Journal of Biblical Integration in Business

Beginnings - Editorial Review Board and Table of Contents

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

When Leadership Goes Wrong: Self-Serving Shepherds and their Followers

Kent Seibert — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

In Christian business circles, leadership is usually viewed positively. After all, we have as an example the best leader in human history, Jesus Christ. The Bible describes how to lead effectively, but it spends more time warning against people who abuse the power that comes with a formal leadership role. The negative fallout from this abuse is considerable. Abuses of leadership are easy to find in the business world. How should Christian business people respond? After reviewing the literature on self-serving leaders and examining what Scripture

Faithful Followers: A Response to “When Leadership Goes Wrong: Self-Serving Shepherds and Their Followers”

Emily Row Prevost — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

In his article, “When Leadership Goes Wrong: Self-Serving Shepherds and Their Followers,” Dr. Kent Seibert seeks to find appropriate responses for the Christian who is led by a self-serving, and even abusive, leader. The author proposes a number of responses available to organizations and followers with reference to biblical principles. This response provides a critique of Seibert’s article and attempts to provide a framework for selecting between his proposed solutions.

A Unified Oikonomia: How God’s Economy of Salvation Changes a Christian Household’s Economy

Shane Enete, Dave Merrill — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

In the Bible, the word oikonomia is used in two very different ways: one material (Luke 16:2) and the other spiritual (Ephesians 1:10). The purpose of this paper will be to unify the material definition of oikonomia with the Apostle Paul’s spiritual use of the word. Once unified, a Christian household will be equipped to manage their finances (i.e., economize) in a way that fully integrates with its union with Christ. This paper concludes with three case studies, aligning oikonomia to finance-related theories, such as the life-cycle hypothesis, debt repayment, and retirement account contributions.

An Exploratory Study of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from a Christian Perspective

Gerui Kang, Sylvie Raquel, Martha Shin — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

More than 140 international jurisdictions, not including the United States, have standardized the use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Secular research on IFRS focuses on its external goods, which has so far generated mixed results. This paper evaluates IFRS from a Christian perspective, looking at its principles-based nature and ability to produce internal goods. Internal goods facilitate the rationality and responsibility of accounting practices that are crucial in achieving the qualitative objective of financial reporting.

Contemporary Applications for Leading Accountably Following a Study of Nehemiah as a Servant Leader

Lori Doyle, Jill Swisher — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

The authors posit that an empirical leadership scale can be applied to a biblical and historical figure to discover implications for contemporary leaders. The validated Servant Leadership Survey (SLS) was administered for Nehemiah with dimensional observations derived directly from the ESV Bible. Nehemiah’s behaviors show how accountability to God and society was, and still is, a primary aspect and lived reality of servant leadership. Four key leadership behaviors are identified and discussed. This research-driven approach highlights contemporary applications for accountable servant leadership.

A Solid Foundation for Servant Leadership

Marty McMahone — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Many Christians have identified servant leadership as the appropriate form of leadership for Christian disciples. Several writers have critiqued that perspective and suggested that modern servant leadership theory might not be built on sound biblical practices. In this article, the author will consider arguments against servant leadership as a Christian perspective, especially those proposed by Locke (2019). The author will acknowledge that there are some legitimate concerns raised but also argue that some of the expressed concerns may be overstated. Finally, the author will present a path forward toward a more nuanced connection between servant leadership and Christian thinking.

In Search of an Ideal Christian Follower in Modern Organizations

Josephine Ganu, Marie Anne Razafiarivony — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

This paper offers fresh ways of thinking and perceiving the importance of effective followership in the context of modern organizations and Christian discipleship. It reviews the extant literature on the concept of followership to advance the importance of the follower role in modern organizations. Specifically, we examine the meaning of followership in modern organizations and the role and qualities of an ideal follower. We argue that followership is a self-conscious choice by the follower to actively partner with the leader to advance the organizational mission and objectives. We also discuss how Christian workers can blend biblical discipleship and organizational followership in the workplace to reflect their calling as true disciples and, in the process, benefit the organization. We propose a model for the authentic Christian follower, which can be further explored.

BAM Postures Toward Church Ministry: Identifying Four Common Philosophies

Ben Ward — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Business as mission (BAM) and hybrid organizations with multiple bottom lines have risen in popularity. However, some authors and scholars have noticed a lack of clarity on defining and measuring the multiple bottom lines, especially spiritual bottom lines. This article seeks to spark conversation through the author’s attempt of suggesting four distinct methodological philosophies that arise as authors express their understanding of faithfully pursuing business and mission together. Through a literature review, the author offers a continuum of understanding how a business cooperates with a local church in a missional setting. These postures are described in the article as “platform,” “partner,” “peer,” and “province” with the hope of clarifying the businesses’ philosophical approach to how they conduct business and mission for the purposes of communicating to shareholders, employees, and the marketplace.

Editor’s Opinion: JBIB, Macroeconomic Biblical Integration, and the Problem of Schengen Exclusion

Larry Locke — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

The project of the Journal of Biblical Integration in Business is the attempt to bring the discipline of Scripture and Christian theology to the theory and practice of business. JBIB articles, including some in this edition, demonstrate how businesses might better conduct their marketing, finance, management, and even accounting efforts by the application of biblical principles. In this article, the author seeks to extend the JBIB experiment to the area of macroeconomics and the commercial activity of nations. At a fundamental level, the activities of these parties are the same; they buy, sell, negotiate, finance, hire, communicate, strategize, and perform other commercial functions in much the same way that businesses do. One premise of this opinion is that the Word of God bears on the commercial choices of nations in much the same way that it does on the business activity of individuals and corporations. In this article, the author attempts to extend the discipline of biblical integration to macroeconomic decisions of nations utilizing the example of the continued refusal by various European governments to admit Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Agreement.

Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being

Erica Vonk — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Did Jesus really come so that people could have life to the fullest? The Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being (2022) by Al Lopus with Cory Hartman attempts to show that a flourishing Christian workplace is the best supportive evidence to this question.

Church Finances for Missional Leaders: Best Practices for Faithful Stewardship

Jerome Lockett — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Church leaders have a corporate social responsibility (CSR) to their communities and congregations. In this context, CSR is used as a business model to hold church leaders accountable to themselves, stakeholders, and the public. In Church Finances for Missional Leaders: Best Practice for Faithful Stewardship, Bonnie Marden analyzes how churches can steward growth in their congregants and church finances. The author expresses how the practices of church stewardship and financial stewardship must come together and form a continuous joint relationship for the success of the church.

The Christ-Centered Company: 37 Biblical Business Habits to Build a Thriving Company That Honors God and Blesses the World

Chris Langford — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Most working-aged individuals (85%) are employed in for-profit companies. Unfortunately, many Christian business people are tempted to embrace business practices that fail to glorify God. In The Christ Centered Company, Darren Shearer seeks to help Christian business people develop mature companies centered on Christ and His Word. According to Shearer, Christ-centered companies are “value-making, profit-producing, and law-abiding” organizations that spread God’s glory through the practice of 37 Christ-centered business habits (p. 3). The author devotes a chapter to examining each habit. They are categorized according to seven major topics: corporate purpose and culture, marketing and customer care, accounting and accountability, people management, business law and conflict, risk management, and philanthropy.

Redeeming Productivity: Getting More Done for the Glory of God

David Shankle — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

In the introduction of Redeeming Productivity: Getting More Done for the Glory of God, Reagan Rose offers this statement that sets the tone for the entire book: “We all want to get more done. But for Christians, why we get more done is just as important as how” (p. 11). While there are numerous books available on personal productivity, few share the sound biblical foundation that permeates the pages of Redeeming Productivity. This book will appeal to a wide variety of business professionals, pastors, educators, and students studying economics, business, and theology. Rose offers five pillars of productivity followed by five associated practices for each pillar.

Endings

Larry Locke — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Endings