Should Christians Bring Their Religion to the Workplace?

Why do Christian entrepreneurs insist on bringing their Christianity into their small business?

Why can’t Christians just keep their religion out of the workplace?

Have you heard these questions, or questions similar to these?  Perhaps, you may have even been the person asking the questions?

It’s certainly a topic worthy of discussion.  Both sides of the issue bring up valid concerns to bolster their position on the issue.

From the Christian’s Point of View

In defense of Christians, it is a bit disingenuous to insist that a person’s belief system be checked at the door when they enter their place of business.

Many would point out that doing such demonstrates either a gross misunderstanding of the role true faith plays in a person’s life, or a willful choice to discriminate against an acceptable group in our politically correct business world.

Christians who follow the example set by Christ, and the teachings of the Bible, should be the best workers and business people that exist.  They should do their work cheerfully, diligently, orderly, patiently, honestly, and as unto the Lord.

They should be humble, grateful, kind, giving, compassionate, and forgiving.  What employer would not want this type of person as an employee?  In fact, wouldn’t you want all of your employees to be like this?

From the Business World’s Point of View

Yes, but where are these people?  It’s not the Christians that we have hired.  In fact, we wish more of our Christian workers were more like … well … Christians.

Instead we find most are all too willing to check their Christianity at the door.  We’re pretty sure most of them just put it on when they enter their churches on Sunday, and hang it back up on their way out until they need it again the next Sunday.

The Christians we see are judgmental, lazy, and look on us with contempt.  Anyone who disagrees with them on anything is going to Hell, and they will gleefully tell you as much.

They are the first to leave early, in the midst of most gossip circles, and when needed to work late conveniently have some church function to attend.  On top of it all, they try to evangelize my workforce.  That’s not what we are paying them to do.

Why would we want more employees like this?  Seriously, why?

From God’s Point of View

Really?  You thought I was going to speak for God?  I’m flattered.  Okay, I put the heading in so let’s just guess at what it might look like from God’s point of view.

It must break His heart.  Christ said that we would know His followers by the love they have for one another.  It was Christ who continued drawing in the sand when the adulteress was brought before Him.

She was clearly guilty, and it was clearly a case of entrapment, but He did not condemn her.  He just kept drawing in the sand until the men left one by one from oldest to youngest.  Ever wonder what he wrote?

I like to think that He wrote their names in the sand in that same order as they accused the woman, then when He said, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” He started writing in their sins next to their names.  Who knows if that is really what happened?  It would fit His pattern.

You see, it was rare that Christ spoke harshly to anyone except for the religious leaders of the day.  I don’t remember one instance – except in the form of a parable.

From My Point of View

It’s not that Christ looked lightly on sin.  He expanded adultery to cover lust, murder to cover thoughts, and raised the requirements of the law.  It’s not that Christ didn’t believe in Hell.  He talked about it quite a lot, but only to those who came to hear His message.

It’s not just the people that pretend to be Christians that are tarnishing the brand today.  It is those true Christians that, although they have been forgiven a great debt, seek out those who still owe this debt to punish them.

They have forgotten this parable, and they have forgotten to take the beam out of their own eye.  They continued to levy their judgments in spite of Christ’s warning that with whatever measure we judge the same will be applied to us.  That judgment is coming back on us today in America.

Somewhere along the way we started looking at the lost world as our enemy, or even worse that God was their enemy (see the sign above).  Romans tells us that, while we were still enemies of God, He sent His Son to die for us.  We were His enemies, not the other way around.

Check Your Religion at the Door, Just Bring Christ

I realize that not every Christian is not as bad as described above, but neither are most the model employee from above either.  Evangelical Christians, like myself, must remember that we have not been commanded to convert anyone, but to preach the Gospel – the GOOD news.  We were commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Paul taught us that we are not to pay “lip service” to our employers but to work as unto the Lord.  Be the best worker, boss, employer that you can be.  Be forgiving, loving, humble, and compassionate.  Go that extra mile.

In short, bring Christ to the workplace, but check your religion at the door.

Related posts:

1. A Prayer for Christians in the Workplace
2. How to Effectively Bring Prayer Into the Workplace
3. Was Christ Forced into the Family Business?
4. Should Your Small Business Advertise as Christian Owned?
5. Going Dutch – Moses, James Bond, and the Christian Entrepreneur