Christian Leaders Emphasise Evangelical Values

At a Christian Leadership Congress organised by the Germany-based evangelical news agency IDEA, more than 2,500 leaders from the worlds of politics, economics, commerce and industry as well as the churches agreed that the Gospel is the key to the future.

Held in Nurembery from 20th to 22nd January, Christian businessmen and politicians discussed their evangelical roles in the secular world during the congress.

As the congress chairman Rev. Horst Marquardt, Wetzlar addressed, businessmen and politicians alike should be aware of their responsibility before God and their fellow citizens, therefore they have to implement time-tested biblical values in their work.

The Swiss management consultant Thomas Giudici criticised the Western market economy because it was based on the survival of the fittest and is in contrary to the Bible’s teaching. He lamented that many Christians tried to worship God and idolise money at the same time. He called for a new type of entrepreneur, not driven by greed, but they should regard themselves as "God’s managers" and preserve life.

Professor Joerg Knoblauch, co-convener of the congress and CEO of tempus time management systems, brought out new hope in the business world through the application of the Gospel. He portrayed "Kingdom Companies". They try to uphold Christian values and spread the faith among their staff as well as customers.

Friedhelm Loh, one of Germany’s most successful entrepreneurs, suggested that Christians could make use of the globalisation process to spread the Christian faith. Global communication networks made it easy to take the Gospel to remote regions and formerly inaccessible groups.

Christian business leaders also appreciated the role of churches in community renewal amid a general moral decline in society. Peter F. Barrenstein, one of the McKinsey’s German directors, said that despite Germans’ considerable wealth and international esteem, they suffer a deep confidence crisis due to a recent devaluation of moral standards in the country.

Echoed by DaimlerChrysler’s vice president Michael J. Inacker, he urged churches to concentrate on their "core business" - preaching, counselling and caring.

Peter Hahne, one of the best known television news journalists in Germany and a lay leader in the main line Protestant Churches in Germany, is convinced that values will play a key role in the next national election campaign in Germany in 2006. Hahne called on Christians from different denominations to form a "grand coalition" to strength the evangelical force in the election.