Christian Worldview Research Paper

How can business participate in God’s redemptive plan? Many of the struggles faced in the business world by Christians is filtered though the question of, “how can God’s redemptive plan be incorporated at my level of influence, when I am not a part of the decisions being made within my company”. Adopting a worldview is key as Keller put it, “at a day-to-day level, our worldview will shape our individual interactions and decisions” (Keller 158). Whether your worldview is biblical or not, it is holistic. As a Christian your work is neither for self nor for man but rather it is for the Lord (Keller 221). An employer or employee, who is a believer, seeks to please God in the work that they perform because everything that they ever needed was

found in Christ; as a result they do not have the pressure of proving their value or worth to anyone else (Keller 211). At the lowest level, one must seek to know the purpose God has for their life in order to live out the call of God.

“Developing a Christian worldview is an ever-advancing process for us, a process in which Christian convictions more and more shape our participation in culture” (Capps).

It is not about chasing after positions that will pay the most because ultimately, you are left unfulfilled as a result of pursuing things that are outside the scope of God’s intentions. Instead of it being God and business the tag line should be business in God. This manner of thought would then make it easier to understand Christians in business rather than a businessman who is a

Christian.

What is the difference in these statements? The fundamental difference is in what/who has defined your identity. If your identity is defined by what you do, where you work, the amount of money in your account or the awards you’ve won your like a hamster on a wheel working hard only to end up no where than where you started. The question of who are you can only be answered and shaped by the Creator. When you know who you are and whose you are, you can see how business is a tool God can use to accomplish His will because lives that have been redeemed are present in the business world. “We cannot afford to abandon culture, no matter how decrepit it maybe; we are after all, supposed to be the light in the darkness” (Barna 183).

“The Christian worldview, is at its very core, reality seen through the eyes of faith.

We will ultimately make all decisions according to our faith” (Chewning 6,7). Hebrews 5:7 KJV says, “without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” In a world whose greatest influences are greed and selfishness, the Christian in business must remain strong in their walk of faith. The only way to do so is through strong convictions and by following the leading of God. In contrast to a businessman who happens to be a Christian, a Christian in business can follow God’s calling to go into business and ultimately do business according to the heart of God. “Business is God’s rightful domain. He claims the supreme place of authority over every aspect of life, including business” (Peel). When this has been comprehended from the lowest position to the highest position, in an organization, the Christian in business can flow congruently with Gods

plans.
Every business has to define its bottom line and every person has to determine his or her bottom line. How many cities, states, regions or even nations will have an opportunity to experience everlasting transformation, the love of God and essentially participate in His redemptive plan, in and through the business? “When you ask how you bring God into your work, it’s by not getting caught up in making money or achieving power so that they become your gods” (Gunther). The bottom line for a Christian in business is not profit, its people! This is a different perspective, which influences how Christians do business and; therefore, the training process requires an understanding of how God’s word, affects the decisions and choices made. Profit in it’s self is not bad, but when it become the greatest and only mark of achievement it becomes unhealthy leading people to spiral into unethical choices because greed and selfishness now sit on throne of their heart (Keller 165). “There is no management-control system that can manage those people to always do the right thing,” therefore an understanding of what your bottom line is can in turn affect the way you do fulfill your role within your organization which ultimately effect the organization (Gunther).