Doing Virtuous Business by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch {A Review}

 A while back (quite a while back actually) I requested the book "Doing Virtuous Business by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch from Book Sneeze. The book is about the importance of Faith (from which comes virtue) in business. He speaks a lot about Capitalism and what it is.  I had thought as a Christian who is an owner of a small business that I might find it interesting and perhaps helpful.

  He talks about the need for faith, honesty, gratitude, perseverance, compassion, forgiveness, patience, humility, courage, respect, generosity, discipline, chastity and thrift in business. These various traits can often be found in many people whether they are truly Christians or not but in order to have the Holy Spirit's help in these (and we will struggle to have these very well without that - lacking the renewal that we need) then we need to have the Holy Spirit in our life (through Christ).

  I did find bits and pieces of the book interesting but as a whole it was extremely hard to get through. It just never drew me in to make me want to keep reading.

   Here is the description of the book:

"Critics of Capitalism view big businesses as insatiable masters of the universe with little regard for the public, and label those who create wealth as greedy, malicious, and unscrupulous. In this insightful and original book, Theodore Roosevelt Malloch answers these charges head-on with the bold idea that the creation of wealth by virtuous means is the most important thing we can do for ourselves and for others.

Doing Virtuous Business explains the true purpose of business and illuminates the connection between a free economy and religious liberty. Drawing from the notion of "social capital" that has been developed by generations of scholars, Malloch adds the concept of "spiritual capital" as a foundation for social progress and also a necessity for responsible and successful enterprise. He details the virtues that sustain a business and a free market -- virtues that are critical to the emerging global economy.

Malloch reveals that a company's soul determines its "spiritual capital," an equally imperative foundation to success. From Wal-Mart to IBM, Malloch demonstrates how companies that operate on ethical models informed by spiritual traditions have outperformed their competitors. This book is a welcome moral defense of free enterprise and a sensible guide for achieving the ideal of virtuous business."

 Here are some quotes from the book that I did enjoy....

"In a free economy people give freely of their energies, talents, and knowledge because they wish the best for themselves, their families, and others. And at the same time.... they also perform a vital service for the economy as a whole, freely generating productivity, something that inevitably dwindles when people are coerced into maintaining it." Page 4

  I think that is a very important concept to understand in our current political climate!

"We avoid the dangers by treating other people, competitors included, with respect, by emphasizing our shared humanity and our shared stewardship of the earth and its resources, and by acknowledging our common dependence on a Creator God."

  I think that is such an important thing for everybody and especially business owners to remember.

Anyway, in conclusion, I think there are a lot of good thoughts in this book, they just aren't put together in an interesting manner.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”