earth.”17 Humans are called to co-‐create with God, to cause the Earth to flourish and be fruitful.

7) Human beings are called to be fruitful and multiply, to enjoy sexual-‐relations as husband and wife and produce offspring.

The Solution Now that the question of why humans exist and what God calls them to do has been broadly answered, the focus turns to answering the question, “How?” How can Christians in business honour God? And what role does business play in the larger picture of God’s call on all of humanity? This question will be answered in two parts: 1) How businesses can be run in a way that honour God, and 2) How Christians can work in business to honour God. Business owners and leaders have a larger scope than someone who works in a business. Not only do leaders have to consider their own personal actions and behaviour, but they also have to make decisions such as the mission, vision, practices, and operations of their business, which impact others. A leader in business has greater responsibility because the consequences of his or her actions have ramifications on many people. Even the Scriptures place higher standards on those in leadership.18 There are several business models that honour God. The differences in these models reflect a difference in belief and understanding of God’s mission and the mission of God’s people. Ethical Business Like the majority of businesses, this business exists to maximize long-‐term value to its shareholders. Maximizing profits is seen as a neutral goal, neither good nor evil. The focus is on how the business maximizes profits. Business must done ethically, meaning treating employees justly, fulfilling promises to customers and suppliers, running business operations legally, doing minimal harm to the environment, and doing good in the community. Doing business within these boundaries honours God. In this model, Christians believe that pursuing secular business success and honouring God in business can be done hand in hand with minimal conflict. In addition to this, business has instrumental value to God. Through business, profits can be generated and given towards advancing God’s kingdom. Also, business is a platform for doing ministry and evangelism. 17 Van Duzer, Jeff, Why Business Matters to God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 38 18 1 Timothy 3:1-‐13

Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that is gaining popularity in Canada and around the world. Unlike the traditional business which has the single bottom line of profits, a CSR business has a triple bottom-‐line of economic goals (profits), social goals, and environmental goals. “While CSR does not have a universal definition, many see it as the private sector’s way of integrating the economic, social, and environmental imperatives of their activities. CSR is a concept that frequently overlaps with similar approaches such as corporate sustainability, corporate sustainable development, corporate responsibility, and corporate citizenship.”19 CSR is seen as many Christians to align with their Christian values, and therefore a way to honour God while doing business. An example is Creation Technologies, a global top-‐50 electronics manufacturing services provider started in Canada by Christians. The mission of the company is to enrich lives. One of their initiatives is called “Make a difference”, which allows employees to use work time to volunteer with local and international charities. Darrell Lim, program manager with Creation Technologies, says the charity work that was done initiated rich spiritual conversations between Christians with their non-‐Christian co-‐workers.20 Business as Ministry Under the Business as Ministry perspective, business is first and foremost a means of doing ministry. Running the business and generating profits is a secondary goal. These businesses would have a double bottom line, to be profitable and to advance God’s kingdom. The biblical term “tent-‐making” would fall under this category, where the Christians doing ministry are supporting themselves through doing business. Tyron Piteau, a Christian that owns a small fitness business, sees the primary purpose of his life to advance God’s kingdom. Running his business is a big part of his life, and a way for to achieve his life’s purpose. “The kingdom of God is about seeking and saving the lost. This means either I do it personally or I help others to do it,” says Tyron. For Tyron, this means praying for clients, taking time to build relationships and sharing the gospel with them. This also means getting better at his job and business to make more profits to give to kingdom work.21 Philip Lowe has owned and run an accounting practice for over 25 years. As a Christian, his motto is “business first, ministry second”. For Philip that means that he would encourage those who were Christians, and plant spiritual seeds in those

19 “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)”. Industry Canada. 10 Aug 2011. Web. 15 Sept 2011. <www.ic.gc.ca>. 20 Lim, Darrell. Personal Interview. 24 Sep 2011. 21 Piteau, Tyron. Personal Interview. 22 Aug 2011.

that did not know Christ. His day-‐to-‐day work includes filing over 450 tax returns per year but also hospital visitations, prayer for clients (with their permission), and providing pro bono work for Christian charities and non-‐profits.22 One caution about this approach is taking it to its extreme. Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen comment on this in their book Great Commission Companies, "One model that has little to commend is the 'missionary in disguise' approach. This is one that uses a business merely as a 'cover' for people who quite frankly have little interest in business except for its usefulness as an entry strategy into countries that are off-‐limits to traditional missionaries. The aim is to do the least amount of work necessary to appear legitimate. While there have been some successes, the results have been generally mixed, and many Christians now recognize this 'ends justifying means' approach to ministry is dishonest and a poor witness".23 Rundle and Steffen go on to compare this approach to spies and terrorists using similar “creative access strategies”24. People who appear to have hidden agendas are difficult to trust. Business as Mission Business as Mission (often referred to as BAM) companies are for-‐profit commercial enterprises that seek to do economic, social, and spiritual good in a community. BAM companies often operate cross-‐culturally, strategically placed to reach people in countries that are closed to the gospel. “BAM is not solely oriented toward evangelism or discipleship; it is holistic – reaching the whole needs of the whole of humanity everywhere.”25 The 2004 Lausanne Working Group 30 on Business as Mission was composed of sixty-‐eight BAM activists from twenty-‐eight countries. In the paper that was written, the result of a week of discussion, they say that BAM originates from the theological premise that Christians are called to love and serve God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, as well as to love and serve their neighbours.26 “Business as Mission is based on the principle of holistic mission. BAM’s ultimate bottom line is ad majorem Dei gloriam – ‘for the greater glory of God.’”27 Business as Mission started when Christians saw that missionaries were getting evicted from closed countries, but business people were welcomed into those nations. Christian business people started to establish real, for-‐profit businesses in

22 Lowe, Philip. Personal Interview. 29 Aug 2011. 23 Rundle, Steve and Steffen, Tom, Great Commission Companies. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2011), 26. 24 Ibid., 27. 25 Johnson, Neal, Business as Mission. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 22. 26 Matt 22:34-‐40; Luke 10:27 27 Adapted from “Business as Mission,” Lausanne Occasional Paper No.59, Sep29-‐Oct5, 2004, in The Lausanne Movement, <http://www.businessasmission.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/ Lausanne_Occasional_Paper_on_Business_as_Mission.pdf >.

those countries, adding value to the society while building trust and credibility to share the gospel.28 “BAM is broadly defined as a for-‐profit commercial business venture Christ led, intentionally devoted to being used as an instrument of God’s mission (missio Dei) to the world, and is operated in a cross-‐cultural environment, either domestic or international.”29 While the growing corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement emphasizes a “triple bottom-‐line” impact of financial, social, and environmental outcomes, BAM affirms all this but includes a 4th bottom line. This bottom line is a spiritual outcome, intentionally honouring Christ and seeing Him transform lives through business. “BAM is CSR+… where the + can be seen as a cross – putting everything under the Lordship of Christ.”30 Business as Service The Business as Service model is written about by Jeff Van Duzer, dean of Seattle Pacific University, in his book Why Business Matters to God (And What Still Needs to Be Fixed). Businesses exist not to maximize profits, but to serve people. Traditional businesses serve customers and employees as a means to the ultimate ends of maximizing profits. Business as Service companies see generating profits as a means to its end, which is to serve its customers and its employees. Jeff writes, “I would conclude that at this time in history, there are two legitimate, first-‐order, intrinsic purpose of business: as stewards of God’s creation, business leaders should manage their businesses (1) to provide the community with goods and services that will enable it to flourish, and (2) to provide opportunities for meaningful work that will allow employees to express their God-‐given creativity.” 31 Besides pursuing the twin goals of serving customers and employees, the Business as Service companies should seek to do so within the limits of sustainability. The decisions should be limited to the need to operate in ways that “do no harm” to any of the business’s stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, the environment, and the community.32 The Business as Service model originates from the Creation Mandate. Businesses should see themselves as not the only institution to attempt to fulfill God’s mandates given in Genesis 1 and 2, but a part of many institutions each playing a unique, yet complementary role. Van Duzer writes that certain institutions are better suited for certain tasks within the Cultural Mandate. For example, the family is a better institution for the bearing and raising of children (be fruitful and multiply). The church and neighbourhood might be the best settings to nurture community. The 28 Johnson, Neal, Business as Mission. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 32. 29 Ibid., 28. 30 Tunehag, Mats. “The Mission of Business: CSR+.” Connections – The Journal of the WEA Mission Commission. Aug 2009 Vol 8. No 2. Web. 15 Sept 2011. <www.WEAConnections.com>. 31 Van Duzer, Jeff, Why Business Matters to God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 42 32 Ibid., 28

government may be in a better position to assume primary responsibility for guarding creation.33 As businesses pursue its purposes of enabling creative work (innovation) and producing community-‐flourishing products (productivity) in a sustainable manner, it should be mindful of the fact that it was designed to work in partnership with all other institutions in order that they might collectively advance God’s kingdom on earth. Whenever possible, business managers should operate their businesses that respect other institutional agendas and wherever possible, look for opportunities for collaboration to advance the common good.34 Christian Social Enterprise Dr. Michael Hodson teaches a class on Christian Social Enterprise (CSE) at Regent College, and defines a CSE as “an enterprise that funds its operations through generating income from the sale of goods or services yet doesn’t seek to maximize profits and consciously seeks to set its aims, strategy, ways of operating and relations with others according to the teaching and example of Christ.”35 Like other businesses, a CSE produces goods and services that it sells to make a profit. How it is different is that it seeks not to maximize profits, rather its primary motivation is to be socially redemptive.36 In Britain, social enterprises are growing in popularity, and serve as a combination of commercial and volunteer sectors. Social enterprises or “social businesses” are impacting British communities through employing unskilled and previously unemployed workers to provide goods and services. Among the group of “social entrepreneurs” are Christians who create CSEs to bring the Kingdom of God to the country’s needy areas.37 A great example of a Christian Social Enterprise is the Just Work Economic Initiative, which has emerged from the life and ministry of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church in Vancouver. Just Work employs mainly people with physical disabilities, mental illnesses, additions, or people that are homeless in doing landscape gardening, pottery-‐making, catering, and building maintenance and minor renovations. David Holcumb, the program director of these social enterprises says, “JustWork exists to help provide that kind of work opportunity for people who need it to supplement the basic [disability] support that they would receive from the government.”38

33 Van Duzer, Jeff, Why Business Matters to God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 40-‐41 34 Ibid., 168 35 “Business as Mission: Engaging with Christian Social Enterprise Course”, Regent College Marketplace Institute. 24 June 2010. Web. 15 Sep 2011. 36 Stirk, Frank. “Entrepreneur, do you love me?” Christian Week. 20 Nov 2009. Web. 15 Sep 2011. <www.christianweek.org> 37 “Soul Business – the rise of Britian’s Christian Social Entrepreneurs”, FaithWorks. 15 Sep 2011. Web. 15 Sept 2011. 38 Stirk, Frank. “Entrepreneur, do you love me?” Christian Week. 20 Nov 2009. Web. 15 Sep 2011. <www.christianweek.org>

“Well-‐designed social enterprises are participating in God’s plan for humanity in at least the following ways: 1) creating and promoting – as God did and does – things that are good; 2) working toward the restoration of God’s created world by providing productive, meaningful, and dignified work (i.e., the restoration of personhood), by tending to and responsibly using natural resources (i.e., the restoration of the earth), and by fostering a spirit of cooperation and selflessness between enterprises and within society (i.e. the restoration of relationships); and 3) reflecting the character and redemptive purpose of God – the image of God – through an attitude of loving servanthood.”39 Another example of a Christian Social Enterprise is TOMS. Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS in 2006 after going on a trip to Argentina and seeing the extreme poverty, health conditions, and many children walking without shoes. With every pair of shoes that are sold, TOMS gives a new pair of shoes to a child in need. Their motto is “One for One.” What started with selling shoes has grown to selling eyeglasses. The same principle applies. One pair of glasses sold, one pair of glasses given to someone in need. Employees that have worked for TOMS for a year can go on a “shoe drop”, joining a trip to bring shoes to children in need.40 One thing to consider with CSEs is whether these enterprises are giving up growth potential by designating a portion of their resources towards a social cause (rather than reinvesting in the company). Starting a new business is difficult enough as it is. According to Silver Lining’s CEO Carissa Reiniger, who has worked with thousands of small business owners, 90% of new businesses fail in their first year. One could imagine the increased difficulty for success when adding the element of doing good for society on top of the need to make the business profitable. There are many business models that aim to honour God: Ethical business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Business as Ministry, Business as Mission, Business as Service, and Christian Social Enterprises. Now that the first question, “How can businesses be run in a way that honours God?” has been answered, we can move on to answering the second question, “How can Christians that work in business honour God with their work?” The majority of working Christians are employed in a business, and yet many of them struggle to find meaning and purpose behind their work. Writing about how to glorify God through work, John Piper says “Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink or work, do it to make God look as great as he really is.” In his book The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard writes that the most important place

39 Lee, Lucas. “The Vision”, an assignment prepared for Dr. Michael Hodson of Regent College. 1 Jun 2011. 40 “One for One Movement”, Toms. Web. 16 Sep 2011. <www.toms.com>

to grow in relationship with God is one’s place of work or school. The gospel turns your work into a spiritual formation training centre. Here are some ways to honour God while working in business. By no means is this an exhaustive list, but it covers a range of topics. Consider your Vocational Calling In his book Courage and Calling, Gordon T. Smith writes about three types of calling. The first is a general calling to all humans to respond to God’s gift of salvation, to love Him, and to love others. The third is the daily calling to the tasks and responsibilities that require our immediate attention like the responding to needs of family or neighbours. The second type of calling is often referred to as vocation. Smith says, “Every person has a fundamental calling or vocation. And it is this, more than anything else, that each individual must discover. Vocation is a critical means by which I fulfill my calling as a Christian. Yes, I am called to love God and neighbour, but how will this be expressed in my life? How am I specifically and uniquely being called to fulfill what it means to be Christian in this world?”41 Vocational calling is not the same as career, job, or occupation. In many cases, calling can be expressed through occupation. Calling can also be expressed through other areas of life, like volunteer work or work in the home and family. This second type of calling comes from God and reflects a person’s fundamental identity. “We are called to vocational integrity, to have a pattern of living that is congruent with who we are. We have integrity when we are true to our own identity, true to ourselves.”42 Christians can honour God in their work and their business when they take time to discern and consider their vocational calling, and choose to do work that expresses who they are. To do this, one must 1) know oneself; 2) be true to oneself. Smith suggests that a person ask themselves the following questions to come to know their vocational calling. What are my gifts and abilities? What is the deepest desire of my heart? Where do I personally sense the needs of the world and feel the brokenness of God’s creation? What is my unique personality or temperament?43 The real challenge is to live in a way that is congruent with who we are, with how God made us. A vocational calling can be lived out in many different careers, occupations, roles, ministries and responsibilities in the workplace, the church and the home. Ideally over the course of our lives, we will come to an increasing clarity

41 Smith, Gordon T., Courage and Calling: Embracing your God-‐given Potential (Downers Groce, Ill.: Intervarsity Press, 1999), 34. 42 Ibid., 36 43 Ibid., 38.

about who we are and what we are called to be and do. Over time, we grow in our capacity to live in a manner that is congruent with our fundamental identity. 44 Honour God in How you Work Depend on God. When you work, rely on God to be your sustainer and your guide. Depend on God for strength, courage, wisdom, and guidance. Pray to him for help. Work with Integrity. John Piper writes, “Be absolutely and meticulously honest and trustworthy on the job. Be on time. Give a full day’s work. ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ More people rob their employers by being slackers than by filching the petty cash.”45 There are many Scriptures that highlight the importance of guarding your integrity.46 Work with Excellence. “Get good at what you do. God has given you not only the grace of integrity but the gift of skills. Treasure that gift and be a good steward of those skills. This growth in skill is built on dependence and integrity.”47 Work with gratitude and joy. In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians (2 Thes 5:16-‐18), he says to be joyful and thankful in all circumstances. This command can be applied to doing work in business. John Piper puts it this way, “Always give thanks to God for life and health and work and Jesus. Be a thankful person at work. Don’t be among the complainers. Let your thankfulness to God overflow in a humble spirit of gratitude to others. Be known as the hope-‐filled, humble, thankful one at work.”48 Ruth Liu, a Christian lawyer in Toronto shares how she honours God in her work, “Christians are called to be examples of how to live joyful and healthy lives (including emotional well-‐being and having healthy relationships) despite the challenges -‐ because God gives them wisdom and strength in very real, tangible ways.”49 Use Money Well The Bible instructs Christians to honour God with their wealth.50 Paul Stevens, a professor of marketplace theology at Regent College says this about money, “Work enables us to provide for ourselves and our loved ones (2 Thess. 3:7-‐10). It equips

44 Smith, Gordon T., Courage and Calling: Embracing your God-‐given Potential (Downers Groce, Ill.: Intervarsity Press, 1999), 49-‐53. 45 Piper, John. “How to Glorify God at Work”, Desiring God. 6 Sep 2011. Web. 15 Sep 2011. <www.desiringgod.org> 46 see Ps. 18:23; 26:11; 37:37; 41:12; Prov 2:8; 11:8 47 Piper, John. “How to Glorify God at Work”, Desiring God. 6 Sep 2011. Web. 15 Sep 2011. <www.desiringgod.org> 48 Ibid. 49 Liu, Ruth. Personal interview. 2 Sep 2011. 50 See Prov 3:9; 11:25

us to help the poor and needy by sharing our excess, paying taxes and being stewards (Eph 4:28)”51 John Piper says, “Work is where you make (and spend) money. It is all God’s, not yours. You are a trustee. Turn your earning into the overflow of generosity in how you steward God’s money. Don’t work to earn to have. Work to earn to have to give and to invest in Christ-‐exalting ventures. Make your money speak of Christ as your supreme Treasure.”52 Take Sabbath from Work Humans are created in the image of God. That means that people are created to work as God did, and to rest as God did. Christians honour God in their work when they restrict their work by taking Sabbath, a day of rest from work, as God instructed His people in the Ten Commandments. When people take a day to rest, they are saying that they trust God to provide for their needs even when they are not being productive. When people take a Sabbath, they are saying with their actions that work is not their god. Love and serve others. God calls Christians to love their neighbour as themselves. In the workplace, the neighbours are co-‐workers, customers, supplies, and anyone else that Christians might interact with on a regular basis. Loving people means showing them kindness, graciousness, and patience. Loving people means to forgive them as Christ forgave you. Theologian J.I. Packer writes, “Work means, precisely, useful, creative employment in the service of God and others – just that.”53 John Piper writes, “Serve others. Be the one who volunteers first to go get the pizza. To drive the van. To organize the picnic. Take an interest in others at work. Be known as the one who cares not just about the light-‐hearted weekend tales, but the burdens of heavy and painful Monday mornings. Love your workmates, and point them to the great Burden Bearer.”54 Share the Gospel Christians are called to be witnesses for God. This is done best through words and deeds. Followers of Jesus are called to live out their life in a way to point people to the good news of the gospel, as well as to tell others about the hope they have in Jesus Christ. Sharing the gospel can be done in all areas of life, including the workplace. For many Christians, the workplace is the area of life where they get the most interaction with non-‐Christians. 51 Stevens, Paul. The Other Six Days, (Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000), 125 52 Piper, John. “How to Glorify God at Work”, Desiring God. 6 Sep 2011. Web. 15 Sep 2011. <www.desiringgod.org> 53 Packer, J.I., and Nystrom, Carolyn. Guard Us, Guide Us, (Grand Rapids, Baker Publishing Group, 2008), 185. 54 Piper, John. “How to Glorify God at Work”, Desiring God. 6 Sep 2011. Web. 15 Sep 2011. <www.desiringgod.org>

John Piper writes, “Work places are webs of relationships. Relationships are possible through communication. Weave your Christian worldview into the normal communications of life. Don’t hide your light under a basket. Put it on the stand. Winsomely. Naturally. Joyfully. Let those who love their salvation say continually, Great is the Lord! (Psalm 40:16)”55 Co-Create with God Jeff Van Duzer writes, “God intended that men and would take the raw materials that had been provided and, in partnership with God, help to grow and construct the kingdom here on earth.”56 Humans are called to co-‐create with God, to cause the Earth to flourish and be fruitful. Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Church in New York, says that God feeds every living thing and loves everything that He has made (Psalm 145 and 147). God could have easily given people grain and fruit without growing and planting, but God chose to provide food to his people through the work of farmers. So when the farm girl milks a cow, it is God giving milk to his people. Work is God’s way of bringing life into the world. This is why work matters to God. God is distributing gifts through the work of people, therefore all work matters and all work has dignity. In doing work, people are partnering and co-‐creating with God to provide for humanity. 57 Working can be considered participating in the everyday miracles of God’s provision for humans. Of course there are types of work that are destructive. Christians have the opportunity to help their companies to do work that is life-‐enhancing for people without being soul-‐destroying. Some industries have an impact that is destructive (e.g., porn, gambling, abortion, marketing scams, etc). Christians should consider whether their work provides for humanity or harms humanity. Why is this so important? Why must Christians change the way that they engage in business so that it honours God? First of all, there are still major problems the world faces. Over 20% of the world lives in extreme poverty. There are 25,000 children dying every day of largely preventable causes. We are facing huge problems in the world, and non-‐profits and governments are unable to fix these problems alone.58 “According to Bill Easterly in The White Man’s Burden, since 1970, Africa has received over $3 trillion in aid, but many of the countries’ growth have stagnated—even plummeted. Despite trillions in aid, countries in Sub-‐Saharan Africa still rank at the bottom of poverty indexes such 55 Piper, John. “How to Glorify God at Work”, Desiring God. 6 Sep 2011. Web. 15 Sep 2011. <www.desiringgod.org> 56 Van Duzer, Jeff, Why Business Matters to God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 38 57 Keller, Timothy. “Why Work Matters” Lecture. Redeemer Church Gospel & Culture Conference. New York, NY, United States. 10 Oct 2010. 58 Van Duzer, Jeff. Lecture. Redeemer Church Gospel & Culture Conference. New York, NY, United States. 10 Oct 2010.

as the World Banks’ Doing Business report and the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI).”59 The institution of business owns the more capital in the world, and will make the biggest difference and shape the world over the next 50 years, for good or for bad. The world desperately needs business to engage. “Since the 1980s, extreme global poverty has been reduced from 52 percent to 26 percent, primarily through commerce and industry created in countries like China and Brazil, which are now dominating world markets. Business is revolutionizing the world to end extreme global poverty as none of our collective outside efforts and aid have achieved. As the global church seeks to alleviate spiritual and physical poverty, we often overlook one of our greatest resources—our businesspeople. Although there has been an uneasy alliance between business laypeople and church leadership, business is vital in poverty alleviation efforts.” 60 Second of all, people are facing a crisis of meaning in their work lives. According to a recent Harris Poll survey, one in five people care about the mission of their company. 61 An average person will spend almost 100,000 hours of their life at work. People want to do work that has significance and meaning, work that makes a difference. If they could discover the dignity, value, and impact of their everyday work, they could live with a greater sense of purpose and joy. Thirdly, many people do not know who Jesus Christ is. 29 percent of the world’s population, over two billion people, still has not heard the good news that God loves them.62 Rundle and Steffen state the importance of business in reaching people for Christ, “Many forward-‐looking missions experts are starting to advocate business as one of the most strategic career choices a missions-‐minded Christian can make in the twenty-‐first century.”63 Transforming work and business so that it honours God will change the world.

59 Greer, Peter and Butler, Robby. “A Hand up, not a handout”, Mission Frontiers. 01 Jul 2011. Web. 28 Sep 2011. 60 Ibid. 61 Van Duzer, Jeff. Lecture. Redeemer Church Gospel & Culture Conference. New York, NY, United States. 10 Oct 2010. 62 Todd M. Johnson, David B. Barrett and Peter F. Crossing, “Status of Global Mission, 2010, in Context of 20th and 21st Centures,” International Bulletin of Missionary Research 34, no. 1 (January 2010): 36. 63 Rundle, Steve and Steffen, Tom, Great Commission Companies. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2011), 24

Rethinking Business to Honor God and Change the World

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