Article November 1, 2013

Christian Science in the business life

Originally published in the February 11, 1911 issue of The Christian Science Monitor

If a knowledge of God cannot avail one in his practical experience of business, then he would far better revise his concept of business. In other words, if anything humanity is busy with is outside the law of good, God, then, it would appear, it is under the law of evil, and must be readjusted. But business is only the exchange of good offices. It is one of the present-day evidences of that dominion over all the things of the earth which is affirmed of man in the first chapter of Genesis. In its highest sense business is a manifestation of mutual helpfulness among men and of the plenty and power which God gives to His children.

But to bring business into line with Christian thinking means to work a complete revolution in the average man’s thought of business. As humanity sees things nowadays, business success appears to be the effort to do better than other people do. Some one lecturing lately to a body of men about their work, said that each should aim to do a little better than the man next him. Now this thing carried out in financial directions often means a gross selfishness. The average man unthinkingly assumes that to get trade for himself away from a competitor is his necessity, but Christian thinking reverses all this. It begins first of all to show that there is in the divine good plenty for every man. God cannot have any favorites, neither is He limited, neither does He have to take from one man what He gives to another.

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