Just watched The Social Network.
You know, Roy and I love entrepreneurship, really enjoy it, but are always reining back our natural entrepreneurial instincts because we are Christians.
You know…those who seek wealth piercing themselves with many griefs, the love of money being the root of all evil, not being able to serve two masters: God and Mammon.
Is there a natural opposition between being a Christian and being an extremely wealthy entrepreneur? Would being the latter steal one’s heart from the love and pursuit of God?
We’re not extremely wealthy, of course, or even particularly wealthy, but also have deliberately kept our company small so that we have free time to think, to pray, to enjoy Scripture, family and friends. And creativity, gardening, travel, nature and our animals.
So, to come back to my question, what do you think? Would being a successful entrepreneur, and the ownership of a large company conflict with one’s love and pursuit of God?
Read my new memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India (US) or UK.
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My book of essays: Wandering Between Two Worlds (US) or UK
Hi Melanie, I found your blog that way too, and am glad I did.
Yes, entrepreneurship really makes sense rather than working for someone else. The thing is we're making enough to live on, so the question is whether to expand or not.
I think the answer is very slowly, so that we still have have time for family, friends, exercise, gardening, writing, prayer, scripture, and basic home maintenance. Gosh, makes one wonder how can can EVER fit in work?
Blessings,
Anita
I'm currently reading The Pope and the CEO, which is a book that tackles precisely that question: how to be an entrepreneur while following Christ. The author was a Swiss Guard and knew John Paul II and in the book he reflects on his own spiritual journey as he was inspired by the example he witnessed while serving under such a holy man. He describes his own experiences in big business, as a CEO and as an entrepreneur and applies the spiritual lessons he's learned to the business world. It's really a fascinating read. His argument in a nutshell is that capitalism is just a tool, like a knife, that can be used for great good or great ill. He sees entrepreneurship as a kind of vocation and says that yes it can be a means by which one grows in holiness. It all has to do with having a vision for your business that is centered on the human person rather than on profit or growth. How are you meeting the needs of your customers, stakeholders and employees? Is your work helping them live fuller, richer, lives? Does it enhance and uphold human dignity?
Anyway, I thought you might find that this book has a lot of food for thought from a man who has been a very successful entrepreneur and been head of a large company.
(I just found your blog because you followed me on Twitter, by the way.)