Orthodoxy and Business- A few questions for a Business class...

[GabrieltheCelt]

Hey y'all,

 I need to answer 3 questions for a friend's business class and was hoping for some Orthodox insight on how to approach them.  You'll immediately understand that he attends a Protestant (Evangelical) university.  They are as follows:

 1. To what extent should a person's faith and spiritual feelings impact their daily activities in the business world?

 2. Since Christians are saved by faith, are works important?

 3. Do you feel that being and Evangelical makes you different?

Thanks in advance!

Gabriel

[Heorhij]

If I were asked these questions, I would answer only 1 and 2, because I am not an evangelical Protestant and the Q.#3 thus does not apply.

1. To a very large extent. Actually, exactly because I am an Orthodox Christian, I would NOT ever engage in any professinal business transactions, make a career in business. The way business transactions are being conducted in the modern world is, in my understanding, deeply, outrageously anti-Christian. The sacred Scripture so clearly, so explicitly prohibits usury, i.e. lending money to your brother and asking this money back with interest (Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:35-36, Deuteronomy 23:20, 21, Ezekiel 18:7,8,13; Luke 6:35). In the New Testament, these old prohibitions are not abolished, like dietary restrictions are, but re-emphasized in that you should not ask interest, OR EVEN THE MONEY (or anything else) you gave to a person, to be returned back to you (Luke 6:35, Matthew 5:40-42). And of course we are not supposed to amass material wealth, which is what the goal of business transactions is - instead, we are called to rid ourselves of all property, "sell everything and give the money to the poor."

2. Faith without works is dead. So, yes, of course, absolutely everything you do is important for your salvation.

[GabrieltheCelt]

You're absolutely right about Q3, brother.  I thought I would begin by answering Q3 first and explain that I'm not Protestant but Eastern Orthodox

Q1- You came up with some helpful insight.  The way I'm planning on answering the question is to focus on the fact that as Christians, I don't believe we're to compartmentalize our faith to just when we're at church but rather our faith serves as a filter in whatever we're doing.  When Christ said forgive 70 x 7, he didn't end with unless...  When we read about the Golden Rule, we don't see unless... So the way I understand the answer is: whatever your vocation is, our Christian faith is to serve as a filter or a rudder to help us navigate through the ethical situations.  Again though, the 'usury' issue you brought up was great!

Anyone else care to chime in?

[GabrieltheCelt]

*Bump*

I need to answer these q's before 3pm Central.

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