Table Of Content“Kenman Wong and Scott Rae have again joined forces to compile a veritable treasure-
trove for anyone wishing to make fruitful connections between business and Christianity.
They present compelling arguments for a fresh vision of business as transformational ser-
vice for the common good. ”
Dr. Richard Higginson, Cambridge University
“Christians in secular businesses and students heading in that direction will be better
equipped to glorify God by taking to heart this book’s portrayal of business as transforma-
tional service for the common good. Christians new to thinking theologically about busi-
ness will receive a cogent primer on first principles while those who have been pondering
faith and business for some time will learn from chapters that tackle more complicated
subjects such as marketing and environmental sustainability. I am especially pleased to see
the authors’ biblical support for ideas that challenge conventional evangelical Christian
thinking about business—from the idea that business has positive and not just negative
effects on spiritual formation to the idea that the need for transformation is both personal
and institutional.”
Stephen N. Bretsen, Wheaton College
“Is business a legitimate arena in which Christians might work out their calling? Wong
and Rae answer that question clearly, neither simplifying the message of Scripture nor
avoiding the messy complexities of the business world. This is a book without answers or
checklists. Rather, it asks readers to own the questions at the heart of business, to develop
guidelines for action, to create boundaries within which individual and corporate transfor-
mation and service can flourish.”
Walter C. Wright Jr., Max De Pree Center for Leadership
“The authors of Business for the Common Good have masterfully challenged the reader to
rethink the ‘calling’ of business in order to achieve divine purposes in the world through
transformational service. They skillfully explain the need for biblically-based ideals and
frameworks to provide an inspiring vision for business. In today’s global business economy,
the reader is brought to the realization that there are two distinct bottom lines: economic
and social. A must-read!”
Harold Taber, Hansen Beverage Co.
“This is an outstanding book that today, more than ever, belongs on the bookshelf of any-
body in the business world. Authors Wong and Rae have captured the challenges we all
face in day-to-day business dealings and have illustrated those challenges in thought-
provoking prose and interesting case studies. Business for the Common Good is an excellent
tool for all business managers who struggle with applying Christian values in today’s busi-
ness environment.”
Jim Harrington, O’Leary and Partners Advertising and Public Relations
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“Business for the Common Good . . . features a welcome mix of contemporary research and
practice, and biblical ideas that have been helpfully grounded in their historical socio-
economic context. I especially applaud the thoughtful format of the book, as each chapter
starts with a real-world problem that engages readers and then respectfully provides dif-
fering perspectives on the issue. . . . I think the book would be especially well-suited to
stimulate meaningful discussion in small group and classroom settings.”
Bruno Dyck, University of Manitoba
“Business for the Common Good is a must-read for all people of faith that participate in the
world of business. Kenman Wong and Scott Rae skillfully tackle the many dilemmas fac-
ing business people, offering a fresh faith-perspective on topics such as business as a call-
ing, wealth and ambition, the global economy, marketing, ethics, stewardship and corpo-
rate social responsibility. The book is extensively researched and presents a nuanced
viewpoint that challenges the reader to rethink preconceived positions. . . . If you read only
one book on faith integration and business, Business for the Common Good should be it.”
Brian Porter, Hope College
“Nothing in this book prevents it enriching the lives of Hindus such as myself—or, as far
as I can see, those of Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics or atheists! If you want to understand
business from a spiritual, ethical or indeed simply humane point of view, this is a great
book with which to get a perspective on today’s issues, challenges and opportunities.”
Prabhu Guptara, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
“Kenman Wong and Scott Rae have followed up their best-in-class business ethics text-
book, Beyond Integrity, with a superb, comprehensive reflection on work and business
within a biblical Christian worldview. They stand on the shoulders of their colleagues and
predecessors and take the discussion to a new level. A wonderful guide for business practi-
tioners as well as their academic and pastoral colleagues.”
David W. Gill, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
“Does God have a purpose for business? Can the work of business be a part of the world
that God so loves? Can we view our work in business as an act of worship—a calling of
God? These are just some of the questions addressed in this book. It is an important read
for a Christian businessperson seeking to be a ‘good and faithful servant.’ ”
C. William Pollard, Fairwyn Investment Company and The ServiceMaster Company
“Business and theology are generally far removed from each other. This book, written by
experts in these fields, brings them together in fresh and insightful ways. Their treatment
is well informed and balanced throughout. And they deal with complex issues with clarity
and sophistication. These rare characteristics mean that all readers can expect to be richly
rewarded.”
Peter Heslam, University of Cambridge
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Christian WorldvieW i ntegration s eries
n e s s
u s i
b
Com mon good
for the
a Christian
vision for the
Marketplace
L . Wong
K e n m a n
B . R a e
& S c o t t
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InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com
Email: [email protected]
©2011 by Kenman L. Wong and Scott B. Rae
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from
InterVarsity Press.
InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of
students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States
of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information
about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400
Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at <www.intervarsity.org>.
®
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version .
®
niv . Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.
Design: Cindy Kiple
ISBN 978-0-8308-6841-4 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-2816-6 (print)
Front.indd 4 7/11/14 9:55 AM
Con t en ts
Series Preface / 7
Acknowledgments / 25
Introduction / 27
1 Your Work Is an Altar / 39
2 The Shape of a Calling to Business / 64
3 Business and Spiritual Formation / 92
4 Wealth, Success and Ambition / 115
5 Business and the Global Economy / 138
6 Ethics in the Workplace / 164
7 Leadership and Management: Serving Employees / 190
8 Marketing: Serving Customers / 211
9 Stewardship and Sustainability: Serving the
Garden and Our Neighbors / 230
10 Emerging Directions in Business / 251
Conclusion / 284
Subject Index / 286
Scripture Index / 288
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BusForCommonGood.indb 6 12/30/10 10:19:53 AM
series Preface
A Call to Integration and the
Christian Worldview Integration Series
l
ife’s short and we’re all busy. If you’re a college student, you’re really
busy. There’s your part-time job (which seems full time), your social life
(hopefully) and church. On top of that you’re expected to go to class, do
some reading, take tests and write papers. Now, while you are minding
your own business, you hear about something called “integration,” trying
to relate your major with your Christianity. Several questions may come to
mind: What is integration, anyway? Is it just a fad? Why should I care
about it? And even if I do care about it, I don’t have a clue as to how to go
about doing it. How do I do this? These are good questions, and in this
introduction we’re going to address them in order. We are passionate about
helping you learn about and become good at integrating your Christian
convictions with the issues and ideas in your college major or your career.
What Is IntegratIon?
The word integrate means “to form or blend into a whole,” “to unite.” We
humans naturally seek to find the unity that is behind diversity, and in fact
coherence is an important mark of rationality. There are two kinds of in-
tegration: conceptual and personal. In conceptual integration, our theologi-
cal beliefs, especially those derived from careful study of the Bible, are blended
and unified with important, reasonable ideas from our profession or college ma-
jor into a coherent, intellectually satisfying Christian worldview. As Augus-
tine wisely advised, “We must show our Scriptures not to be in conflict
with whatever [our critics] can demonstrate about the nature of things
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8 Business for the Common Good
from reliable sources.”1 In personal integration we seek to live a unified
life, a life in which we are the same in public as we are in private, a life in
which the various aspects of our personality are consistent with each other
and conducive to a life of human flourishing as a disciple of Jesus.
The two kinds of integration are deeply intertwined. All things being
equal, the more authentic we are, the more integrity we have, the more we
should be able to do conceptual integration with fidelity to Jesus and
Scripture, and with intellectual honesty. All things being equal the more
conceptual integration we accomplish, the more coherent will be our set of
beliefs and the more confidence we will have in the truth of our Christian
worldview. In fact, conceptual integration is so important that it is worth
thinking some more about why it matters.
seven reasons Why IntegratIon Matters
1. The Bible’s teachings are true. The first justification for integration is
pretty obvious, but often overlooked. Christians hold that, when properly
interpreted, the teachings of Holy Scripture are true. This means two things.
If the Bible teaches something relevant to an issue in an academic field,
the Bible’s view on that topic is true and thus provides an incredibly rich
resource for doing work in that academic field. It would be irresponsible to
set aside an important source of relevant truth in thinking through issues
in our field of study or vocation. Further, if it looks like a claim on our
field tends to make a biblical claim false, this tension needs to be resolved.
Maybe our interpretation of Scripture is mistaken, maybe the Bible is not
even talking about the issue, maybe the claim in our field is false. What-
ever the case, the Christian’s commitment to the truth of Scripture makes
integration inevitable.
Adolfo Lopez-Otero, a Stanford engineering professor and a self-
described secular humanist, offers advice to thinking Christians who
want to have an impact on the world: “When a Christian professor ap-
proaches a non-believing faculty member . . . they can expect to face a
polite but condescending person [with a belief that they possess] superior
metaphysics who can’t understand how such an intelligent person [as
1Augustine De genesi ad litteram 1.21, cited in Ernan McMullin, “How Should Cosmology Re-
late to Theology?” in The Sciences and Theology in the Twentieth Century, ed. Arthur R. Peacocke
(Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981), p. 20.
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Series Preface 9
yourself] still believes in things which have been discredited eons ago.”2
He goes on to say that “[Christian professors] cannot afford to give ex-
cuses . . . if they are honest about wanting to open spiritual and truthful
dialogue with their non-believing colleagues—that is the price they must
pay for having declared themselves Christians.”3 While Lopez-Otero’s
remarks are directed to Christian professors, his point applies to all
thinking Christians: If we claim that our Christian views are true, we
need to back that up by interacting with the various ideas that come from
different academic disciplines. In short, we must integrate Christianity
and our major or vocation.
2. Our vocation and the holistic character of discipleship demand integration.
As disciples grow, they learn to see, feel, think, desire, believe and behave
the way Jesus does in a manner fitting to the kingdom of God and their
own station in life. With God’s help we seek to live as Jesus would if he
were a philosophy professor at Biola University married to Hope and fa-
ther of Ashley and Allison, or as a political philosopher at Baylor Univer-
sity married to Frankie.
Two important implications flow from the nature of discipleship. For one
thing the lordship of Christ is holistic. The religious life is not a special
compartment in an otherwise secular life. Rather, the religious life is an
entire way of life. To live Christianly is to allow Jesus Christ to be the Lord
of every aspect of our life. There is no room for a secular-sacred separation
in the life of Jesus’ followers. Jesus Christ should be every bit as much at
home in our thinking and behavior when we are developing our views in our
area of study or work as he is when we are in a small group fellowship.
Further, as disciples of Jesus we do not merely have a job. We have a
vocation as a Christian teacher. A job is a means for supporting ourselves
and those for whom we are responsible. For the Christian a vocation (from
the Latin vocare, which means “to call”) is an overall calling from God.
Harry Blamires correctly draws a distinction between a general and a spe-
cial vocation:
The general vocation of all Christians—indeed of all men and women—is the
same. We are called to live as children of God, obeying his will in all things.
2Adolfo Lopez-Otero, “Be Humble, but Daring,” The Real Issue 16 (September-October 1997):
10.
3Ibid., p. 11.
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