Does God Have a Place in Business?

In his autobiography, David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby, shares four keys to retailing success. These are:

 

1. “Run your business in harmony with God’s laws. This will keep you on an ethical footring. Seek to please God in everything you do.
2. “Focus on people more than money. Without employees and customers, you’re going nowhere. Make sure you never stop thinking about the customer’s perspective. And make sure you have the right people at the helm of each area.
3. “Be a merchant. Notice, I didn’t just say ‘businessperson.’ That’s too generic. Your core activity is buying and selling merchandise. That’s what it’s all about. The rest is periphery, or even distraction.
4. “Install the proper systems to support the first three keys.”

 

Hobby Lobby, founded in 1970, modestly began with a $600 bank loan. The company enjoyed a volume of over $5 billion in 2018 and has over 900 stores.

 

You may recall that Mr. Green publicly opposed the Affordable Care Act (nicknamed Obamacare) because of its requirement that companies provide access to contraception and the morning-after pill.Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit against the United States in September 2012 over regulations requiring health insurance provided by employers to cover contraceptives. In June of 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Hobby Lobby and other corporations could choose to be exempt from the law based on religious preferences.

 

Green maintains it’s vital to honor the Lord in all you do by operating a company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles. But is this rational or even practical within today’s highly competitive business markets? A substantial portion of Americans today do not believe in God, or supernatural beings, entities, etc. They do not engage in religious behaviors, and increasingly do not identify as religious and are not a member of a religious community. Why should this be of concern in a business setting?

 

Diann Cattani, VP of Business Growth for software company Adplorer, became involved in an embezzlement scheme from her employer in the 1990’s that lasted for over four years. Her actions only came to light after she went into the office of the owner and confessed. She spent over a year in federal prison as a result. Cattani, who was raised in a religious family, is a popular corporate speaker who warns employees and leaders about the importance of God’s warning within Exodus 20:15 “Thou shalt not steal.” Cattani says, “Small missteps, when rationalized, can quickly lead to bigger problems -- even if it’s something minor as parking where you shouldn’t.”

 

Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas probably summed up the topic best, “The values that shaped and sustained America through economic downturns and wars had to be taught and instilled in the next generation. Today’s younger people … seem intent on making their own rules (if they can be called rules) and creating their own gods.”

 

Is it important to run a business in harmony with God’s laws? Thomas warns that the rising generation “will eventually learn the impossibility of it all as their substitutions [for God] will fail them. The question is can America survive when our moral, spiritual and patriotic foundations are destroyed?”

 

So, do religious values have a place in today’s business world? Yes, if our success depends on treating others with respect, kindness, honesty and all the values that helped build the greatest nation under God.