Some CEOs Use Bible as Management Guide

The Wired Word for October 15, 2006 In the News On Monday, The Wall Street Journal carried a story headlined "Managing by the (Good) Book" that reported that a number of top executives in a variety of businesses seek management advice from the Bible. Several of these CEOs and managers are evangelical Christians, but their number also includes some from other religions. There is even an organization, the C12 Group, which is a network of 550 executives who meet monthly to discuss management in light of religion. As an example, the article mentions Mark Dillon, the president of Tampa Bay Steel Corp. Some time ago, when the business cycle made a layoff at the company necessary, Dillon debated whether to execute it before or after Christmas. Finally, basing his decision on Matthew 7:12, "do to others as you would have them do to you," he opted for the pre-Christmas schedule. He reasoned, "Do to others. If I was going to be laid off, I'd rather know before I spent all that money on Christmas presents." Likewise, Dillon became convinced that the Bible's comments about "honest scales" applied to his company's practices of paying its bills a few weeks late while at the same time pressuring its customers to pay on time. As a result, he okayed the borrowing of a large sum to get caught up on overdue invoices. Another leader, the chairman of Pilgrim's Pride Corp, a poultry producer, rejected a cost-cutting plan because it did not show enough compassion. Still another executive, the head of the staffing firm KForce, says that because of biblical principles, the company's finance chief chose a more expensive software vendor over a cheaper one who was less scrupulous. Managers who are Christian say there is "no inherent contradiction" between running a company and behaving spiritually. Skeptics claim that the practice of religion at the executive level can put off people of other faiths or of no faith, but lawyers maintain that as long as employees and vendors do not feel pressured to adopt the leader's faith, there are no legal problems. In the C12 Group, the members grade their companies on financial performance, but also on religious matters, including such things as "saving souls" and donations to religious causes. In Dillon's company, workers who do not share his religious views cannot escape exposure to them through company structures, but those interviewed for the article say they have never felt pressured to change their own beliefs and enjoy their jobs. What's more, as Dillon's conclusions about ethics and faith practices get translated into company policies, even non-Christian employees of the company find themselves operating on principles that Christians would approve.

The Wall Street Journal article may be found at: http://online.wsj.com/services/article/SB116035608126386426search.html?KEYWORDS=Dillon&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month. However, Wall Street Journal articles online are available only to subscribers to the newspaper, so unless you have a subscription, you will not be able to access this link. Some related stories can be found at: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2003/02/01/336850/index.htm http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/94/god-and-mammon.html The Big Questions The use of the Bible as a business-management guide suggests the following questions: 1. Is it appropriate that Christian executives should use the Bible as a guide for business decisions? Why or why not? 2. Are there any aspects of business to which it would be difficult to apply biblical principles? If so, which aspects and why? 3. Does a Christian executive have any obligation to use his position to evangelize for his faith? If so, within what limits? 4. Do employees have any obligation to use the workplace as a place to spread their faith? If so, within what limits? 5. It is usually assumed that the primary task of business is to make a profit for shareholders and owners and that the primary responsibility of the CEO is to those persons. If to adhere to a biblical principle would result in less profit, what should a Christian CEO do? Confronting the News with Scripture Here are some verses to guide our thinking: Genesis 28:16 "Surely the LORD is in this place -- and I did not know it!" (For context, read 28:1-5, 10-17.) Jacob had deceived his father Isaac and cheated his brother Esau, and his behavior made it wise for him to leave home. On his journey back to his ancestral homeland, he stopped for the night at Bethel, where God addressed him in a dream. When Jacob awoke, he made the statement quoted above. His surprise at finding God in Bethel was probably because in that primitive time, Jacob's kin still thought of God as localized to their home region rather than present everywhere. It is our contention that "Surely the LORD is in this place" can be applied to every location, including the factory, the mine, the store, the boardroom, the shop, the office, etc. Question: What makes some locations seem ungodly?

Leviticus 19:36 "You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt." (For context, read 19:1-37.) Leviticus 19 is part of the "holiness code" God gave to ancient Israel, and it is filled with commands applying to all areas of life, including, in the case of verse 36, business and commerce. Clearly this verse assumes that there will be business and finds no fault with the idea of it; the command simply and plainly calls for it to be conducted honestly, using scales with "honest weights." (In ancient Israel, the "ephah" was a unit of dry measure and the "hin" a unit of liquid measure.) But note this: The whole command includes "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt." In other words, the reason for honesty in business is not merely because it is a good idea or because it will result in repeat trade for the merchant. The reason is because the people are called to be holy as God is holy. Dealing ethically in business is one of the ways we emulate the character of God in our lives. Question: In what ways is this whole command applicable to your work life today? Nehemiah 13:15 "In those days I saw in Judah people treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys; and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day ...." (For context, read 13:15-22.) Following the release of the Jews from exile in Babylon, they began rebuilding Jerusalem. Nehemiah was the current leader, and verses 15-22 tell of the measures he took to reinstitute the Sabbath observance among the people, for by that time, the activity of business, labor and commerce had intruded into the Sabbath. One of the things we can take from this passage is that while business itself is in no way condemned, the biblical expectation is that the activity of commerce should not supplant one's religious and spiritual obligations. Question: In what ways does your place of employment accommodate the religious life of its workers? Matthew 7:12 "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets." (This is a complete statement; no additional context needed.) Jesus made this statement as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and it has come to be called "the Golden Rule." (It also appears in Luke 6:31, in the context of Jesus' call to love one's enemies.) As mentioned in the news summary, one CEO used this verse to decide when to execute a layoff of employees, trying to do it in the timing he'd want if it were being done to him.

The Wall Street Journal article also told of Michael Ratzker, an observant Jew who runs his business, Midland Metals International, on principles of his religion. He also adheres to the Golden Rule. As a Jew, he does not quote Jesus, but instead uses a story from the Talmud (a collection of ancient rabbinic writings) in which a rabbi is challenged to teach the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) while standing on one foot. The rabbi does it by saying, "Do not do unto others what you hate being done to yourself." Question: What is "golden" about this command? Luke 10:7 "... the laborer deserves to be paid." (For context, read 10:1-12.) Jesus made this statement to the 70 followers he sent out in pairs to prepare the way for his visits to the towns of Galilee and Samaria. He told them not to carry supplies, but to depend on the people in the communities where they spoke to provide for them. The statement, however, has a business application. Occasionally we hear of a business leader who puts laborers, vendors or private contractors to work for him and then either does not pay them or takes so long to pay them they suffer real hardship. The practice is not only unethical, it is unbiblical. Question: What other applications of this statement can you think of? Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ." (For context, read 3:22--4:1.) This is advice from the apostle Paul to slaves who are followers of Christ. He urges them to work wholeheartedly because as Christians, their true Lord is not their human master, but the divine Christ. We might wish Paul had challenged the whole institution of slavery, but it was a part of his society, and he stuck to spreading the gospel. In any case, his advice can be more widely applied. In a real sense, the shareholders and company owners are the "masters" that CEOs serve. Yet those who profess Christ should also want their work for their human masters to also reflect well on their commitment to Christ. Like the command in Leviticus 19:36 quoted earlier, the whole statement here includes not just the instruction to work wholeheartedly, but also the words "as done for the Lord" and "you serve the Lord Christ." That's the reason for the wholehearted labor. Question: Where do you need to apply this instruction in your life? Questions for Further Discussion

1. Respond to this statement: "Most of us spend the major part of 250 days every year at our place of employment, so when we decide what our values are as employers or workers, we are actually talking about how we will live our lives." 2. To what degree is your work your ministry? 3. Sometimes being moral and ethical brings unpleasant or painful consequences. As followers of Jesus, what should be our attitude about that? 4. The economist Milton Friedman famously said: "The business of business is business." What do you think he meant? 5. What do think was Jesus' attitude toward business and commerce? Closing Prayer O God, Lord of our lives, help us whether we are captains of industry or cogs in the wheels of commerce or anywhere in between, to perform our tasks as if done for you. Help us to learn from the Scriptures what you want us to understand for every aspect of our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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