One of the most difficult issues to manage when coaching Business as Mission startups is related to bribery and corruption. BAM Global has some great resources to help coaches process the issue from biblical, cultural, and historical perspectives.
https://businessasmission.com/corruption-toolkit/
https://businessasmission.com/guidelines-business-ethics/
Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It may be petty corruption (everyday street-level abuse of power), or political corruption (the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts in the course of their official duties, for illegitimate private gain).
Bribery is the act of offering someone money or something valuable in order to persuade them to do something for you, especially something illegal, unethical, or a breach of trust. Usually, it circumvents the rules.
Here are a couple more tools to consider. The first chart helps us to understand cultures very different from ours. The second provides questions to help with decision making.
Relationship-based cultures vs. Rule-based cultures
| Business Function | Rule-based cultures | Relationship cultures |
| Communication | Direct, explicit style | Indirect, implicit style, face saving protocols |
| Negotiations | Linear, paper-driven; contracts are the ultimate authority | Circuitous, relationship-driven; contracts are a mere formality |
| Meetings | Decisions made in meetings | Decisions made before or after meetings |
| Employee rewards | Merit-based pay and advancement; individual recognition | Needs taken care of by employer; team recognition |
| Problem-solving | Individual initiative; task orientation | Team – group initiative |
| Getting stuff done | “What you know” is most important; rule-of-law | “Who you know” is most important; “guanxi” in China |
Questions to ask from practical and Biblical teaching on Bribery
Considering Biblical culture and law, our own culture and law, and the host culture and law, the following questions will go a long way to helping us make decisions on what a bribe is and what might not be a bribe. Remember that “Christianity operates on the notion that ethics (the study of human character) logically follows theology (the study of God’s character)”.
In short, questions of bribery and extortion can be subjected to a Biblical test contextualized to the culture of the business:
- Does a bribe create partiality? The Old Testament commands us to not “show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great.” (Leviticus 19:15, Deut 17:1). Likewise in the New Testament, “…keep these instructions without partiality, and do nothing out of favoritism.” (I Timothy 5:21). If the activity causes one to be unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged, the decision is likely unethical and unfair.
- Is the activity based on greed and does it oppress the powerless? If a gift or “bribe” causes you to be advantaged and another to wait unfairly, the act has oppressed the powerless and is strongly condemned in the Old Testament (Isaiah 1:23; Ecclesiastes 7:7). Friedman uses the Old Testament to provide principles for businesses such as “Helping the Needy and Powerless”, and “Fair Treatment of Employees”, and “Not Engaging in Dishonesty and Immoral Business Practices.”
- Does the activity clearly result in doing something illegal? Deut 25:13-15. Americans doing business abroad need to be familiar with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the sanctions of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), Taxes and Limitations on Overseas Investments, etc. While it is difficult to determine what the law really is in many developing countries, it is important to determine some standard to follow through your own research or by following trusted national experts. Take the position that that it is never right to sin or disobey a law in order to accomplish a good purpose. When a developing country does not have laws as robust as developing countries, don’t jump at the opportunity to take advantage of lenient local laws, but use it as an opportunity to consider what is right and operate accordingly. “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.” Keep in mind that “…in free societies, law is a moral floor, providing only minimal standards of acceptable behavior.”
- Does the activity “pervert the course of justice” (Proverbs 17:23, Exodus 18:21)? Another definition of bribery suggests it is the “bestowing of money or favor upon a person who is in a position of trust (for example a judge or government official) in order to pervert his judgment or corrupt his conduct.” In quoting this, Falkiner states, “ Perverting justice through bribery can take the form of paying for an unfair advantage, such as buying entrance to a school that has limited enrollment, or fixing a traffic ticket, or receiving a visa for which one is not qualified. The common denominator is that a perversion of justice has taken place.”
- Does it fit into the Biblical definition of good bribery (gift-giving)? Prov 18:16; 21:14 With regard to bribery and extortion, the Bible seems to promote the morality of paying a bribe or giving a gift for something clearly legal or good. Likewise, the Bible seems to never condemn giving a bribe, though it does clearly condemn taking a bribe. Proverbs speaks positively in terms of gift giving (18:16, 21:14). There are cases where gifts (bribes) are not a way around the law (which is wrong), but an incentive for officials to do their prescribed jobs, or to expedite what they should be doing anyway, or to encourage justice. Bribery in the Old Testament is condemned if it exploits or oppresses the poor. It is condoned if it establishes a relationship.”
In relationship-based cultures which are poverty stricken, sometimes “bribes” may be helpful to officials who have not been paid for months and need encouragement to do their rightful job. Clearly, there are difficult cultural nuances at play here, and in careful study of Scripture, the laws and culture are important.
In a relationship culture, gifts can be a way of developing a friendship and working relationship. Many non-western cultures expect an incentive gift as a way of solidifying a relationship, and when not perverting justice, can be a healthy way of living in a culture. One way to test this would be to ask – can it be given openly as opposed to subtly? “A tip is for proper performance of a job; a bribe causes a person to betray a job.”
- Can I be fully transparent about the activity so there is nothing to hide from anyone (Romans 12: 17)? The idea here is that you should have nothing to hide, and if investigative reporters or legal entities showed up to ask about the practice, you can readily and honestly reply, “Glad you asked!” You would know your conscience is clear and you have done your best to be honest, forthright and honorable.
Example: Some call this the “New York Times Test”. “If you would not feel comfortable with everyone you know reading about what you are currently doing, don’t do it.”
- Will the decision negatively impact the Gospel and our testimony? It is vital that our proclamation of the “good news” by what we say is correlated consistently with who we really are in our testimony. Integrity must be paramount, because it is our actions that open doors for understanding and sharing the hope that is within us. Daily, we must trust God that our conduct will not discredit our Savior. Decisions must not be made based on short-term gains or expediency, but on long-term operations, goals, and relationships that allow us to proclaim the whole gospel. A foreign BAM worker in a corrupt county must have an STS (Short-Tenable Statement), which summarizes precisely why he/she is there. Tenable means it is based in authentic reality.
Example: 2010 expulsion of workers from North Africa – many were ‘fakers’.
See the following for a more detailed version:
“Be wise and give serious thought to the way you live.” (King Solomon in Proverbs 23:19)
References
- Hill, Alexander, Just Business, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2008, page 14
- Wong, Kenman L. & Rae, Scott R. Business for the Common Good, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2011, page 187-188
- Welch, D. ed. Law and Morality. Fortress, Philadelphia, PA, 1987, page 153-154
- Wong, Kenman L. & Rae, Scott R. Business for the Common Good, InterVaristy Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2011, page 98
- Josephson, Michael,” Ethical Principles for Business Executives by Michael Josephson”, josephsoninstitute.org/business/blog/2010/12
- Falkiner, Steven, “Bribery – Where are the Lines?”, Evangelical Missions Quarterly, January 1999, page 22-37
- Friedman, Hersey H. “Creating a Company Code of Ethics: Using the Bible as a Guide.” in Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organizational Studies, Vol. 8 (1), April 2003.
- Adeney, Bernard, Strange Virtues, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1995, page 153
- Yung, Hwa, Bribery and Corruption, GraceWorks Ltd., Singapore, 2010, p. 16. Yung is the best author on the ethics issue from a non-Western perspective.
- Maxwell, John C. Ethics 101: What Every Leader should Know, Center Group, New York, NY, 2003, pages 55-70.
Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com