Since When Did Christianity Become a Business Niche?
There are a few lazy businesspeople in every niche in the US economy (and probably elsewhere) that are involved in ‘X’ industry, but do not provide a product or service remarkable enough to have an edge. However, if they slap ‘Christian’ in front of their business name, then they believe they have a competitive advantage.
No… they’re still just mediocre at what they do, which is why they couldn’t make it competing with the real businesspeople in their market. Now they’re hanging out in the shallow end of the pool, putting a fish on their business card as a not-so-subtle sign to believers to give them more business, and hoping that people believing that since they’re a “Christian” purveyor of ‘X’ goods and services, it makes them more trustworthy or valuable to the economy.
Seems like that would just place me closer to the moneychangers in the temple square who got chased down the street by a certain JC.
I’m not innocent of this by any means - I’ve been tempted probably 4 or 5 times this past year to start a business or differentiate my business by doing just what I griped to you about. I don’t do rant posts unless I’m closing it with my own personal experience of partially soiled hands. I’ve written on this before, but as new technology opens up new opportunities, I see the same old tricks. I’m waiting for the first Christian Iphone unlocking service. Ok, now I’ve been tempted 6 times 
If you want an example of what I mean, type in “Christian business” in google, and look at the ads at the very top and right of the page. What do you see? I see a bunch of Mult-level marketing pipedreams where people talk very generally about working from home, making insane amounts of money selling an unmentioned product. If a product is so fabulous, I wouldn’t be hiring some untrained professional off the street to sell it. I’d be hiring a real pro to sell to businesses. If the product is consumer-based, then I’d be hitting media channels to do it. The real kicker is that these companies ask their supposed brethren to pay money for information or to join them - no salesperson should have to invest unless they’re getting equity.
Another example? Check your yellow pages for your local, friendly “Christian Insurance company” - what does that mean exactly? Do you offer lower rates because you’re a Christian? My guess is your rates are higher. Are you saying you’re more honest? Maybe you are, but I know some very honest atheists, and some dishonest Christians. I’m one of the latter sometimes.
Sorry for the rant, but the original intent of the blog was how to be a businessperson that reflected Christ to the world. This topic had been on my mind for sometime. But enough about me - I want to hear your thoughts.
For the comments, does anyone have a negative story about how an overtly “Christian” business screwed them over? Share.
Keeping this fair and balanced - does anyone have a story about how a businesperson acted out above and beyond their call of duty in such a clear fashion that you saw Christ’s love through them? Tell us about it.
Thanks -
A few thoughts.
First, there’s that scripture that says that a Christian should not be “unequally yoked” to a nonbeliever. This refers to marriage, however the words after it — “what communion has light with darkness?” etc. — suggests that the real issue is being in a close relationship with someone who is not in fundamental agreement with you. When I used to be a Christian, I remember someone saying that this heuristic could also be applied to a close business relationship, hence a preference for dealing with a Christian business.
Second, it seems natural to me that Christians would want to show bias towards fellow Christians and support them in business where possible. I suppose it’s similar to buying “Australian Made” (or whatever your nationality is). When one identifies as a member of a group, what benefits the group indirectly benefits you. Foremost in the Christian’s mind should be the spreading of the Word, and by implication, the well-being of those who can do that.
Third, I think the most compelling reason would be that Christians believe that non-Christians are non-Christians not because of an honest mistake, but because of wickedness. For the scripture says, Romans 1:18:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
And later (v29 onwards) we are described as follows:
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
If I was a Christian and believed these things, I wouldn’t want to do business with me either.
I found this from friendlychristian.com - this is the comment I posted over there:
When I was a Christian, I tended to favor doing business with people who were Christians.
I wish I hadn’t, because one of those people in particular - although as best I could tell he was as much of a Christian as I was - turned out to be greatly lacking in character. I was very happy when I got out of my relationship with him (back in 2001 - I’m not talking about anything recent).
I’ve learned my lesson; when I’m looking to do business with someone I no longer care what they say they believe: I care whether they are honest and hardworking. I wish I could say that everyone who claims to be a Christian is that way - it certainly seems that they should be. However, in practice that’s not what I’ve found.
Hi Helen,
thanks for dropping by - I share many of your sentiments. Of course, I don’t expect Christians to necessarily adhere to a higher standard… that being because I know myself
However, I do caution my fellow believers on how they demonstrate their faith and to show Christ by actions, not by just our mouth.
Hello Nerdiah,
Nice to meet you also. Thanks for the comment. Your understanding of what Christians believe about you might not be spot-on. That verse you listed doesn’t say that non-Christians do not believe in Christ because they are wicked. It does say that because of their wickedness they suppress the truth, which is Christ. It also says elsewhere in the Bible that the reason why everything I do that is against God’s commands in the Bible is because of my wickedness. Frankly, it says in the Bible that everyone is wicked. I’m pretty honest with myself (sometimes) and would agree with the assessment of myself.
I wish I could trust all Christians - wish I could trust myself
but I can only trust God. That being said, I do still look for Christians to do business with in higher-trust situations where ethical issues may come up. Example, my family doctor, attorney, etc. That isn’t a guarantee by any means that I will receive fair treatment, but it does keep down on my explanations why I might not want to follow a piece of advice of theirs. When scoping out other Christ-followers that I would like to do business with, I noticed that almost without exception, none of them market themselves with Christ. They just do a good job, and there is something quite remarkable about the way they do it. I’m sure if I worked more closely with them or was not a Christian myself, I would hear about Jesus from them, but I guess my point is that they don’t use Jesus as a marketing tool to help their business, and that their unique selling proposition is solely based on their own merits.
Hi! Got here by way of Friendly Christian. I don’t know if you’ve commented there before - but I just checked back with some posts comments from a few days ago and noticed yours. I was so relieved to see another Christian there - and a Christian man at that! So thanks for contributing.
Your blog here is very refreshing and real - thanks! I’ll be back…
I’m shocked, shocked, to learn that the Christian label is being used for material gain…
Well, I guess you have a “different interpretation” of the scripture to the nice Christian who pointed it out to me. Certainly the New King James version sounds very different to the New International Version, so you’d probably need a Concordance to get the true meaning out. … I’ll leave that as an exercise for the reader.
There are certainly plenty of scriptures that equate being a nonbeliever with being wicked and sinful (e.g. 2 Cor 6:14, Heb 3:12, 1 John 2:21). A more liberal interpretation would be to say that everyone is wicked and sinful, and that only by accepting Jesus can we be freed of that, so a nonbeliever is wicked and sinful by default. A less liberal interpretation would be that it says what it means and means what it says; that unbelievers are wicked because they are of the world and under the control of the god of this world, who is Satan. Then I would mutter darkly about “principalities and powers” and the coming of the antichrist …
Not that it makes a difference either way, since I don’t believe a word of it. If you read on to verse 20, it says
20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
which doesn’t make sense on two levels.
First, it certainly isn’t obvious that God exists. For example, the most parsimonious explanation of the fossil record is not that the different “types” of organisms coexisted from the beginning, as asserted in scripture, but that they lived at different times.
Second, verse 20 doesn’t make sense because if it was clear to someone that God exists, and that Christianity is true, then there is absolutely no way that they would (or could) choose not to believe. Further, no one would choose not to be a follower (the necessary addition to merely “believing”, see James 2:19), for there is nothing that could be more important than avoiding being tortured for all eternity. Even if I, for example, thought that God was an evil tyrant for sending people to Hell, and completely undeserving of my worship because of that, I would still be forced to suck it up and kiss some holy butt. For nothing can outweigh eternal damnation, even lofty abstract concepts of right and wrong.
But of course, being an atheist, I can’t possibly know what “right and wrong” is anyway.
If you’re not a Christian anymore, you never were one in the first place.
He/She who is born again believer at one time in his life accepted Jesus Christ as his /her personal Saviour. The act cannot be undone.
Sep 13th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
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