Book Review: Business for the Glory of God by Wayne Grudem

Author: Wayne Grudem
Hardcover: 96 Pages
Publisher: Crossway Books
Publication year: 2003
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1581345178
ISBN-13: 978-1581345179


Wayne Grudem is Research Professor of Bible and Theology at Phoenix Seminary. In addition to his work at Phoenix Seminary, Dr. Grudem also taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for 20 years. He has served as the president for both the council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Evangelical Theological Society (1999). He has written numerous articles and books. Two of his more recent works are The First Epistle of Peter: An Introduction and Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007) and Countering the Claims of Evangelical Feminism: Biblical Responses to the Key Questions (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2006).

Business for the Glory of God has a lot to offer for a book that has a total of 96 pages including the notes and indexes. In this work, Dr. Grudem unpacks what the Bible teaches concerning the moral goodness of business. The idea of moral goodness in business sounds like an oxymoron in light of the scandal-laden business world we see around us today. Dr. Grudem does a great job of illustrating how the various aspects of business, when exercised in a Godly manner, allow us to reflect certain characteristics of God. The aspects of business covered in this book are as follows:

• Ownership
• Money
• Productivity
• Inequality of Possessions
• Employment
• Competition
• Commercial Transaction
• Borrowing and Lending
• Profit
• Attitudes of the Heart

In each chapter, the particular aspect of business at hand is contrasted as being fundamentally good, providing both opportunities to glorify God as well as many opportunities to sin. The prevailing negative attitude in our culture towards business today may be largely in part to the numerous examples of business professionals succumbing to those temptations to sin rather than pursuing each aspect of their business to the glory of God. The book closes with an argument for the ability of “business rightly pursued” to make a dent in the problem of world poverty. The long-term solution Grudem proposes involves starting and maintaining productive and profitable businesses in developing countries. As these businesses are pursued to the glory of God, the positive effect of creating jobs and commerce should have a ripple effect where the economic status and ability of the people should continue to improve in ever-widening circles.

I would highly recommend this book to any Christian who is working in the business world. A prevailing message in Christian circles today is that the highest calling we could have is to serve God as a pastor or missionary. I feel this book shows how Christians can have a calling to business and in the midst of pursuing it; they can glorify God, reflect His attributes, and bless others.

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