Why Business Matters to God
Why Business Matters to God
I think Mr. Van Duzer’s (2012) speech was exceptional and emphasized the importance of taking a critical approach to business and even Biblical inquiry. I think he provides a lot of important insights, like when mentioning the need for nuance, and how business functions as an extension of God’s will, and in a sort of cooperation with humanity. Unfortunately, I am less enthusiastic about how likely people are to heed Mr. Van Duzer’s advice. As he mentions himself, when describing a conversation with his father, many people – including Christians – are of the mindset that the objective of a business is to make money. An article by Alton (2015) similarly affirms that money tends to be the top motivation of entrepreneurs, followed by other values like greater control and flexibility.
Mr. Van Duzer also notes that even many Christian business owners he talked to imply a sort of passive (rather than active) connection between God and business by suggesting that it is comparable to chemistry, and feel there is no real need to further involve God. I was a bit surprised (but not too much so) that the Christian business owners he talked to were so adamant about free markets. It seems abundantly clear that unregulated business will much more often than not turn to exploit others. I feel that Mr. Van Duzer’s insights are comparable to how many people take their relationship with God. People assume that God’s omnipresence means that they have little or no obligation to ensure that God is involved in their business’s daily conduct. Just like how people presume that conducting business and following the law bars them from any obligation to integrate ethical or moral decision-making into their business decisions. They assume that it is “built-in,” so to speak. In business terms, they think of God like a silent partner – there to bear some of the burdens, but not so much to be involved in actually shaping the business’s operations. Overcoming this means pointing out these contradictions, forcing some people to reevaluate themselves and their beliefs. Nevertheless, we have preachers who are millionaires while giving sermons about how Jesus lived in relative poverty. A lot of resistance to such cognizance is already deeply ingrained. I fear that Mr. Van Duzer’s points are most likely to be taken in by those who are already more receptive and attuned to God’s will rather than the broader society at which it seems aimed.
References
Alton, L. (2015). The 5 motivations that drive people to choose entrepreneurship. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249417
RedeemerCFW. (2012). Jeff Van Duzer – Why Business Matters to God [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3m0q2d8Dq4
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