‘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.

An Example Worth Emulating

S. Truett Cathy, one who "practiced what
he preached," leaves a strong legacy.

The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words,” is perhaps never more valid than when comparing what leaders say with what they do. Too often – whether they are politicians, executives in business, or cultural icons – leaders espouse high-sounding values, only to have behavior betray their supposed convictions.

A couple of weeks ago S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, passed away at the age of 93. Unlike some of his contemporaries, who would be members of the “do as I say, not as I do” camp, he was a man who lived, worked, and served his fellow man in a manner consistent with principles and ideals he expressed. I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Cathy for a magazine article years ago, and found him to be a humble, non-pretentious, genuine individual devoted to helping to make the world around him a better place.

At the time he was phasing out his involvement in day-to-day operations of the fast-food franchise he started in 1946 in Hapeville, Ga., an Atlanta suburb, with a single little restaurant then called the “Dwarf Grill.” His sons, Dan and Bubba, were already taking the lead.

One of the most notable aspects of Chick-fil-A has been its steadfast resolve to close on Sundays, even in shopping malls where all other stores are required to open seven days a week. Before committing to place one of their restaurants in a mall, the Cathys always sign a contract exempting their business from that requirement.

I interviewed Mr. Cathy years
ago for a magazine article.

It’s often reported this practice is due to Mr. Cathy’s and his family’s “religious” beliefs. To an extent that’s true, but he always felt it gave their employees a day to rest and spend time with family, whether that included attending a worship service on Sunday or not. In fact, when I asked him about the store’s Sunday closing tradition, he quipped that in his business’s early days, “after six days of operation round the clock, the reason we closed was not we were all that religious, but because we are all that tired.”

Throughout his tenure as head of the privately held, family-owned company, Mr. Cathy and his sons operated according to two guiding principles:  

      - To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.

     - To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.

The latter principle, of course, would be hotly debated by those who viewed personal, pro-traditional family statements by son Dan as “intolerant” and “homophobic.” However, there has never been evidence of the Cathys or their company discriminating against employees, suppliers or customers on any basis, including sexual orientation.

Throughout his business career, Mr. Cathy was known for his generosity, including sponsorship of foster homes, college scholarships for restaurant employees demonstrating leadership and community service, a summer camp for young people, and various charity events, as well as his personal contributions to many worthwhile causes. Chick-fil-A also has long been recognized for having unusually low management turnover rates in the quick-service restaurant industry.

More than 30 years ago I was hired to serve as editor, and then director of publications, for CBMC (then known as Christian Business Men’s Committee). A running joke was when someone claimed to be a “Christian businessman,” the response would be something like, “Make up your mind – are you a Christian, or a businessman?” The implication being you couldn’t be both at the same time.

Thankfully, over the 20 years I served as a member of the CBMC staff I had the opportunity to meet hundreds of business people – top executives, middle managers and professional people – who daily demonstrated you could indeed pursue a career in the worlds of commerce and industry and still be a faithful, consistent follower of Christ. Mr. Cathy was one of them, an example truly worth emulating.

Proverbs 20:6 asks the question, “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” One could always be found in the person of S. Truett Cathy, who understood, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and lived accordingly.

“I’m ‘Just a Layman’ . . .”

Yesterday I joined a Facebook dialogue that began with a statement, “84% of Christian 18- to 29-year-olds admit that they have no idea how the Bible applies to their field or professional interests.” That statistic didn’t surprise me – I would have thought the percentage might be higher.

Since 1999, I’ve written and edited a weekly e-mail workplace meditation called “Monday Manna” for CBMC International, a ministry to business and professional people. This one-page commentary on everyday workplace issues, with accompanying discussion questions, has grown incredibly, now translated into more than 20 languages and going to an estimated two million recipients around the world. I take no credit for its growth, but think it shows the desire people have for learning how the Scriptures apply to the world of work.

It’s sad the great majority of young believers can’t connect biblical teachings to their work, but I think there are four primary reasons for this:

They don’t learn it in many churches. Many pastors do a wonderful job of dissecting the Scriptures, teaching context, meaning, and even application to personal life. But many of them, having gone from college to seminary to pulpit, don’t know much about the real world of work. Anything they might impart, therefore, would only be theory. There’s a saying, “You can’t teach above where you’re living.” Just as I couldn’t teach someone to do brain surgery, most clergy have little familiarity with the challenges of meeting sales quotas, juggling deadlines, handling inventory, or making payroll. 

The false two-tiered view of people. Early on, the institutional church adopted the view there were two classes of Christians (or followers of Jesus). There were the paid professionals – that is, priests, ministers and missionaries; and then there were the “laymen.” Someone has described the former as “paid to be good,” the latter as “good for nothing.” Unfortunately, that view has persisted into the 21^st century. We often hear of individuals committing their lives to preach, or to go on the mission field. But when was the last time you heard – and celebrated – someone that declared, “I’m committing my life to serving Christ in business”? Too often I hear people say, sheepishly, “Oh, I’m just a layman.”

Not recognizing the sacredness of work. When we hear of corporate scandals – Enron, banks, investment firms – it’s easy to dismiss the business world as “secular,” or even worse, as evil. But Jesus recruited His followers from the work world – fishermen, tax collectors, etc. A physician authored the gospel of Luke. The Bible teaches no distinction; in God’s view, everything is considered sacred. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Failure to glorify God in the workplace. Too often observers see no meaningful difference between how professing followers of Jesus and nonbelievers conduct business. By pursuing our job responsibilities with excellence, integrity, quality, compassion, and the highest ethical standards, we can demonstrate God’s Word can and does work in the workplace. As Jesus said, “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

In case you’re interested, you can check out “Monday Manna” at www.cbmcint.org and scroll to the link on the left.