What makes a Christian company?

[Neto]

I walked up to a fellow church member sitting with a friend in his Honda Accord, and asked him, "Are ya'all meetin' in dis Accord?"

[Josh]

I would argue if 100% of the owners are of like precious faith.

What if 100% of all of owners are only 4, plus another 10 employees are, and then there are 300+ other employees who are a cross section representative of American society?
What is it if only 5% are of “like precious faith”?

In that case, it is not a "Christian company" as it is not being owned and operated by people who are "equally yoked" who can manage and lead the company "in one accord".

[Josh]

A few years ago we lived in Waco TX, just a few blocks down the road from a giant Baptist megachurch. The kind with a theater and full size gym inside.

<snip>

Ken, will you ever be able to recover from the trauma of living amongst Baptists?

[PetrChelcicky]

If corporations cannot be Christian (as Ken thinks) - what's with Christian churches? Can there be Christian churches? On the other hand: wasn't the term Christian just coined in order to give Christian churches a name of its own?

[Pelerin]

I’ve had enough experience with Christian companies that I’d like to say there is no such thing, but I think I could come up with a few exceptions I’d allow.

In Homes County a lot of businesses used to (and probably still do) hold Bible studies for their employees. That never sat well with me for several reasons, though I think in every case it was well intentioned. It would take a longer post than I have time to write now, but essentially I’m uncomfortable with some of the ways it attaches the business to Christianity.

———————

I skimmed the link and it seems to be from a certain perspective I see a lot, but have never been able to put a name to*. The “Living faith through work” section includes “providing high-quality customer service” and “producing high-quality goods and services.” Packaged as a book, it’s the kind of thing that always gets chosen for men’s meetings, along with its cousin 12 Life Principles by Coach So-and-So. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with what they say, it’s just that there’s not really any substance to it. Maybe I just dislike it because there’s not enough to it to be liked or disliked.

*Someone told me it’s the Muscular Christianity of the turn of the 20th century. Maybe, but if so, now has an office job and has exchanged its YMCA membership for a golf course membership.

[Ken]

A few years ago we lived in Waco TX, just a few blocks down the road from a giant Baptist megachurch. The kind with a theater and full size gym inside.

<snip>

Ken, will you ever be able to recover from the trauma of living amongst Baptists?

It wasn't traumatic in the slightest. But it was educational.

[Ken]

If corporations cannot be Christian (as Ken thinks) - what's with Christian churches? Can there be Christian churches? On the other hand: wasn't the term Christian just coined in order to give Christian churches a name of its own?

My opinion? No. A Church is just a 501(c)(3) organization here in the United States. The church itself does not sin, is not saved, does not have a soul, etc. etc. Christianity is about people and not organizations. Churches serve a purpose of course. The physical structure provides shelter and a place to gather and worship. The organization provides fellowship, guidance, leadership and so forth. But I do not expect, for example, that we will find different and separate Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist and Mennonite churches in heaven serving the same purpose that they serve her on earth. Nothing in my understanding of Christianity tells me that we will be bringing our actual churches and denominations with us to heaven.

[steve-in-kville]

I've been on this tear the last while on leadership structure, both corporate and in church settings. Why do certain organizations thrive while others simply survive? Why are some leaders loved and respected while others are held at arm's length and viewed with suspicion? On my list for threads for another day...

As to what makes a company and "Christian" company... it takes more than mentioning "honoring God" in a mission statement, I'll tell you that right now. It takes more than the board/owners faithfully attending church. It takes more than having an open prayer before corporate meetings. It just takes more.

Sometimes I wish companies wouldn't market themselves as Christian-based or "a company of faith" at all. It can almost be bad testimony when things go side-ways and people are quick to call them out... "oh, they claim to be this great Christian company but yet they messed up my order!"

[temporal1]

This is not a topic i’ve thought much about.
(i’m not much of a consumer.)

“18 Extremely Religious Big American Companies”
https://www.businessinsider.com/18-extr ... ies-2013-6

i don’t think about whether presidents or other elected representatives “believe as they say they believe” i hope they are authentic, but judgment is not mine. same with businesses. i hope they are authentic.

like all of us, they have 2 matters to address, one is about human law, the other is about God’s law.
Christianity is a big threat. Jesus was not meant to be innocuous.

i would prefer all corporations stay out of partisan politics.
i would prefer entities funded by the public treasury (everyone’s combined tax dollars) stay out of partisan politics.

[Szdfan]

This is not a topic i’ve thought much about.
(i’m not much of a consumer.)

“18 Extremely Religious Big American Companies”
https://www.businessinsider.com/18-extr ... ies-2013-6

This is a fun one in the article:

Weapons-sight maker Trijicon made waves in 2010 when an ABC Nightline investigation found that the company had inscribed coded biblical references on high-powered rifle sights used by the U.S. military.

Military officials told ABC they were unaware of the inscriptions, which violated U.S. military rules banning the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Praise Jesus and pass the ammunition.