“As a Christian, you want to stand out in a positive way at work. You want people to ask why you’re different, so you can explain that your relationship with Jesus makes you different.”

“To successfully lead in today’s business world, you must be authentic.”

You’ve probably heard both thoughts in some form. The first has been around a long time. The second has been popular more recently. Are they related ideas? Are they good ideas? Are they true? In this edition, we’ll scratch the surface of these questions from the Bruised Camel perspective.

Journey on,
~Mark

Mark King
​Mark@BruisedCamels.com | LinkedIn

Business | Office Culture

Go Therefore and Be Authentic

“How should Christians share their faith at work?” When I searched the internet for this question, here’s what I got: (Emphases mine.)

Google’s top result: “The Bible is clear: we are to act like Christ in all we do (Titus 2). This includes approaching our work with excellence, as if we were working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23–24). The goal here is to stand out from those around us through our character and excellent work. And in doing so we bring glory to God.”

ChatGPT’s #1 recommendation was “Live out your faith: The most effective way to share your faith at work is to live it out through your actions and behavior. Your colleagues should see the fruit of the Spirit in your life, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).”

Long before Google recommended it, imitating Christ was the best approach. Every other strategy to share your faith in the workplace falls flat if you’re a jerk or lazy. You know that. But you also know religion at work these days feels like navigating a minefield at night.

• If witnessing is against company policy, can you invite someone to church?
• What if a non-religious co-worker tells HR you’re creating a hostile work environment with your “Christian hate speech”?
• What if what you say about faith turns political? As it often does, rapidly, if not instantly. Let’s face it, at that point, you and your witness are likely toast.

While we sense increasing resistance to faith, we also receive secular messages to be authentic. Countless experts, the business press, and even research data tell you to lead authentically. You hear, “bring your whole self to work and great things will happen for you and your company!”

Leadership coaching company BetterUp says: (Emphasis mine.)
“When people feel a sense of belonging and authenticity in the workplace, the organization thrives.

• ​140% increase in employee engagement
• 50% increase in team performance
• 90% increase in team innovation
• 54% lower turnover”

What’s a Bruised Camel to do? If your company encourages authenticity and inclusiveness, do you have the green light to express your faith more publicly?

Sort of. But it kind of doesn’t matter. Regardless of how inclusive or hostile your company’s policies and culture, you are called to be an authentic Christian. Tim Keller’s book Every Good Endeavor and Michael Novak’s Business as a Calling provide a solid theology of work from both a Protestant and a Catholic perspective. God calls people like you to bring his kingdom to the marketplace.

Be warned, however, it’s not a safe calling. The Gospel has always been dangerous. Early Christians’ authenticity got them eaten by lions. Your authentic faith may alienate colleagues, lower your income, or derail your career. A fellow Bruised Camel was under consideration for a public company board seat. He was rejected and told his Christian stance was inconsistent with the firm’s inclusive culture. Irony aside, authentic faith has consequences large and small, rewarding and painful.

“Christian” companies hold just as much risk, but in a different way. Firms with God in their mission statement and outspoken Christians at the helm may seem safe for authenticity. Sadly, their expressed Christian culture may lack substance. Another fellow Bruised Camel worked at a firm owned by an outspoken Christian and overrun with credentialed Evangelicals. He left when he couldn’t stomach the ego, greed, and politics.

To navigate these minefields, Bruised Camels need authenticity like that of the early Church. Whoa! That’s a high bar (and a lot to unpack.) For this edition, I want to point out two characteristics of the early Church that can guide us in today’s cross currents.

First, remember those major tussles over circumcision and dietary laws in Acts? They seem like a silly food fight today. But they were pivotal because the early Church stripped away non-essential issues and focused tightly on the core message.

Check out Acts 10 about Peter’s vision and trip to Cornelius the Roman Centurion’s home. Hearing God’s call to cross a cultural chasm, Peter preached a 230-word sermon. He kept it to the essentials. In Acts 15, James squashes legalism, so that people who looked, thought, and acted differently were welcome. He gave them only four rules, and trusted the Holy Spirit to help these new, uncomfortably different, Jesus Followers sort out the rest.

Second, the early Church understood themselves as a body with different parts. Another pivotal moment in Acts centered on food and its distribution among various ethnic groups. Acts 6 describes how the twelve disciples sorted it out, understanding that different people play different—and important—roles.

This remains true. Your individuality should shape how you bring Jesus to the marketplace. There’s no set formula. For some, starting a Bible study in the conference room comes naturally. For others, that would be awkward and contrary to their personality, gifts, and calling. Their job might be privately consoling a grieving co-worker. Be yourself and don’t compare yourself to others.

While Paul was unquestionably authentic, he didn’t see others’ authenticity as threatening. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Paul famously talks about becoming all things to all people. I love The Message version: (Emphasis mine.)

“Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view…in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life.”

Paul would see today’s trendy talk about authenticity in the workplace as an opportunity to:

• Level up the expression of our authentic faith at work
• Avoid being standoffish or hostile about coworkers’ authentic selves
• Walk through doors opened by buzzword-filled company policies
• Understand co-workers’ perspectives in your attempt to introduce them to God’s kingdom.

In short, an opportunity to follow Jesus’ great commission.

Go therefore and be authentic!

Kitchen Drawer | Business Culture

It’s Officially A Buzzword

In case you read this edition and thought, “What’s he talking about with all this authenticity stuff?” Here are some examples from divergent sources of the authenticity trend that has emerged post-COVID. If you only read one, read the Scientific American piece. It’s contrarian and a little disconcerting.

• ​Why is authenticity at work so hard? 5 ways to be more authentic – BetterUp Blog
• ​The Inconvenient Truth about Your “Authentic” Self – Scientific American Blog
• ​3 reasons not to bring your authentic self to work – Fast Company
• ​How Much of Your “Authentic Self” Should You Really Bring to Work? – Harvard Business Review
• ​Bring Your Whole Self to Work – Mike Robbins TEDx Berkeley VIDEO (The link is to his website, so you get the full Monty.)

Thanks for letting me bring my whole self to this newsletter. I enjoy writing it. If you enjoy reading it, please forward to some friends. Thanks!