All businesses are guided by some sort of worldview - a set of beliefs about existential issues like reality, truth, human nature, ethics, and morality. Businesses naturally reflect the beliefs of those who establish and guide them, whether those beliefs are secular or religious.

The currently popular notion that stripping religious values from institutions of business, government, charity, or association makes them value-neutral is a fallacy. In fact, that simply portrays an opposing atheistic worldview, which is not neutral. Society may seek some moral middle ground or neutrality with the goal of not offending anyone, but that too is impossible, and in my opinion, naive. Culture cannot be devoid of values.

So why is this important? Let me paraphrase from Christian apologist, Josh McDowell: Our beliefs determine our values, which drive our behavior and are evidenced in our relationships. That includes business. So hopefully without writing an epistle, I respectfully offer a summary of my beliefs and business philosophy.


God is.
All beliefs and values for each individual turn one way or the other at this foundational fork in the road. Creation and our own existence force this fundamental dilemma. Either one recognizes a creative master designer for all we know and perceive, or searches for an atheist alternative explanation such as evolution that is spontaneous, random, and undirected. In the short term undirected evolution is implausible, but commonly given an intellectual pass by injecting the variable of an inconceivable period of time in bring about the desired outcome. Even if one subscribes to the theory of undirected evolution, it does not account for first cause - the beginning source of the matter/energy from which all thereafter precedes.

Intellectually, I cannot deny the existence of God. In the Scriptures, Romans 1:20 expresses it this way: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Since God is, then my own existence cannot really be isolated from that fact, and it raises the question of what can be known of Him and how I relate to Him. I believe He has chosen to reveal Himself to us most specifically through the Holy Scriptures - sixty-six books, divinely-inspired, written down by numerous authors over thousands of years, that collectively reveal a trustworthy account of God's nature, character, and plan. In short, the scriptures are the Word of God, how He has spoken, and can be known today - at least to the limited degree that creatures of finite capability may contemplate the infinite.


Man is Created in His Image and the Crown of Creation.
Created in God's image does not mean we are divine in any way. It means He has given us an eternal soul that will outlive our bodies, the temporary shell in which we reside now. This eternal quality differentiates mankind from all else in creation. God also created man with a capacity to know Him, but with the free will to choose to fellowship with or reject Him. Our human nature, expressed in the pursuit of self and enabled by man's free will, has also allowed us the ability to corrupt God's plan for us.

Mankind is innately rebellious and controlling. We seek our own way and advantage over others. That is the essence of sin - that which is displeasing to God. It separates us from a holy God. At its worst, it can make man capable of unbridled evil. But even those with a relatively uncorrupted conscience constantly fail to meet even their own standards of righteousness, much less God's. No one is "good enough" to know, love and fellowship with God. His standard is perfection. Contrary to the popular notion, our righteousness is not a matter of weighing our good against our bad to tip the scales one way or the other. The apostle Paul's letter to the Romans says it this way: "For all have sinned and fallen short of God's perfection."


God Revealed in Three Ways.
The scriptures describe one God who has revealed himself at various times in three distinct forms that we know as Father, Son, and Spirit. I am no theologian, but I believe that this revelation (commonly referred to as the Trinity) is entirely for the benefit of our limited capability of understanding. A helpful analogy is the physical properties of water than can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas yet always remains one and the same element. Admittedly, the comparison is inadequate but hopefully still helpful.


God's Plan to Redeem Fallen Man.
It is through God's revelation as Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, that sinful man can know and fellowship with a righteous and just creator God. That Jesus lived is a historical fact well documented and provable in the legal sense. That he is God incarnate who lived a sinless life for the ultimate purpose of becoming a sacrificial redemption for our iniquity, and was resurrected by God the Father, requires spiritual discernment and faith. But as creatures with free will, it also requires not just our knowledge of God, but our acceptance of the reality of His plan which is at once disturbing and ugly in the brutal, unjust murder of a sinless man in place of others, and yet beautiful in how a righteous God loves his creation and provides for restoration and even adoption into his family. Simply stated, Christ died that we might fellowship with God now, and live with him forever when we leave our dead bodies behind.


Law and Grace.
The Law in scriptures are those commandments from God to govern our behavior and relationships. They are also His way of protecting us, individually and collectively, from the predictable results of sin. God's Word defines objective truth. His laws establish right and wrong. But it is God's grace and mercy that is the basis for our relationship with Him. Grace is the love and forgiveness that God offers even though we deserve punishment and separation from Him.


God's Claim and Call on the Christian's Life.
Inseparable from the gift of life through Christ is His claim on our life and our call to His service. So behond His grace and forgiveness, and our belief, confession and acceptance, the Christian life requires repentance, or turning from our old ways, and following God's path for our life instead of our own. This means surrendering our will to His, which is a struggle for even the most devout follower of Christ. It also means honoring God in the way that we live and relate to others. That includes our stewardship over what He has entrusted to us (possessions, opportunities, relationships, etc.) and how we conduct business with others.


Significance of Work.
I believe honest, virtuous work that serves and brings value to others, also honors God. Our labor is in itself a noble pursuit and builds character. God takes pleasure in our virtuous efforts that are directed unselfishly for the benefit of others. Work is part of our call to His service, joining God in his plan for our life as He reveals it to us. Jesus called Christians to be "salt and light" in this world, that is, to make a difference and have an impact on others that glorifies God, not us. Living the Christian life is not something we do in secret. Instead, it requires that we boldly respond in daily life to uphold Biblical truth, respond to opportunities for ministry, and be prepared to offer an explanation for our faith when asked, or confronted with evil. Our lives, including our work, should reveal Christ in us and draw others to Him. So while faith may be an individual matter, it is not a private one as some would like to assert.

Now back to those questions.

Q: Why display overtly Christian symbols on a business website?
A: We live in a world of rapid-fire messages, symbols, brands, logos, causes and concerns. People use every means to speak out, advocate, and stake out their ground for what they feel strongly about. That's great and what a free society is all about. The Cross & Bible icon simply lets others know that my Christian faith holds a special place of importance in this business. And obviously, since you are reading this, it provides a means for others to better understand what informs our ethos, priorities, decisions, and goals. I think people appreciate some insight into who they are doing business with, even if they don't share my perspective.


Q: What difference does faith make in business?
A: It provides the moral framework for everything we do. It compels us to offer our best in services and products. It makes stewardship the metric for how we treat others and answer to God for what he has entrusted to our care. It demands that we be competitive in the marketplace for the good of both our customers and for our employees. It demands that our wages and benefits reflect an equitable arrangement for each employee, not just the least they will tolerate, and that we freely recognize their contributions. It compels us to resolve disputes with just consideration for others' perspective. It drives us to make a fair profit and a return on investment, and then to share it with our employees, those in need, ministries, and those who work in the culture to defend and advance our values.


Q: Are you trying to exclude non-Christians?
A: Certainly not. I, and Audio Authority, respect each individual's rights of conscience and expression. By making my faith known, I do not compel others to conform or agree. I simply give witness to what God has done for me. Our company welcomes every opportunity to develop mutually respectful business relationships with people of goodwill from all faiths, or no faith.


Q: Might some be offended by reference to the Scriptures and the Cross of Christ?
A: I hope not, but yes that is possible. While I view the Word of God as good news, its transcendent truth establishes the basis for objective right and wrong. It leaves little room for individual rationalization or relativism. So the Cross & Bible can be convicting and even offensive to some. That is as it should be. Their right to disagree, object, or even take offense is just as important as my right of expression. My witness of God's faithful grace, mercy, and guidance in my life is more important than any potential loss of approval, favor, or even business from others.


Q: Are all of your employees Christian?
A: I really don't know, but I assume not. Audio Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer and has a diverse group of employees. We look for talented, self-motivated, competent people who enjoy their work and want to help us accomplish our mission. Their individual worldview and faith are not questioned and are not a basis for hiring decisions, advancement, or discipline. However, our employees know from our handbook that the Holy Scriptures and Judeo-Christian values are our basis for our business ethics. They know from the outset that we have high character expectations of our associates and we are very discriminating, in the most positive sense of the word. We look for the best-qualified and capable applicants, who we believe will have the most positive impact on others.


Closing Thoughts.
Thanks for your interest and reading all this. It is with profound gratitude for the vision, opportunities, relationships, success and even failures that I acknowledge the significance of God's leading and direction in my life. I was 19 when given the inspiration for this company. Now at 60+, some might think I had some special insight or grand plan all along. That is not the case. But with benefit of hindsight, my business path has simply been guided by incremental opportunities for problem solving and to be of service and value to others. And it has been revealed step-by-step, not in some grand vision or epiphany. But despite my own lack of planning and frequent unfaithfulness, God has a plan for my best, has always been faithful, and is worthy of my trust. He does not reveal it beginning-to-end as I might like, but by following Him a step at a time. Paraphrasing the Psalms, He knew me in the womb and knows when and where I will depart this life for the next.


If my experience has provoked questions of your own, please don't hesitate to contact me. I would also offer a few resources that you might find helpful:

QUESTIONS & COMMENTS FOR JONATHAN SISK