{"id":257,"date":"2011-08-19T04:55:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-19T10:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.195.124.95\/~redletu4\/can-we-partner-with-those-that-dont-believe\/"},"modified":"2011-08-19T04:55:00","modified_gmt":"2011-08-19T10:55:00","slug":"can-we-partner-with-those-that-dont-believe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/can-we-partner-with-those-that-dont-believe\/","title":{"rendered":"Can we partner with those that don’t believe?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/span><\/p>\n

\nI<\/span>s it possible to have a partnership with someone who believes differently than you, to create a successful business?\u00a0One of my favorite new bloggers is Mike Eaton<\/b> at\u00a0Greater Seas<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and he posed this question to several of us who write about faith and the marketplace.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\n

Bradley Moore<\/b>, of Shrinking the Camel <\/a>said yes, that it was acceptable, because running a business requires many partnering relationships, and \u201cbusiness is filled with gray areas that don\u2019t provide a flat biblical yes-no framework.\u201d True. We have to forge many deals with those that don\u2019t believe like we do. But a true partner<\/i><\/span><\/span> in business is a different kind of relationship. Similarly, I have many friendships with nonbelievers, but would not marry someone who didn\u2019t share my faith. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mike St. Pierre,<\/b> at the Daily Saint<\/a><\/span><\/span>, said it depends. \u201cA person can be honest and not be a Christian,\u201d he says. Fair enough. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

S<\/b><\/span>ue Miley<\/b> at Christian Business Crossroads<\/a> also says \u201cit depends.\u201d \u00a0\u201cIt is important for\u00a0<\/span>businesses to be built on a foundation of Christian values,\u201d she writes. \u00a0If the partner we choose \u2013 whether Christian or not \u2013 leads us away from those values, then it isn\u2019t right. I know plenty of \u201cbelievers\u201d who I simply couldn\u2019t \u00a0trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>

<\/span>
What did I say? Well, my answer was just a flat out \u201cno\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Why?<\/span>\u00a0Here\u2019s what I said:<\/span>
More than a moral code book, the Bible is actually a practical guidebook for successful living. For those of us who have lived by it\u2019s teachings, we find that we reap everyday blessings. Things just work better when you do it by the book. Go figure.<\/span>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

So when I first read the words, \u201cdon\u2019t be unequally yoked with unbelievers,\u201d I dutifully added them to the long list of commands for my life. But these words are meant not to just keep me \u201cclean,\u201d they are meant to help us be successful in life. \u2014 they are there for my own good. You see, when I sign my name on the dotted line next to another name, it means that as a partner, I am sharing the consequences of that venture. Through the good, the bad and the ugly \u2014 we\u2019re a team.<\/span><\/div>\n
The problem is that when the other person doesn\u2019t share the same worldview. On the surface, our outlook on profit, the competition, employees and a host of other principles might seem to be the same, but are drawn from different wells. Why we work, who we work for and how we treat the world around us define us. These ventures often start good, but almost always end up badly. That\u2019s when the command becomes just good sense. And while I can be friends with a non Christian, I would never partner.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nBe a regular reader of all of these blogs, but please weigh on this at Greater Seas<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>

<\/span>
You can also comment here.<\/a> What do you think? Am I too harsh?<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
\"Enhanced<\/a><\/div>\n
Please, share with a friend if you feel moved.
\nRead all past issues at http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is it possible to have a partnership with someone who believes differently than you, to create a successful business?\u00a0One of my favorite new bloggers is Mike Eaton at\u00a0Greater Seas\u00a0and he posed this question to several of us who write about faith and the marketplace.\u00a0\u00a0 Bradley Moore, of Shrinking the Camel said yes, that it was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2375,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,584,619,924],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-nonbelievers","category-partnering-with-unbelievers","category-unequally-yoked"],"yoast_head":"\nCan we partner with those that don't believe?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it possible to have a partnership with someone who believes differently than you, to create a successful 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