A Preface to The Church in the Corporate World
[1] Enron and Tyco, Arthur Anderson and WorldCom: all have
become household words and all bring up the questions of how and
why we got to this place in our history. Since the formation of the
ELCA, the church has been involved in the work of corporate social
responsibility and that work has been spurring corporations on
to respond positively on a cadre of social issues.
[2] Now thanks to these corporate fiascos, we face the
time of asking what our church has to say about the ethics of big
business. What lens do we look through to view the corporate
scandals publicized during the last year? How do we determine
accountability when we look to issues of corporate governance and
board responsibility?
[3] In this issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics you
will find a variety of articles ranging from one individual's
response to his vocation to a description of an ecumenical
partner's vision of corporate social responsibility. Read them in
light of your experience, and for congregational pathways to
action, consult Stewart Herman's article on what congregations can
do.