Category: Business

Finance in the Parable of the Talents

Ancient Roman gold and silver coins with emperor profiles and inscriptions
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Jesus’ Parable of the Talents holds remarkable value in many topics today, including finance. Knowing Jesus’ work and word makes us more savvy in many things, including investing. 

By Mark D. Harris

The Bible addresses every part of human existence, from birth to grave to eternity. The God who made the universe also provided instructions in the Bible on how to thrive in His creation. If we do not know how to live, it is because we have failed to discover, or failed to follow, the words of wisdom that our Lord has provided.

Money is one of the most important things in earthly life, because money is required for life, and is a direct reflection of our values. There can be no doubt that wherever our treasure is, there are our hearts also (Matthew 6:21). Man’s greatest need is for eternal life in Christ, but many do not acknowledge that need. Perhaps the second greatest need is for physical health, but many who consider themselves healthy often spend little time or effort meeting that need. For example, less than half of all Americans exercise the medically recommended amount (CDC, 2022). Only 10% meet dietary guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake (Lee, 2022). Conversely, people need money, and they spend much of their daily lives dealing with money…earning it, spending it, investing it, or worrying about it. The Bible speaks often about it, with the word “money” appearing 140 times in the KJV, “prayer” 114 times and “worship” 102 times (Blue Letter Bible, 2019).

The Parable of the Talents is a fictional story that contains powerful truths. Furthermore, it is likely based on a true story, which formed the nucleus for what Jesus taught. In this discussion, the parable will be treated as though it were historical.

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Best Business Practices for Churches and Small Religious Organizations

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A single-day seminar on how church and other small religious organizations can improve their strategies, operations, and fundraising.

By Mark D. Harris

Welcome! The team at the MD Harris Institute is glad that you have chosen to attend. We are thankful that President Khmyz and his team at the Kyiv Theological Seminary arranged this seminar to help Christian leaders throughout the region improve their business and fundraising practices. The information here will improve how these leaders acquire, use, and increase the resources that God provides.

The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:17-19). No nation, no matter how powerful, populous, or prosperous, can stand against the work of the preacher from Galilee. No religion, no matter how large or how violent, can quiet the still, small voice of the Almighty. Followers of Christ have the Spirit of the Living God dwelling within, have been set free from sin, and have a guarantee of eternity with the Creator. Of all men, Christians should be the most joyful in their lives and most effective in their labor.

Some Christians engage the world with optimism and faith, believing God to accomplish His will, though often believers do not see this victory. Christians perceive legions of enemies, a dearth of friends, a paucity of resources, persecution, and personal weakness (Marsden, 2020). There are more points of discouragement as well. Believers feel pressure from the government, the media, business, and academia (Barnes et al., 2020). Christ-followers look at needs within and without and faint before the task of making disciples. Simultaneously, forgetting that the Father owns the world and everything in it (Psalms 24:1) and believing the lies of a world that hates God, some Christians struggle to survive.

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Income Inequality and Investing

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In the United States and throughout the world, income inequality is growing. While some degree of inequality is inevitable and even beneficial, inequality for reasons unrelated to personal merit is often problematic. In one example, investors do not share the same opportunities. The rich have many more options to build wealth than the poor do, in addition to having more resources and commonly more financial education. While many of these problems cannot be solved by governments, political leaders can limit income inequality and encourage investment.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

Income inequality is not necessarily an evil but rather can be a motivator. It can be a fair reward for labor. However, extreme inequality of income and net worth, especially when unrelated to personal effort, is a vexing global problem. Television, the media, and social media highlight the differences between those who are too rich to drive and those who are too hungry to walk. Entrenched money holding, greater financial opportunities, and increasing societal complexity make the problem worse.

As income disparities have increased, certain individuals and organizations have accumulated sums of money unimaginable to most of the world. These hyper-rich private actors can shape the economic system, sometimes to the detriment of other people. Wealth consolidation can be a social good by motivating people to work hard and contribute to society at large. Extreme wealth consolidation, however, raises resentment, feelings of helplessness, and social instability. Though completely unjustified, the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the lionization of his alleged killer, Luigi Mangione, is an example.

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Preparing the Preacher

a man talking on a microphone while holding a bible
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The nature of man is to be part of a group rather than just an individual. As such, human nature is to communicate. Tomes have been written on proclaiming Christ through our sermons, but less on proclaiming Christ through our person. This article describes how to prepare the preacher to preach most powerfully.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

Any man who has stood behind a pulpit in front of a group of God’s people has felt the yearning to be a perfect preacher. In our weaker moments, that yearning may be caused by the preacher’s desire for the listeners’ acclaim. In our stronger moments, that yearning may be caused by the preacher’s passion for his Lord, and a desperation to lead others to share that passion. But God does not honor His followers when they do not honor Him, so to be a powerful preacher, one must be a powerful Christian.

The thoughts of other preachers over the centuries can be useful in our spiritual preparation to preach today. My thanks to Colin S. Smith for compiling many of these quotations for the Basics Conference in May 2003.

Philips Brooks (Lectures in Preaching, p 5), said “Preaching is the bringing of truth through personality”

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Gender – A Biblical View

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A lava flow of anger, resentment, bitterness, and lies covers the landscape on issues of gender and sexual identity in Western culture in the 21st century. Some people believe in multiple, self-directed genders unrelated to biology while others believe in two genders, male and female, fixed by biology, culture, and ultimately God. What does the Bible say?

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

Sexual practices and gender identity have become hot issues in the United States and elsewhere. The “culture wars” pit those holding to traditional social norms against those who believe that such norms are oppressive. Followers of Jesus Christ need to know what God says about gender from both sources of revelation, Creation and the Bible. Finally, Christians must do what He commands, both in their own lives and in dealing with and teaching others.

Sex as an act or as an identity

For every culture in most of human history, sex was an identity conferred by one’s immutable biology and confirmed by one’s culture. The word “gender” was rarely used concerning people until the mid-20th century. The day-to-day living out of one’s sex was called sex because biology was so closely tied to identity and activity. Gender was primarily used in language studies. Only in the past several decades has the word gender been applied to sexual identity in opposition to sex.

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Fundraising for Performing Arts Organizations

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The arts are a vital part of life, and music is the most widely used art of all. Rural areas sometimes lack the people or the funds for art and music programs, so locals fill in the gaps. This article presents a sound course of action for organizations interested in improving their fundraising.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

The arts are shrinking in America. Schools are limiting or canceling art and music programs due to budget constraints. Ordinary men and women are visiting performances and art displays less and less.[1] Yet the arts have powerful positive effects on those who experience them. Arts organizations across America seek to reverse these trends, but they must have money and other resources to do it.

The foundation of fundraising in any organization is to be good at what you do. Just as an artist must make beautiful art and a musician beautiful sound, an organization must have its own kind of beauty. Top leadership in musical organizations must have a clear and compelling mission and vision and communicate well. Lower levels of leadership must direct their teams to recruit fine performers and produce excellent shows. Team members must perform their tasks, however large or small, with aplomb. Donors will not donate to, and concertgoers will not patronize, an organization unworthy of support. Administrative excellence is paramount to make the magic of music and other performing arts.

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