Do the ends justify the means?

I went to Austin last week for work and got a chance to spend some time with some guys from my old fraternity at UT, Brothers Under Christ. I asked them the question from last week's blog -- what does it mean to preach the gospel at all times in business -- and we had a very interesting conversation. The primary theme that seemed to arise again and again was a very utilitarian philosophy -- that the end justifies the means.

One example: "Doesn't the actual business itself come second to the hundreds of employees who depend on that business for jobs, health care, etc."

What I found most interesting is the fact that I had a very similar conversation with a man in his 50s who has spent time both as a businessman and as a pastor. He told me that, as Christian businessmen, we should be satisfied with providing people with jobs and, in working with them, developing relationships. I don't disagree that those are important but, as I've said a million times, we have to scrutinize all that we do (including and especially the work we do every day) from a perspective transformed by the Gospel. If we pick and choose that which the Gospel is to transform in our lives, we are living religious morality, not the Gospel.

It seems this utilitarian perspective is pervasive among Christians of all ages, with all kinds of education and experiences. But I have to say I disagree with it completely. I think an "ends justify the means" mentality grows out of a fear of lost control. "If I don't look out for myself first, who will? Once I guarantee financial security, then I can be a minister of the Gospel." But Jesus commands us to choose Him over money (Matthew 6:24), not money in hopes it will facilitate ministry. We are to seek first His righteousness and He will add all of these things (Matthew 6:33).

So what do you think? Put yourself in a small business owner's shoes -- is it Godly to care first about providing wages and health care for your employees, regardless of the means?

Or consider 1 Timothy 5:8 which says "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Is this commanding us to place primary priority on providing for our families with secondary consideration to the means?

How can we preach the Gospel at all times?

I have been haunted this week with this question. The Dude and I talked about the famous St. Francis of Assisi quote a few months ago -- "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words" -- and agreed that: 1) most Christians use that quote as an excuse to not use words, 2) while it seems basic, most of us don't know what the Gospel is and 3) if we don't know what it is, we certainly don't know how to preach it at all times.

Preaching the Gospel at all times undoubtedly requires attention, as we discussed last week, to the amount of time dedicated to work and home, but it is much, much bigger than that. I may be wrong, but I think most Christians in the business world boil their ministry down to relationships at work and relationships at home. And while relationships are clearly extremely important, I think that view is way short of God's intention for our lives.

The Bible is clear about how marriage is intended to boldly and clearly communicate the Gospel, but what about a job in marketing/medicine/financial planning?

I talked to a buddy tonight who currently works for one of the Big 4 accounting firms and is considering a new job doing financial planning for small companies. As we talked about this question -- how he could preach the Gospel at all times in this new job -- we talked about the opportunity to study God's teaching about money and share that with the companies he consults. Odds are he won't talk about tithing, but he can certainly encourage them to get out of debt. And if the occasion arises, he can talk about the power money has over the heart...and maybe about how money isn't a bad thing, it just has to be honored as a gift from God for His glory, that we are helpless without Jesus and even the decisions we make with our money should reflect that understanding.

I was encouraged after talking to this guy because I'm afraid we/I too often overlook what we do every day, 8/10/15 hours a day in terms of how it communicates the Gospel. What do you guys think? How can you communicate the Gospel in sales when you have targets you have to hit? In law when you have hours you have to bill? How have you done it or seen it done?

Does work make it impossible to be a Godly father/husband/friend?

Welcome back. We have some exciting ground to cover this Fall -- from advertising to the environment to poverty -- but I saw a provocative article on CNN.com yesterday I couldn't pass up. The title: "Survey: Working dads want more family time." Some highlights:

• 37% of working dads say they'd leave their jobs if their spouse or partner made enough money to support the family
• 38% would take a pay cut to spend more time with their kids
• 24% of working dads feel work is negatively impacting their relationship with their children
• 27% of working dads say they spend more than 50 hours a week on work and 8% spend more than 60 hours; contrast that with 25% who spend less than one hour with their kids each day and 42% who spend less than two hours each day

This raises some very interesting questions for us as Christ-followers (I realize this kind of work week applies to men working in business, in the church, or virtually anywhere else)

1. Is there a Biblical mandate to spend time with our kids/wife? I think we'd all say we should, but why?
   - I think passages like 1 Peter 4:7, Ephesians 5:25-30, and Psalm 78:1-8 make it clear we are to impart the glory of God to our wives and children. Our culture has introduced the false notion that this can be done over the phone or over a weekend.


2. Is it Biblical to be a stay at home dad?
   - I think the answer is No. Genesis 2:15 leads me to believe that, in God's perfect design (before the Fall), man was created to "work the land." From Genesis 3 to Ephesians 5 to 1 Timothy 5:8, the Bible places primary responsibility for financial and spiritual leadership on the man -- I believe that is difficult socially and spiritually if the wife is the primary breadwinner.


3. If 38% of men would take a paycut to spend more time at home, why don't we?
   - I think it's simply because we wouldn't actually take the paycut if it were offered. Sure it sounds like a good idea on a survey but not when it means actually parting with money.


4. Is there a viable alternative to the 40/50/60 hour work week? Is it even possible to love our family, friends, neighbors the way Christ commands when we only have the weekends and 1-2 hours a night?
   - My first reaction is that my laziness/lack of true love and discipline is more to blame than work but I also believe there is something very wrong with the amount of social emphasis we place not only on work but the hours we work...as if working long hours is a badge of honor while crumbling relationships at home are ignored. I can also attest (as I write this at midnight) that if I choose to work long hours and spend time with Erica/friends, I consequently fail to honor God by sleeping and taking care of my body.

I miss discussing these things with you guys. I'm looking forward to getting after it again.