Core Values - Part 1

We study the scriptures, listen to the preaching and teaching of the word in order to bring about an internal cultural shift.

I’d like to focus on one aspect of culture that the spirit of the living God is shifting. I’m going to use the word values to label the specific aspect of culture that will be my focus in the next couple of post.

The word “values” has an easy definition. It simply means what’s important to you and is an abstract idea. It does not possess mass, texture, shape or color.

However, you can see your values by examining the choices you make each day of each week.

There is another idea called core values that is relevant. Core values is simply what’s important to you in times of stress. What we choose to do when times are great, may not be what we do under duress.

An important core value is honesty. Specifically, I want to talk about honesty in the context of our economic dealings.

I’d like to turn to 2 passages in the Old Testament that articulate God’s view point on honesty in business-customer relations. It would seem strange that a lofty God would be concerned with the mundane economic issues of life. He is. In fact there are many passages in the bible that give instructions on honesty in our economic dealings. We will look at 2, one in Leviticus and the other in Deuteronomy.

Leviticus 19:35-36
“You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. 36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Jacob Milgrom in his book titled Leviticus writes:

“Values are what Leviticus is all about. They pervade every chapter and almost every verse.”
When I read that first statement in Jacob Milgrom’s book, my first reaction was “what, that can’t be”. And I’m sure that most of you who are familiar with the Old Testament book of Leviticus would probably think of it as containing specific instructions on performing rituals, sacrifices and even handling cases of religious impurity.

However, Jacob Milgrom suggests that as we read Leviticus we should keep an open ear to the subtext of every ritual or sacrificial instructions.

In his words, Leviticus contains “an intricate web of values that purports to model how we should relate to God and to one another.”

Leviticus 19:35-36, then, conveys an ageless principle of fairness. A 10 lb bag should be 10 and not 8lbs. I think most importantly, in the context of an Employer-employee relation, we should always be attuned to doing a fair days labour. We should never play hide-and-seek, but step up to the plate and give what is right.

Deuteronomy 25:13-16 echoes similar principles with a twist.

13 “You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. 14 You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. 15 A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 16 For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy labels individuals who act dishonestly as an abomination to the Lord. That’s a very strong word.

Christ and Pop Culture

I came across a post today at Christ and Pop Culture that discusses the idea of merchandising Christianity. Here's an excerpt.

In general, most brands and labels promote either purely commercial enterprises (Nike), or some form of entertainment (the L.A. Dodgers, U2). In either case, the thing being promoted is only superficially important, if at all. As much as a person might love a band or a sports team, by promoting them on a tee-shirt they are saying more about their choice in entertainment, who/what they spend money on, and what cultural sub-groups they identify with than what their worldview is or what beliefs they hold. Of course, there are exceptions, but I believe that for most people a label or brand represents little more than an identifier of taste in entertainment and perhaps a fashion statement.

In addition, slogans, labels, and brands lack any significant power to persuade people of the truthfulness, quality, or goodness of the thing being represented; all they really tell us is that the thing is popular. In a political race, bumper stickers can be used to “demonstrate” the popularity of a candidate. The argument goes, “If so many people are willing to put a sticker on their bumper to support this candidate, he must be worth electing.” Labels, brands, and slogans are more often than not only an identifier of the choices we’ve made as consumers and our tastes. Additionally, the only real persuasive power they have is to convince us that the thing/idea is popular. With these concepts in mind, lets look at the effect of prompting a Christian worldview.

First, we should note that the primary purpose of brands and labels is to promote, while the goal of the Great Commission is to share the good news. We are called to share a deep, honest, and often times offensive truth in the Gospel. This kind of content is in stark contrast to the methods of conveying ideas found in advertisements, which are shallow, deceptive, and ear-tickling. Remember, we are not trying to dupe customers into buying our product over other products. Since the main purpose behind branding and labels is to promote, and we are not called to promote Christianity, on this point, at least, we should question the rightness of Christian branding.

Click here to read the whole article from Christ and Pop Culture called- Wearing Our Faith: the Purpose and Effectiveness of Bumper Stickers and Christian Clothes