As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Grudem… looks at all the activities of work and business through the lens of imitation, the idea that ‘God enjoys seeing his character reflected in our lives.’ In his book he explores all the opportunities business provides Christians to imitate God, thereby reflecting his character and honoring him.” - TIFWE
“I am grateful to Fr. Ben Johnson for his thoughtful response to my recent post, ‘The social responsibility of Chick-fil-A is to make delicious sandwiches.’ He adds some extra nuance, but I still stand my ground.” - Acton
“We must critique woke capitalism clearly and forcibly, remembering that business exists to realize the particular economic ends that constitute its specific common good.” - Samuel Gregg
“An obvious example is the workplace. I’ve talked for months now that Christians need a ‘theology of getting fired.’ You might be great at your job (and you should be as a Christian), but you might also face pressure to affirm and support your employer’s political agenda, one that has little to do with the company’s business model or strategic goals.” - Breakpoint
An Example of What You Can Get out of a Self-Helpy Book When You Must - Mark Ward
“Roberts told the Times News that he came up with the idea for the website after hearing about the story of Alois Bell, a pastor who wrote on her receipt in lieu of a tip, ‘I give God ten percent, why do you get 18.’” HuffPost
“A key court case may determine whether we begin looking over our shoulders.” Religious Test
Reprinted with permission from Baptist Bulletin May/Jun 2013. All rights reserved.
As a church leader, you are asked to counsel a man in your church who is having marital problems. In your first meeting, he tells you he is having an affair that he has no intention of ending. Do you have a duty to disclose this to the other leaders to work toward reconciliation? If his wife is a part of your church, do you also have an obligation to her? Do you have a duty of confidentiality to the counselee? If you didn’t disclose to him that you might be obliged to discuss his disclosure with church leaders, and if no one signed a waiver of confidentiality, you are in the middle of a conflict of interest.
The importance of the broader issue—ministerial ethics—should be obvious: an ethical failure can ruin a ministry. I recently wrote Doing Right while Doing Good with Kenneth Bickel to show how ethics is ultimately about choices. We debate the merits between courses of action because we seek the right choice. When we choose poorly (contrary to Scripture), we have failed. Consequences might include irrelevance, fractured relationships, or even the end of a ministry.
Discussion