It is cool today to discuss everything in light of theology. There are articles that detail for us the theology of our presidential candidates. Articles that detail the theology of hipsters and millennials and (insert label here). What I don’t hear much about is the theology of business. Have we relegated theology so far to the realm of the individual that we can only pack “our” theology to work? Can a corporation have a theology? Or is it simply an extension of the leadership and their theology?
On many fronts, the theology of a business is a reflection of the leadership. This is true for a number of features of a business. The culture will be a direct reflection of the leadership. The staff will be a reflection of the leadership. Again while leadership will influence the theology of a business it will not be the only determining factor.
Business is a field in which many followers of Christ find themselves engaging personally and professionally every single day. Very few get to live in the insular bubble of “professional ministry”. Even fewer acknowledge their calling to the marketplace. We laud those who dropped everything to follow Jesus. His closest disciples left their professions to follow him. However, there were clearly many with whom Jesus interacted that did not give up their day job to follow him. In fact, it is quite evident that Jesus’ ministry was supported by the wages of those who did not give up their professions. Judas was the accountant in the group after all.
So for those of us called to “mind the gap” between faith and market, what does our theology look like. Over the next few posts, I will work to unpack the idea of the Theology of Business. What does following God in the marketplace look like? What does a corporate theology involve? How do we live a fully integrated life of faith and work?
We shall see. -EP
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