Chapter 3 “Employment” of Business for the Glory of God by Grudem (2003) begins by defending the moral right of one person to employ another. Grudem (2003) talks about how Marx had it wrong, how humans differ from animals in work situations, and how the relationship between employer and employee can glorify God. The views on employment Grudem (2003) do not differ greatly from the mainstream conservatives, but it may have been that he was reflecting society as it was in 2003.

Misconstruing Marx

One way that Grudem (2003) toes the conservative party line is by beginning the chapter by criticizing Karl Marx (Grudem, 2003, p. 308). Conservatives do not like the idea of socialism or communism because it removes wealth and power from the equation. Grudem says Marx thought hiring a person to work was evil. However, what Marx really said about the relationship between employer and employee was that it creates an unequal balance of power. To say that Marx thought work was evil is a distortion of what Marx actually said. In 1846 (published in 1932) in The German Ideology (1932), Marx wrote, “For as soon as the distribution of labour comes into being, each man has a particular, exclusive sphere of activity, which is forced upon him and from which he cannot escape. . . . and must remain so if he does not want to lose his means of livelihood” (Marx & Engels, 1932). Marx (1932) goes on to say that in a communist society, a person can choose to engage in one activity or many. Of course, communists also distorted Marx’s views. The idea is that when a person is employed, s/he is employed to do a specific job rather than use all the talents God gave them. The job title becomes part of their persona, and Marx thought that was limiting (Marx & Engels, 1932). Marx saw an alternative way to organize society so that there was less chance one of the participants in the employer-employee relationship exploiting the other.

Glorifying God

Grudem (2003) also talks about the ways that the employer-employee relationship glorifies God. He says, “Therefore if you hire me to work in your business, you are doing good for me and you are providing both of us many opportunities to glorify God” (Grudem, 2003, p. 337). While Grudem (2003) did not enumerate the ways in which the employer-employee relationship glorifies God, it does not take much imagination to understand how that can be. For instance, a school district hires a teacher to instruct students. That teacher is benefitting society, and she is supporting her family. Not all jobs are teaching jobs though. Some consist of awful work. However, Paul told the Ephesians to respect and fear their bosses and be sincere toward them even when they were not watching (Ephesians 6: 5-6). But Paul also said, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people” (Ephesians 6:7). This implies that Paul knew some bosses were not easy to serve and offered a way for Christians to find work more bearable.

Grudem (2003) points out that both sides of the employer-employee relationship has opportunities to glorify God, but most people alive today know which side of that relationship has the most power, and that is the problem. “We can imitate God, and he will take pleasure in us when he sees us showing honesty, fairness, trustworthiness, kindness, wisdom and skill, and keeping our word regarding how much we promised to pay or what work we agreed to do” (Grudem, 2003, p. 322). Too often, it is the employer who does not glorify God, tries to cheat workers out of pay, and generally treats employees as if they are a lower class of human than themselves. Baudry and Chassagnon (2018) of Economies and Institutions contrast French labor laws with American. “French labor law is characterized by both social public order and employees’ protection (in order to restore ‘the balance of power’), whereas American labor law rests on the ‘balancing of power’ by actors themselves” (Baudry & Chassagnon, 2018, p. 6). In other words, in a capitalist society such as the United States, employers are left to decide how they want to treat their employees based on the notion that “the market will decide.” For instance, many employers do not like raises in the minimum wage. They are disgusted that they have to pay them a minimum wage. People who work for minimum wage work in the worst jobs and are often treated like animals.

Animals

Grudem (2003) indirectly cites animal labor also. He says, “This is a wonderful ability that God has given us. Paying another person for his or her labor is an activity that is uniquely human. It is shared by no other creature” (Grudem, 2003, p. 322). While Grude

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