{{2009_09_07_t1.jpg}}
{{2009_09_07_t2.jpg}}
{{2009_09_07_t3.jpg}}
[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2009_09_07|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]]
[[topics_collection_i|| Topics Collection i ]]
======Business and Faith I - Intro.======
Monday, Sept 7, 2009. What is the relation between business and faith?
Is there a relation at all? Can faith influence business or are these
independent? Does the bible have any particular suggestions or commands
with respect to business? Would a Christian do different business than
someone who does not believe in Jesus? How can I be a businessman or
businesswoman and at the same time believe in Christ - what does it mean,
how will faith influence what I do?
Most countries today have a market oriented economy. In simple terms we
could see this as follows: humans have capabilities to do things - it
can be on a handcraft level or work with the mind, for example generating
software. If others want to use things we do, we can sell them. One
does work and the other gives value back to the one who delivers something.
This leads to the monetary system, to money and salaries.
It is extremely efficient if you specialize on something, since you
will be much quicker and you quality will be higher when you do something
more often. Building professions, particular jobs and structures to put
jobs together to produce something more sophisticated is natural. We
quickly end up with something like our society of specialists - mixed with
people who organize and administration.
{{2009_09_07.jpg }}
But as soon as some people do the same or similar services or products,
there is competition. It is good to see who has better ideas and who has
done the best job in building up structures. The products will have
either better quality, they might be superior in terms of the technology
or they are just cheaper due to a better organization process. As soon as
you allow people to choose between different products, you have markets and
competition in a system. Some markets will grow, others will decline.
Then there will be winners and loosers. It might be intelligence
to find the better idea, or mere luck. But some will succeed and others
will not.
What is the Christian view on the monetary system, on specialization and on
products, on markets and competition? The answer is that all this is
necessary. We live in this world and have been told by God to take care of
it and use it. To do things for others and get value back is perfectly ok.
To specialize and provide a good quality service or good quality products
is good and reasonable. I believe God is fine with markets and products. He
wants us to be able to use various goods, the many toys and usefull things which
the modern world generates. And we live in a dynamic world, were products
and services improve due to the technological and scientific development.
That's a good thing - it improves the life of people on a particular level.
How does God see competition? It is not a problem to try to do the best,
several give it a try and you choose the best result. God does not have
a problem with human competition.
Now we come to the point where Christian faith makes a big difference. The
way we deal with production, with services, the way we evolve our systems,
all this is linked to our idea about society, our idea about human
interaction and human value. It is us who set the values, who decide about
what is important. The markets will follow our decisions. This is in fact
what happens: if many humans want a computer, the markets will follow and
provide computers. Are we driving the markets or are we driven by the markets?
A we making good use of money, or are we driven by money? Are we actively
working with specialization? Are we keeping a good sense of what is valuable
and what is just a secondary value generated by the structures which should
serve humans? Do we still own the system or are we owned by the system?
Do we want to collect as many goods as we can, as much money as we can? Or
are we clear that all this is only a tool to help humans to become more
human, to help kids to develop into their full potential, to allow everyone
on this planet to live a human life?
[R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]
{{ 2009_09_07_2.jpg}}
[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_i|... more texts]]