‘Christian’ and Businessman: An Oxymoron?

Seems hard to believe, but more than 34 years ago I moved to Chattanooga to join the staff of an organization then known as Christian Business Men’s Committee (CBMC). I’d been in the newspaper business as an editor and publisher for about 10 years, but the next decades taught me more about the business and professional world than if I’d earned three MBAs.

An expanded edition of Business
At Its Best has been released.

The curious thing was that for many people, faith and work seemed diametrically opposed – oxymorons, like “jumbo shrimp,” “seriously funny” or “hurry slowly.” I even heard someone say, “Christian businessman? Make up your mind – which one? You can’t be both.” And yet, my encounters with thousands of people having strong faith who also were very successful in the marketplace proved to me that matters of faith could – and should – intersect with everyday workplace issues and practices.

Through the years I realized some basic truths. Such as, from God’s perspective, there’s no distinction between “sacred” and “secular.” Everything matters to Him. And there aren’t multiple tiers, first and second classes of people when it comes to following Jesus Christ. In fact, Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive the reward of the inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

One day I was having lunch with a financial planner, a friend from church, and he blurted out, “I’d give anything to work full-time for God.” Without hesitating, I replied, “What makes you think you haven’t already done that?” He’d been seduced by the clergy/missionary vs. “layman” misconception, that to be in “Christian service” for God you must have some kind of formal religious affiliation. Again, the Bible doesn’t make such a distinction. If we’re followers of Christ, we’re all called to serve Him and others in His name, and true faith isn’t a part-time pursuit.

When the apostle Paul wrote, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ…. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord…” (Ephesians 6:5-8), he could just as easily have been addressing employees or workers. And in the next verses Paul challenges “masters” to treat those under them with equal respect and understanding. He could have been writing these words to bosses or CEOs.

This isn’t a message, however, we often hear from the sanctuary. Because many pastors have proceeded directly from college to seminary to the sanctuary, having never experienced the rigors of the contemporary workplace with its stresses, challenges and temptations. You can’t teach above where you’re living.

Thankfully, since the 1980s there’s been a virtual explosion of books on how the spiritual and the pragmatic can effectively merge. I’ve been involved in writing more than a dozen of them myself. And respected periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Report and Business Week from time to time acknowledge there’s a place for spirituality in the 21^st century workplace.

For this reason, I’ve just re-published a book I wrote about 10 years ago, Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace. It’s my contention that the wisdom from the Bible, not only Proverbs but also many other passages in the Scriptures, applies directly to the ever-changing, high-pressure, hyper-competitive marketplace of the 21^st century.

At the urging of a good friend, I revised the original text and added 13 new chapters, expanding it to a total of 53 quick reading chapters on topics such as integrity, competition, finances, anger, guidance, communications, leadership, patience, persistence, humility, generosity and teamwork. Even gossip. At the end of each chapter I’ve included several open-ended questions called “Putting It Into Practice,” designed for both introspection and small-group discussions.

I recall one CEO stating that for years he had immersed himself in how-to books and motivational messages, seeking to learn how to become more successful. Then he encountered the Bible and before long realized more wisdom could be gleaned from its pages than all of the other books and tapes he’d spent countless hours listening to and reading. And I wholeheartedly agree.

So, at the risk of seeming a shameless self-promoter, I’d like you to check out Business At Its Best on Amazon.com and hopefully, purchase a copy. As a wise author advised me years ago, “If you’re not willing to promote your own book, then why did you write it?” If you like it, recommend it to family and friends. You might even want to give it to someone as a gift with Christmas approaching.

My favorite verse from Proverbs – my “life verse” – says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). That assurance has certainly proved true in my work and career, as well as in our family. The reason is simple: Eternal truth has no expiration date.

What’s God Got to Do With It?

There’s been considerable discussion about how – and even if – spiritual faith should intersect with how a privately owned company should be run. What's God got to do with it, right? The question has even reached the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

I’m not the person to weigh in on this issue from a legal perspective, but a broader concern is involved here. We often hear religion or faith described as “personal,” as if it’s something to stored away and dragged out only at appointed times and special occasions. “Faith is faith, and work is work, and never the twain shall meet” seems what society would have us believe.

This type of thinking often manifests itself in all strata of society, including the Oval Office. When President Obama discusses issues of faith, he often uses the term “freedom of worship” rather than “freedom of religion.” This distinction is significant.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is very specific in guaranteeing freedom of religion, and to me this is very different from freedom of worship. In the minds of many, worship is an isolated religious activity, removed from the flow of everyday life. To them it takes place in a church, synagogue, temple, mosque or other worship center – set apart from daily realities.

An ornate cross on a tabletop or desk
might be reflective of one's belief,
but genuine faith requires action.

This might suffice as “religion” for some, but many people sincerely find their beliefs influencing every aspect of their lives. Frankly, I cringe when people call me “religious.” To me that sounds rigid and superficial. I prefer being considered very spiritual, my spirituality being informed by the Bible.

There was a time when I, too, confined my religious/spiritual activities to an hour or two on a Sunday, only to spend the rest of the day – and remainder of the week – living as if there were no God. I’d attend worship services, then get frustrated in the church parking lot because people in front of me were slow in exiting. They were making me late for the football game on TV!

Then a discovery transformed what I believed: God was not a deity who’s “out there,” distant and unknowable, but Someone desiring an up-close-and-personal relationship with me. This meant much more than having my sins forgiven and receiving the promise of eternal life. It meant a new way for living each day, gaining God’s power to pursue life as He desired. God didn’t just want a sliver of my life, an hour or two each week. He wanted all of me, including my work.

Years ago a friend introduced me to Acts 17:28 which states, “For in him (Jesus) we live and move and have our being.” This means more than having a different mindset; it also involves changing our “modus operandi” – our method of operation or way we do things.

One of the curious aspects of Westernized thinking is we can claim to believe one thing and then unapologetically act in contradiction to that belief. However, the Bible clearly teaches true belief means acting upon what you believe. “In the same way, faith by itself, if it not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17).

Over the years I’ve met hundreds of business and professional people, devoted followers of Jesus, whose thinking and actions are shaped by principles and truths they’ve learned in the Bible. They can’t separate their professional lives from their faith any more than they could remove their heads and continue walking.

The apostle Paul stated, “…I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). This is true for every genuine follower of Jesus. Spiritually, His life is manifested in us and He affects every dimension of our being.

It’s not a matter of being “religious,” or of worship for that matter. It’s a matter of living out the values and convictions Christ has given us – and this includes the workplace, whether we’re business owners, top executives, or simply employees.

To do otherwise is truly hypocritical.