Reply to the below discussion in approximately 250 words. Cite all work and use a bible passage to coincide with your reply
Larry Davis
Larry Davis
ThursdaySep 1 at 3:47pm
Discussion Thread: Entrepreneurship and Christian Worldview
When it comes to entrepreneurship and the Christian worldview, there can be some debate on how both of these ideas interact. Entrepreneurship has a set of principles that most entrepreneurs follow. Many have asked this one question about entrepreneurship and the Christian worldview. That question is simply are they compatible? Or do entrepreneurship and free markets fit within biblical principles? This discussion argues that entrepreneurship and free markets do fit within biblical principles.
The definition of entrepreneurship that was presented in American Entrepreneur is read, “Most theorists have accepted a definition of the entrepreneur as “one who takes the risk to start a business.” [i] (Schweikart 2009) [1] When considering this definition of entrepreneurship that most have accepted, the question is where entrepreneurship and free markets fit within some of the biblical principles and Christian worldviews. The biblical worldview for this discussion is comprised of a few principles and those principles are the following:
God has established order, intelligence, and truth in the universe and history (Isaiah 42:5, John 1:1, John 1:14, Acts 17: 25 & 28, Romans 11: 36)
The Bible provides principles of ethics that guide our evaluation of people and nations (Exodus 20: 1-17)
The Bible teaches all men to recognize their human limitations. (Psalm 90, Psalm 139)
It is my stance that entrepreneurship and free markets fit within the three principles above. The first principle says that God has established order, intelligence, and truth in the universe.
Paul says, “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation 2007) [2] With this in mind, it is apparent that all things come from God. Even the ability to make a living in the free market.
The Bible gives us clear guidelines and instructions to live by so that we can honor God in all we do. In the book of Exodus chapter 20, we see that God gives the ten commandments to the people of Israel. I like to think of the ten commandments as a set of parameters by which we as human beings can live our lives. Given this set of parameters, a person should be able to take part in the free market as an entrepreneur as long as they stay within the parameters of the Word of God.
The ten commandments can also be viewed as the first set of business principles that any business can conduct its daily activities. The mission, vision, and values of an entrepreneur can and should start with the ten commandments in some form or fashion. I agree with what’s stated in the second biblical principle. Entrepreneurship and free markets fit within the principles of the Bible because the Bible does provide principles and ethics that guide our evaluation of people, and it should be used when starting and doing business.
The third principle says that the Bible teaches all men to recognize their human limitations. This is something that has to be understood in any area of life regardless of being an entrepreneur or not. People should recognize their need for God because we all have limitations as human beings. We can’t possibly know all there is to know. However, we have a God that is omniscient. He is all-knowing and can see the end from the beginning. We don’t have the strength and the power to do everything and yet we have a God that is Omnipotent. He is all-powerful. He can make things happen if it is in his will.
Entrepreneurs need God to bless their efforts because, without Him, it can be difficult. Psalms 90:17 says, “And may the Lord our God show us his approval. and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!” As I said, people need God to bless their efforts and not only to approve their efforts.
Richard Goossen describes the Christian worldview of Entrepreneurship as a “Christian Model”. The first core element is that the Christian Model is rooted in an overarching “God-narrative” It is the ultimate… Christian Model is rooted in an over-arching “God narrative” …” As part of this God narrative, Christians have the revealed Word of God by which to guide their actions. [3] Goossen goes on to give a real-world example of how the Word of God guides a Christian entrepreneur’s actions when he says, “The worldview of Christian entrepreneurs will work itself out in various practical ways. One Christian executive indicated that he relied mostly on the “golden rule,” which he interpreted as being upfront and honest with employees when layoffs were necessary.” (Goossen 2004) Entrepreneurship and free markets fit within the biblical principles because there are several examples in the Bible of how to conduct business as a free market enterprise.
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