Book Review: Doing Virtuous Business by Theodore Malloch

As one of my business friends tells me, he always had a hard time with making money since the Bible does not seem to lend to the practice of making money. Malloch tries to combat that by looking at how we can do business ethically and from the perspective of a religious and moral attitude. He supports this with examples of ethical businesses that perform at level that is higher than their competition.

I got this book primarily for the fact that I do ministry to professional in the workplace. The book is written in the vein of many of business/management/leadership books. It does a good job of creating a biblical business world view. The author couches this belief with a variety of quotes from the Bible and other Christian business leaders who are in defense of capitalism done right.

He also provides a broad since of religions as he includes other businesses which are Muslim or Hindu. While he writes from a Christian point of view, he talks of spiritual capital. He calls this “the fund of beliefs, examples, and commitments transmitted from generation to generation through a religious tradition, attaching people to the transcendental source of human happiness." This is very open to an understanding of the business world as it relates to not only Christianity, but to other forms of religion as well.

He also compares company from family own to larger corporate conglomerates, not leaving out any area type of business. In essence, he shows that anyone in any type of business big or small can adhere to these principles.

The book was an easy read for me as I read it in one sitting. It can be a little business technical in writing, but it appears to be a book written specifically for this group. I highly endorse this book for anyone in the business world who has an interest in learning to live out their faith in the work that they do.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”