[.uk] Business for the Glory of God: The Bible's Teaching on ... (ISBN 1581345178)

thought provoking:
I have never really thought deeply on why I do business and what mindset I should have. Prior to this book, I just did and now I guess I try to look inside a bit more. I recommend it for Christians and non-Christians.

Just another way to glorify God!:
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.

Great Read!:
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!

Glorify God in pursuit of a calling to business.:
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.

Brief outline of biblical teaching on business:
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.