BIBLICAL BUSINESS GOALS BOOK EXCERPT “We did this for over a year and got totally out of debt. Then I began to really feel guilty about what we were doing and stopped.” “Didn’t the company have any idea what you were doing?” I asked. “I’m sure they did,” he replied, looking at his wife who nodded her head in agreement. “Since we mixed the product half-and-half, our orders for their products increased substantially, and yet our sales to their normal outlets didn’t change proportionally. I think they knew what we were doing but turned their heads. After all, it was new business for them too, and they didn’t have to pay the royalties that made them noncompetitive in this market. “Unfortunately, with the oil price increases, the trucking company again became unprofitable, and we had to restart the old mixing practice again to bail it out. Now we find that the business is dependent on that source of income and we can’t stop.” I asked if he realized the practice he was engaged in was not only unethical but probably illegal as well. “I know it is,” he replied uncomfortably, “be we’re so far into it now, I just don’t see a way to get out. Over a hundred employees and their families depend on our business.” The man was presenting the needs of others as justification for continuing an unethical practice, often called “offering a red herring,” which means it is supposed to divert attention from the primary problem. I realized the decision had to come from him, not from me. But I did recommend that he go to the parent company, confess what he had been doing, and take the consequences whatever they were. “Eventually something will happen to bring this to light, and you won’t have the chance to confess it first,” I said. “Take the opportunity to do so now.” With that our session broke up, and they returned home. A few weeks later I received a frantic call from the husband, saying that one of the employees involved in the illegal mixing process had been dismissed and, out of anger, had gone to the parent company and revealed the entire operation. He also submitted a written report to the board of directors, who initiated a mandatory audit of the packaging company. At the conclusion of the audit, the directors of the parent company withdrew its contract with this so-called <strong>Christian</strong> businessman, demanding that he sell off all his company’s assets and send them the proceeds. They contended that his profits had been made at their expense and that they were the true owners of the asset. Ultimately, the packaging company survived, because the parent company was shown to have made substantial profits from the illegal business. They refused to prosecute because they wanted to avoid the adverse publicity that a public trial would have generated. But the real loss in this process was the loss of credibility on the part of an outspoken <strong>Christian</strong> businessman. REMEMBER: “HE WHO WALKS IN INTEGRITY WALKS SECURELY, BUT HE WHO PERVERTS HIS WAYS WILL BE FOUND OUT” (PROVERBS 10:9). ABOUT THE AUTHOR LARRY BURKETT (1939-2003) was born in Winter Park, Florida. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he and his wife, Judy, returned to central Florida, where he worked in the space program at Cape Canaveral. While working at the space center, Larry earned degrees in marketing and finance at Rollins College in Winter Park. In 1972, Larry put his trust and faith in Jesus. In 1973, he joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ as a financial counselor. During his time there he began an intense study of the biblical teaching on money and led small groups around the country through that material. In 1976, Larry Burkett left CCC to form <strong>Christian</strong> Financial Concepts and in September 2000, CFC merged with Crown Ministries, creating Crown Financial Ministries. Larry published more than 70 books, sales of which now exceed 11 million copies and include several national best-sellers. (Taken from Moody Publishers: https://www.moodypublishers. com/authors/b/larry-burkett/). 16 CHRISTIAN BUSINESS REVIEW Fall <strong>2022</strong>
A THEOLOGY OF DARRELL BOCK CHRISTIAN BUSINESS REVIEW Fall <strong>2022</strong> 172
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