Christian Almanac: Where Faith Meets Real Life
Episode 22 Transcript
Transcript: Choices That Steward Our Influence
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Where we spend money and how we participate in civic life are both ways we exercise influence. In Episode 22 of Christian Almanac, Jacquelyn Lynn considers how Christians can support Christian-owned businesses wisely and approach voting as an act of stewardship.
We make choices with our money every day.
We decide where to buy groceries, who repairs our car, who designs our website, who handles our taxes, who prints our materials, and who provides the products and services we need.
Most of those decisions feel ordinary. We compare price, convenience, quality, timing, reputation, and whether we have used that business before.
And those are all reasonable factors.
But for Christians, there may be one more question worth asking:
Is there a fellow believer I could support with this purchase?
That question can make some people uncomfortable, because it may sound like we’re saying Christians should only do business with Christians.
That’s not what I mean.
Now, a business itself cannot literally be Christian. A company does not have a soul. But we often use the phrase “Christian business” to refer to a business owned or led by Christians who are trying to operate according to Christian values.
And I think there is value in intentionally doing business with those people when we can.
Not blindly. Not automatically. Not at the expense of wisdom. But intentionally.
Galatians 6:10 says,
“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:10, NLT)
That verse gives us an important balance. We are to work for the good of all. Christians are not called to be rude, indifferent, or unfair to people outside the faith. But Scripture also recognizes a special responsibility toward the family of faith.
When you buy from a Christian-owned business that’s operating with integrity, that decision can have a ripple effect. It may help provide for a Christian family, support a local church, fund ministry or outreach, and keep a small business alive in your community.
Faith shouldn’t be something that shows up only in church, Bible study, prayer, or personal morality. It should also show up in how we work, buy, sell, pay invoices, treat customers, and make decisions with money.
There is power in faith-based commerce—not in a manipulative sense, and not as a closed religious economy, but as ordinary economic activity that can strengthen the body of Christ.
The early church cared for one another in tangible ways. We are not living in the same economic structure as the first-century church, and we need to be careful about forcing a direct comparison. But the principle still matters.
Christians should not overlook one another.
If there is a Christian-owned business that can serve you well, it’s reasonable to consider that business. Your purchase may do more than solve your immediate problem. It may also strengthen a fellow believer.
As we consider this idea, we need to hold two truths together.
First, Christians should not overlook one another.
Some Christians may ignore the people in their own church or community who provide a needed product or service, and automatically send their money somewhere else because that’s what they’ve always done, and they may not be aware of the Christian-owned option.
And sometimes the best choice really is the company you already use. Sometimes the Christian-owned business is not the right fit. Sometimes a Christian-owned business isn’t available.
But if we never even consider fellow believers, we may be missing an opportunity to do good within the family of faith.
The second truth is that Christian connection does not create automatic obligation.
Some people seem to think that if a business owner is a Christian, other Christians are required to support that business no matter what.
That’s not healthy either.
A Christian business owner should not expect patronage simply because he or she claims the name of Christ.
Faith is not a substitute for quality, reliability, communication, fair pricing, honest practices, or professional service.
If you are going to identify your business with your faith, your business should reflect your faith well.
That doesn’t mean perfection. Mistakes happen. But when they do, Christian business owners should respond with honesty, humility, and a willingness to make things right.
Putting a cross on your website does not replace doing good work. Mentioning faith in your marketing does not excuse poor service. Being active in church does not make it okay to ignore phone calls, miss deadlines, overcharge people, underdeliver, or treat employees badly.
If anything, our faith should raise the standard.
A Christian-owned business should be the kind of business people are glad they chose—not because they felt obligated to support another Christian, but because the work was done well and the experience reflected integrity.
No matter what your faith is, as a customer, you have a responsibility to be wise.
Doing business with another Christian does not mean you skip normal due diligence. It’s still appropriate to ask questions, compare options, look at reviews, ask for references, review a proposal, understand the price, and make sure the business is a good fit for what you need.
Supporting Christian businesses does not mean making careless decisions. It means making thoughtful ones.
So how do we identify Christian-owned businesses?
Sometimes it’s obvious. A business owner may be part of your church, your local Christian chamber, a ministry network, or a faith-based professional group.
Sometimes you hear about them through referrals from other believers. Sometimes the business owner speaks naturally and appropriately about faith on a website, in social media, in a bio, or through community involvement.
But Christian language in marketing is not the only test.
A Bible verse on a business card does not guarantee integrity. A fish symbol on a website does not guarantee quality. A person can use Christian language and still run a poor business.
So the question is not merely, “Is this person a Christian?”
The question should be, “Is this a Christian-owned business that can serve well, operate honestly, and provide what’s needed?”
That gives room for both generosity and wisdom.
And for those who own businesses, the question goes the other direction.
If you want other Christians to support your business, are you giving them good reason to?
Are you doing excellent work? Are you communicating clearly? Are you keeping your promises? Are you treating customers fairly? Are you handling problems with humility? Are you making it easier or harder for people to associate faith with trust?
That last question matters so much.
When a Christian business owner does poor work, the damage is not limited to one bad transaction. It can make people cynical. Worse, it can reflect poorly on the name of Christ and the community of his followers.
But when Christian business owners serve well, people see faith connected with integrity. They see excellence. They see honesty when something goes wrong. They see a person who is not just trying to make money, but trying to honor God through work.
So yes, I believe Christians should consider doing business with other Christians.
Not exclusively. Not carelessly. Not as a free pass. But intentionally.
When you need a product or service, pause before you automatically choose the most familiar option. Ask whether there is a Christian-owned business that could serve you well. Ask people you trust. Look at your church community. Give fellow believers a fair opportunity.
And if they can serve you with excellence, consider supporting them.
Not because you owe them your business simply because they’re Christian, but because your business can strengthen a family, a church, a ministry, and a community.
And if you’re the Christian business owner, do not ask people to choose you only because of your faith.
Give them work that reflects your faith.
Do the job well. Tell the truth. Keep your word. Make things right when you fall short. Serve people in a way that makes them grateful they trusted you.
Doing business with other Christians is not about creating a private club. It’s not about shutting out the rest of the marketplace. It’s not about using faith as a shortcut around quality, trust, or professionalism.
It’s about recognizing that our choices matter.
When Christian consumers act with wisdom and Christian business owners serve with excellence, ordinary commerce can become one more way faith meets real life.
When we come back, we’ll move from the choices we make with our money to the choices we make with our vote—and why both are part of faithful stewardship.
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Welcome back.
Voting can feel small.
One person. One ballot. One race among many. And especially in a large election, it can be tempting to wonder whether one vote really matters.
But for Christians, voting is not merely a political act. It’s one way we practice stewardship in the country where God has placed us.
We steward our homes. We steward our money. We steward our work, our influence, our relationships, and our time. In a nation where citizens have the freedom to vote, that freedom is also something to steward.
Christians should vote.
That may sound obvious, but many don’t. In 2024, Pew Research Center reported that presidential turnout was about 64 percent of eligible voters. That was still high by historical standards, but it means a large share of eligible citizens did not vote. The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University reported that among self-identified Christians, only 56 percent voted in 2024. My Faith Votes says that one in three Christians does not vote consistently.
We can debate statistics, methodology, and trends, and those details matter. But the larger point is not complicated: many Christians who could participate in the political process choose not to.
Some are discouraged. Some are frustrated. Some believe politics is too corrupt, too divisive, too angry, or too far gone. Some say, “God is in control, so it doesn’t matter whether I vote.”
It is true that God is in control.
But God’s sovereignty is not an excuse for passivity.
A while back, I was in the studio of The Shepherd Radio recording a segment for the Mike Gilland Show, and Mike gave me a copy of How Should Christians Vote by Tony Evans. I’ll put a link to the book in the description.
In his book, Evans reminds us that God is in charge, and that as Christians, we need to turn to the Bible for guidance in how we vote.
That’s the right starting point. Our hope is not in government. Our hope is not in a candidate, a party, a court, a law, or an election outcome. Our hope is in God.
But trusting God does not mean refusing to act. It means acting with the understanding that our hope is in him, not in the political system.
The Bible is full of people God used in political settings.
Joseph served in Egypt. Daniel served in Babylon. Esther was in the palace of Persia. Nehemiah served under a foreign king. Paul appealed to his rights as a Roman citizen.
Of course, those examples are not the same as voting in a modern American election. But they do remind us that God has always been able to use his people in public places—not only in private faith, but in government, leadership, and civic responsibility.
In his book, Evans explains that God created four systems of government.
The first is self-government, meaning to govern oneself according to God’s law.
The second is family government. God established the family as the foundation of civilization.
The third is church government.
And the fourth is civil government.
That matters because civil government has a purpose. It’s not just noise, power, personality, or argument. It affects real lives.
Evans writes: “The biblical role of civil government is to maintain a safe, just, righteous, and compassionately responsible environment for freedom to flourish.”
That’s a strong statement.
Civil government affects safety. It affects justice. It affects freedom. It affects whether people are protected or exploited. It affects the unborn, the elderly, the poor, the vulnerable, families, businesses, schools, churches, and communities.
Proverbs 14:34 says,
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” (Proverbs 14:34, NIV)
That does not mean every policy question is simple. It does not mean every candidate is easy to evaluate. It does not mean Christians will always agree on every race or every issue.
But it does mean righteousness matters in public life.
We hear a lot about keeping politics and religion separate. And certainly, the church should not become a campaign office. The pulpit should not be reduced to political propaganda. The kingdom of God is not a political party.
But if our faith shapes how we live, it should also shape how we think about justice, human dignity, freedom, truth, compassion, responsibility, and the proper role of government.
A Christian cannot put faith in one box and citizenship in another, as if biblical convictions have nothing to say about public decisions.
Politics and religion can’t be completely separated because our beliefs shape our values, and our values shape our choices.
That includes our vote.
Evans writes: “Every voting choice you exercise ought to be for the candidate, platform, party, or policy that will best represent the values of the kingdom of God.”
That’s not a call to vote casually. It’s not a call to vote angrily. It’s not a call to vote the way you have always voted without thought, prayer, or examination.
It’s a call to bring your faith into the voting booth.
That means a Christian vote should not be a reflex.
It should not be based only on habit, fear, frustration, or the political noise around us.
A Christian vote should be shaped by prayer, Scripture, wisdom, and a serious look at what’s actually being decided.
That includes candidates. It includes party platforms. It includes constitutional amendments, judges, city councils, county commissions, school boards, primaries, and local issues that may never make national news but affect daily life in immediate ways.
Sometimes local elections shape our communities more directly than presidential elections do.
That’s why Christians should pay attention before Election Day. Not obsessively. Not with panic. Not as though the future of the kingdom of God depends on one election.
But seriously.
A ballot is not a place for laziness.
My Faith Votes is a great resource for Christians doing research before they vote. It has an abundance of news and topics from a biblical perspective. The website is my faith votes dot org, and I’ll put that link in the description. It shouldn’t be your only resource, but it will teach you a lot.
It’s one thing to say politics can be discouraging. Many people feel that. It’s one thing to say the choices are difficult. Sometimes they are. It’s one thing to say no candidate fully represents biblical values. That may often be true.
But disengagement is still a choice.
If Christians who care about biblical values do not participate, public decisions will still be made. Laws will still be passed. Leaders will still be chosen. Policies will still be written.
The question is whether people shaped by Scripture will be part of that process.
And this is where we need balance.
Christians should vote, but Christians should not idolize politics.
We should participate, but we should not place our ultimate trust in political power.
We should care about elections, but we should not let elections control our peace, our witness, our relationships, or our faithfulness.
A Christian who votes should still be recognizable as a Christian after the election is over.
That means telling the truth. Treating people with respect. Refusing to demonize everyone who disagrees. Praying for leaders. Accepting that faithful Christians may weigh some issues differently. And remembering that the person across the aisle is not our enemy.
Government matters, but government is not God.
Voting matters, but voting is not the whole of Christian responsibility.
After we vote, we still have to live faithfully. We still have to love our neighbors, serve our communities, support our churches, care for our families, tell the truth, show mercy, pursue justice, and do the daily work God has put in front of us.
But none of that removes the responsibility to vote.
In a country where citizens have a voice, using that voice is one part of stewardship.
So I’ll say it more time. Christians should vote.
Not because politics can save us.
Not because any party is the kingdom of God.
Not because every choice is easy.
But because faithfulness includes participation.
When we bring prayer, Scripture, wisdom, humility, and moral seriousness into the voting booth, we are doing more than filling in circles on a ballot.
We are acknowledging that our choices matter.
We are caring for the country where God has placed us.
And we are bringing our faith into one more choice that matters.
I’ll be back in a moment with this week’s real life tip.
What if your daily business coach lived three thousand years ago?
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Welcome back.
This week’s real life tip is: Give grace to people who aren’t current on the same technology you are.
Just because someone doesn’t use a particular tool doesn’t mean they’re a technophobe or hopelessly behind the times. It may simply mean they haven’t needed that tool, haven’t had time to learn it, or use different technology for different things.
For example, I know how to use technology to design and produce books. Not everyone can do that. But I’m very uncomfortable using payment apps on my phone. I don’t do it, and I’ve never had a strong need to learn how. In fact, there are a lot of things I don’t do on my phone because I spend most of my time at my computer. And there are a lot of things I can do on my computer that people who are whizzes on their smartphones can’t do.
Technology is advancing so fast, and there’s so much to learn and keep up with, that none of us can know it all. We all have gaps. But most of us learn the technology we need when we need it.
So let’s be respectful of people who don’t happen to know or use the same technology we do. Don’t patronize them. Don’t get impatient with them. Don’t make them feel foolish for asking a question or needing help.
And when someone knows a tool you don’t, be willing to learn from them without embarrassment.
Not using a particular technology may not be about intelligence, ability, or willingness. It may simply be about exposure, need, habit, or timing.
A little patience can turn a frustrating moment into a helpful one—and that’s a small but meaningful way to show grace.
Thanks for being here. See you next week.