Faith Integration Essay

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Avoiding Greed

The last area in which we are agents of God is in avoiding greed. Kirchgassner (2014) defines greed as “The excessive desire for goods and wealth, the inordinate desire for acquiring and hoarding money, and… the desire for the possessions of others,” (pg. 1200). Greed has led people in business to act unethically in order to increase their own wealth.

Greed drives people to stomp competitors in order to get ahead, and greed may also direct people to harming the environment for financial gain. Sollner (2014) claims that “Global warming and nuclear waste are just two examples for negative external effects that are caused by a tough global competition and the resulting hunger for cheap energy” in order to maximize profits (pg. 1214).

God’s word informs Christians of what can happen when greed takes over. 1 Timothy 6:10 states, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs,” (ESV). Christian teachings state that men and women must not give in to the love of money; the presence of money does not always equate to happiness. This is especially true if the person’s eternal soul hangs in the balance. Greed turns good people into creatures of unethical behavior, which risks their entry into Heaven. It can also have lasting effects and negative impacts on others and in the business environment. An example of the negative impacts of greed was the financial crisis of 2008. One of the ingredients that contributed to the crisis was the greed of individuals and companies. Greed was a catalyst that perpetuated that country to go into one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression.

In conclusion, Colossians 3:23 states, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (NIV). If Christians have this mindset in every area of their life, but specifically as it relates to corporate finance it would drive Christians to act ethically, push Christians to manage debt, and encourage Christians to avoid greed in all business dealings. This mindset if done unto the Lord and not unto men will lead to righteous actions that are contagious not only to other Christians but also to those who are unsaved and ultimately will have a positive impact on the financial industry as a whole.

References

Brealey, R.A., Myers, S.C., & Marcus, A.J. (2015). Fundamentals of corporate finance (8th.ed.):

New York, NY: Mc Graw Hill Higher Education.

Cotton, R. (n.d.) Business and Ethics: Can these be used in the same title? Retrieved November

30, 2016 from www.leaderu.com/org/probe/docs/bus-ethi.html

Mian, A., & Sufi, A. (2014). Debt forgiveness in history. Retrieved from http://houseofdebt.org/2014/05/18/debt-forgiveness-in-history.html

Kirchgassner, G. (2014). On self-interest and greed. Journal of Business Economics, 84(9),

1191-1209. Doi: 10.1007/s11573-014-0737-1

Sollner, A. (2014). Globalization, greed, and exploitation- how to break the baleful path?

Journal of Business Economics, 84(9), 1211-1235. Doi: 10.1007/s11573-014-0724-4