Alvin Ung

Managing Editor,
A 2nd-year Master of Christian Studies student at Regent College, Mr. Ung has worked in the fields of cellular telecommunications, journalism, financial analysis, and magazine publishing.

Navigating Ambiguity

usiness is messy. On any typical day, the business sections of most major newspapers will feature Wall Street shenanigans, a potpourri of court battles and settlements, as well as a parade of corrupt business executives. These high-profile messes form only the tip of the iceberg. A far greater number of people, who toil in obscurity, find themselves confronted with messy, tough and ambiguous situations on a daily basis.

How do we find true north as we’re sailing on choppy seas? How possible is it to think – and work – Christianly when it comes to marketing, advertising and entrepreneurial activities? And how should we live if we find ourselves reaping the fruits of financial success? Furthermore, is it possible for the church to speak prophetically into the lives of Christians who attempt daily to navigate ambiguous waters? These are questions that can never be fully answered. Yet they are always worth asking.

In this issue, four distinct voices – from Singapore, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom – will address these questions. Their professions and expertise range from theology and hotel management to petrochemicals and medical imaging software.

Gordon Smith, president of Overseas Council Canada, and Stuart Harrison, a senior marketing executive, write about how we can navigate ambiguity by integrating faith with work. Smith, a former dean of Regent College, argues that entrepreneurship has the capacity to bring God-breathed life into the needs of our world. He suggests four remarkable ways in which the entrepreneur can work with integrity, justice and generosity amidst a world of moral ambiguity. Harrison, who recently participated in Regent’s teaching in the new market economy of Central Europe, contends that the pursuit of truth is paramount when business gets ugly and messy. In fact, truth-telling is the only way we can keep sane in a culture of spin and half-truths.

In two other essays, Stanley Tay, a former petrochemicals executive in Singapore, and Steve Brinn, a former Regent board member, offer solutions on how we can integrate the messy life of business with the equally complex life of the church. Tay, a student at Regent College, reflects on whether Christians can remain faithful to God’s call in a culture of material prosperity and affluence. He uses the lifestyle of Christians living in Singapore, one of the most prosperous nations in the world, as a case study. Meanwhile, Brinn, who recently participated in Regent’s marketplace module in Knoxville, laments that the clergy and laity have both failed to face up to the messiness of business. This has resulted in a corrosive schizophrenia that can only be rectified by courage, confession and radical forgiveness.

Don’t expect to find all the answers to navigating ambiguity in this issue. What you will find, as you read the truth that is strained through the real experiences of the authors, is a sense of direction. And hope.”