There are at least two competing visions of business within the Christian tradition. The first is the view that engaging in business is primarily about seeking profits. Within this view, business is a morally problematic expression of greed and a force to be resisted in this world. The second is the view that engaging in business is primarily about creating value for others. Within this view, business is a divine calling - an expression of an important part of what it means to be human.
Each vision contains some truth.
This project seeks to bring the two visions together by exploring the nature and morality of profit-seeking as a foundation for theological reflection about business as a divine calling. In doing so, it seeks to nudge the scholarly conversation, classroom discussions, and business practice within the Christian tradition toward more nuanced positions on the morality of profit-seeking and business more generally.
The project consists of three parts: (1) the production of a scholarly book that seeks to pave the way toward a theology of business that can be compatible with the traditional Christian antagonism to profit-seeking; (2) the launch of the Faith and Business Initiative at Pepperdine University to fund a faculty seminar, a speaker series, and a student chapel program; and (3) a Faith and Business Fellowship program for scholars and practitioners to bring scholarly work on faith and business in conversation with business practice.
