Customer Reviews

Business for the Glory of God: The Bible's Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business

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I had never really thought about it, but I guess--even though it is contrary to my longing and belief that God can be and is glorified through all of the Christian's life--that I had always just assumed that business wasn't good in and of itself. In fact like Grudem asserts of those who are like I was, we believe, "that from a moral perspective [profit, competition, money, and business are] 'neutral' at best." I guess that when I was pursuing a degree in engineering, I thought that I could glorify God through it by sharing the gospel at the work place, earning enough money to free my wife up to be a stay-at-home mom, and being able to give more money to the church. But Grudem's view is so much balanced and biblical than these views, exposing my blindness that would have kept me from obeying 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do (including business), do all for the glory of God." (On a side not to 1 Cor 10:31, read "How to Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God," chapter 5 of John Piper's book, "Pierced by the Word.")

The topics in which Grudem covers in this book, with a chapter devoted to each one are:
How God is glorified by...
1. Ownership
2. Productivity
3. Employment
4. Commercial Transactions
5. Profit
6. Money
7. Inequality of Possessions
8. Competition
9. Borrowing and Lending

and he then includes two chapters on
10. Attitudes of Heart
11. Effects on World Poverty.

Grudem is not blind to the abuses of business, the ways in which we idolize money and success and become gracious losing sight of the fact that we are operating with God's stuff not ours. He regularly comments throughout the book on concerns to balance the view, but the real wealth of attitude-changing information comes from not-often-talked-about fact that business can in-and-of-itself be glorifying to God. We don't have to feel "vaguely guilty" about business but can use it to both glorify God while we're doing it and advance the Kingdom through it.

My only complaint is the size of the book, and for that I wish I could give it four-and-a-half stars. The book is really small (83 pages of text) and oftentimes when it seems like he is just beginning to develop a thought or when a proposition could use a little more defense, he needs to move on to the next topic of discussion. However, he can be excused because he has let the reader know that he is working on a larger edition saying in the preface, "The Bible says much about these topics, and a thorough treatment deserves a much larger book than this, one that I am still in the process of writing."

In summary, if you are in business or are a student studying or considering studying business, read this book. It should have a profound and God-glorifying effect (if read as it is written and not taken as a license to idolize business or success and withhold God's grace from people) on your life, studies, and career.

Soli deo gloria.

I own quite a few books written by Wayne Grudem and most of them vary between being long and very long (not to say that this is necessarily a bad thing). Grudem takes on difficult and controversial subjects such as Bible translation and the roles of men and women in the church and covers them both thoroughly and biblically. It was with some surprise, then, that I received Business for the Glory of God and noted that it is a mere 96 pages - the perfect size to read in a single evening. Its size may be deceiving, for this little book contains some powerful teaching about the value of business.

Grudem says, rightly I'm sure, that when people ask how their lives can glorify God, they are rarely told, "Go into business." Students, when they ask, "How can I serve God with my life," don't often hear the answer, "Go into business." This little book claims just this, that "many aspects of business activity are morally good in themselves, and that in themselves they bring glory to God - though they also have great potential for misuse and wrongdoing." Dr. Grudem examines business under the following headings:

1. Ownership
2. Productivity
3. Employment
4. Commercial transactions (buying and selling)
5. Profit
6. Money
7. Inequality of possessions
8. Competition
9. Borrowing and lending
10. Attitudes of hearing
11. Effect on world poverty

Through each chapter Grudem shows that the topic he discusses is fundamentally good, whether it be ownership, profit, or inequality of possessions, and that each one provides many opportunities to glorify God, but also many temptations to sin. The temptation to sin by making an idol of money, for example, does not negate the fact that money is fundamentally good and is a God-given gift. As we have come to expect from Grudem's books, this one is filled with references to the Bible and in fact is driven by Scripture.

What the reader will come to understand is that business, as fundamentally good as it is, is not an end in itself. Business and all the elements that comprise it, are instruments God uses to bring glory to Himself. God is glorified when we use our gifts and talents to employ others, to make money and to turn a profit. God is glorified when we borrow and lend and compete. God has entrusted these tools to us and expects us to use them in a way that honors Him. The book concludes with a reflection on the effect of business on world poverty. "I believe the only long-term solution to world poverty is business. That is because businesses produce goods, and business produce jobs. And business continue producing goods year after year, and continue providing jobs and paying wages year after year. Therefore if we are every going to see long-term solutions to world poverty, I believe it will come through starting and maintaining productive, profitable businesses."

Business for the Glory of God is a wonderful little book that is sure to edify whoever reads it. As we approach the Christmas season, this may be a book you would want to consider purchasing as a gift (or stocking-stuffer depending on your budget) for the man or woman in your life who is involved in business, or even for the teen who is wondering how he can use his life to bring glory to God. I enjoyed this book and am happy to recommend it.

I'm facinated by business and marrying the Kingdom of God to the topic of business really captured my attention. I couldn't wait to read the book. Each chapter was dissapointing with few, new thoughts. I think college students and those new to business may find this useful but those who have already spent much time in business or considering how business and the glory of God go together may not find much new to chew on here. I believe the author is a professor and not a businessman--which may be why he didn't deliver as much as I had hoped.

In this short book, Grudem consistently defends some of the tenets of capitalism such as private property, profit, and competition. He methodically looks at each of these to demonstrate that like all of God's gifts they are good, and rather than being just as morally neutral or an evil (to be tolerated as a necessary evil, or to be fought against), they should be used to glorify God; he also shows how like all of God's gifts they are subject to perversion by sinful choices.

Grudem bases his arguments on a handful of scriptural principles, and demonstrates that these tools of capitalism are effective techniques to achieve those principles.

I found this book to be one of the best regarding the "why" behind Christian principles at work. It very clearly provides an understanding as to how God uses businesses to minister to others in the marketplace. If anyone has negative connatations when it comes to business and profit, this book will clarify the topics once and for all!

I am a business student at Liberty University and also an individual investor. That being said, I keep up with the political, economic, and business news daily. For the most part the news is negative, and typically the big news stories are that of scandal and corruption. It seems to be a rare occasion that a morally positive story makes the front page. Of course, this makes most people think of business in general as an evil thing; or at best neutral. If you were to ask most people, "Is business in and of it self, basically evil, or basically good?" Most would probably say evil, or possibly neither.

This is the basic question that author Wayne Grudem, in his book Business for the Glory of God, tries to answer from a biblical perspective. Wayne argues that the key elements of business, ownership, productivity, employment, commercial transactions, profit, money, inequality of possessions, competition, and borrowing and lending all have the potential to be used for God's glory. He claims that these elements of business are "fundamentally good, and provide many opportunities for glorifying God." But he also does not deny that these elements "provide many temptations to sin".

Although the book was short, and not at all in depth, Business for the Glory of God does an excellent job of explaining and defending the benefits of business and its potential for good. I would recommend it.

Wayne Grudem is Research Professor of Bible and Theology at Phoenix Seminary. In addition to his work at Phoenix Seminary, Dr. Grudem also taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for 20 years. He has served as the president for both the council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Evangelical Theological Society (1999). He has written numerous articles and books. Two of his more recent works are The First Epistle of Peter: An Introduction and Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007) and Countering the Claims of Evangelical Feminism: Biblical Responses to the Key Questions (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2006).

Business for the Glory of God has a lot to offer for a book that has a total of 96 pages including the notes and indexes. In this work, Dr. Grudem unpacks what the Bible teaches concerning the moral goodness of business. The idea of moral goodness in business sounds like an oxymoron in light of the scandal-laden business world we see around us today. Dr. Grudem does a great job of illustrating how the various aspects of business, when exercised in a Godly manner, allow us to reflect certain characteristics of God. The aspects of business covered in this book are as follows:

Ownership
Money
Productivity
Inequality of Possessions
Employment
Competition
Commercial Transaction
Borrowing and Lending
Profit
Attitudes of the Heart

In each chapter, the particular aspect of business at hand is contrasted as being fundamentally good, providing both opportunities to glorify God as well as many opportunities to sin. The prevailing negative attitude in our culture towards business today may be largely in part to the numerous examples of business professionals succumbing to those temptations to sin rather than pursuing each aspect of their business to the glory of God. The book closes with an argument for the ability of "business rightly pursued" to make a dent in the problem of world poverty. The long-term solution Grudem proposes involves starting and maintaining productive and profitable businesses in developing countries. As these businesses are pursued to the glory of God, the positive effect of creating jobs and commerce should have a ripple effect where the economic status and ability of the people should continue to improve in ever-widening circles.

I would highly recommend this book to any Christian who is working in the business world. A prevailing message in Christian circles today is that the highest calling we could have is to serve God as a pastor or missionary. I feel this book shows how Christians can have a calling to business and in the midst of pursuing it; they can glorify God, reflect His attributes, and bless others.

This is classic Grudem... clear-minded, well-balanced, Biblical thinking on an important topic. It is a *must read* for every pastor who wishes to properly shepherd the businessmen and potential businessmen in his church. As one who has worked for nearly 15 years in the developing world, I also heartily agree with Grudem's antedote to world poverty (last chapter).

This was a very insight full book on the inheriant goodness of business. He attacked several misconceptions I had about business. Feeling guilty for earning a profit or being well off. What matters is how you obtain your money and what you do with it afterward. If you obtain your money through hard work and fairness in business dealings you deserve what you have. And the best way to help someone in need is through give them the power to earn their own profit.

Don't expect a lot of interesting or amusing stories this is bare bones biblical explanation.

This book should be the standard for helping not only business people but the poor, particularly in Africa and South America. This book is a terrific illustration of how Christians can worship God in everything they do. Grudem makes the case that this includes business too!

The footnote example from Hernando de Soto is a perfect example of government's injustice in holding poor people from making an honest living. Instead of pseudo Marxist platitudes concerning the evils of business, government should be encouraging business and the free market. The business activities that Grudem describes are not evil, but another way to glorify God.

Christians are just as prone as the rest of the population to look towards government to fix problems such as poverty. Government is extremely inefficient at just about everything it does and only through a biblical understanding of economics can help people see a change in world poverty.

In short, Grudem's economics are sound, because they are biblical.