This week, Jon Hart, a partner of Praxis Labs, visited our internet entrepreneurship class and shared Praxis’s vision for redemptive entrepreneurship. Kind of skeptical that the Lord is in the center of entrepreneurial ventures that are not non-profits, I sat there amazed as Jon explained any type of business- profit or not for profit- can include God’s redemptive narrative in their entrepreneurial efforts whether their internet business model illustrates the silliest phenomenon from blender sales to gaming applications. I guess Jon Hart’s vision for Praxis and sharing the gospel in entrepreneurship enabled the skeptic inside of me to take God outside of the box that I want to so comfortably fit him into when it comes to secular business ventures.

If God is big enough to transcend the boxes that we try to place him in, then his narrative and healing are significant enough in size to reach a world that is in need of fruitful expansion. 

If you’ve been following the news lately, you have probably heard of the current Facebook fiasco as Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, is fighting Congress in the interest of still targeting the general population with ads that collect data on their searches even outside of the Facebook platform. This topic is highly controversial and is considered a threat to a majority of people who have not given Facebook the permission to that level of privacy.

While reflecting on the current Facebook/ Congress debate, it is evident to me that although Facebook seeks to expand communication for users and connect people, it might be harming the ethics of individuals. This is exactly why online expansion is in need of a Savior that motivates CEOs of big entrepreneurial enterprises to possess integrity in the face of money. Despite the fact that we live in a secular world that is quick to dismiss any type of religion and frowns upon the notion of Christianity due to misunderstanding, Christian entrepreneurs need to offer solutions to the general public that elevates Christ as the center of innovation. Redemptive entrepreneurship in terms of the great commission is not something to be taken lightly. If God provides us with the entrepreneurial gifts to “go and make disciples of all nations”, we need to honor him in those efforts. Just as the Matthew 25 master commands his servants to make the most of their investments in the parable of the talents, Jesus calls us to make the most of the skills, abilities, and time we have in order to worship him.

Christ is continually transforming us and renewing our broken condition; therefore, we too have the responsibility to be stewards of that redemptive narrative whether in the field of entrepreneurship or beyond. He has gifted us uniquely to create content, innovate, and reach a hurting world that is need of some direction. Let’s be mindful of this as we seek to serve humanity through applications and websites that conquer basic impracticalities. Let’s commit ourselves to redemptive entrepreneurship online, offline, in the classroom, in the workforce, and simply in everything we do.

“But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.” -Ecclesiastes 5:9, ESV