Christian Ethics

Some of you reading this blog might automatically think that these two words go hand in hand. Perhaps it is just my cynical side but as I enter my 39th year as a born-again believer I find the two words do not always fit. They should but sadly they do not.

As I become increasingly involved with those that have no real faith community, I fully appreciate the privilege of walking in the Christian communities I have been involved with. Some as a member and some as a leader. So this is not an indictment against a majority or even many but it is sad none the less. I think most of us would agree that we expect more from our Christian brothers and sisters and rightfully give non-believers much more room to blow it. For me the issue of honesty is a big one. If our words are empty then we lose credibility and eventually friendships.

Many of you know that I helped facilitate Ethics and Anti-Corruption training for the Estonian Police. As my friends from Scotland Yard taught about leadership and what it meant to be a cop, it was interesting to see how these senior officers responded. They were surprised that cops should be honest, humble and men and women of integrity. Having lived and worked for years in an atheist country it was only mildly surprising to hear their take on things. Basic human behaviour, let alone that of a police officer, was something they had never really thought about.

As Christians we have something called the Fruits of the Spirit. I have talked about this before and how such things as kindness, honesty and self-control grow in us as we mature as Christians. I recently saw a Christian leader take advantage of someone I love and to be honest it angered me. It was a business matter and hopefully it had to do more with ignorance than anything else but it showed a total lack of caring and consideration for the other person. If this is the way we do business in the world the world will never want what we supposedly have.

I want to encourage all of us to consider for a moment where we have perhaps been selfish in our dealings with other believers. Have we actually thought through how our actions or words might affect someone else? Do we even care? Are we bringing any of this attitude into the marketplace and if so, are we willing to change?