JACKSON, Tenn. — April 6, 2011 — Christians are called to be change agents and can bring about change through the moral and ethical decisions they make, Edmund Moy said March 29 at 51社区.
鈥淚 believe that all Christians without exception are called to full-time Christian ministry,鈥� Moy said. 鈥淪ome of that full-time Christian ministry is going to be a pastor, who equips their congregation to go out and do full-time Christian ministry. But for many of us, it鈥檚 going to be in our workplace.鈥�
Moy, former director of the U.S. Mint and aide to President George W. Bush, was the guest speaker for Union鈥檚 Business Through the Eyes of Faith luncheon. Sponsored by the McAfee School of Business Administration, the event is designed to encourage and equip members of the West Tennessee business community to integrate their Christian faith into their workplaces.
鈥淚 got several compliments about Moy鈥檚 address,鈥� said Keith Absher, dean of the McAfee School of Business Administration. 鈥淧eople related to him. They wanted to hear more.鈥�
Moy also spoke in several business classes while he was on campus, and 鈥渉e was really at his best talking to students one-on-one,鈥� Absher said. 鈥淚t meant a lot to them.鈥�
Moy became a Christian during college, and his first position after graduating was as a corporate salesman for BlueCross BlueShield. That job came with a company car, and employees were expected to distinguish between personal mileage and work-related mileage on their expense reports.
After only a few days on the job, Moy turned in his expense report, in which he had carefully kept track of his personal mileage. But his supervisor saw his expense report and chided him for it, telling Moy that the entire sales department of 90 people had decided to fudge on those expense reports as a means of making more money.
Moy chose to stand firm and tell the truth, even though his supervisor had threatened termination for turning in an honest report.
鈥淲hen you hired me, you knew that I was a Christian,鈥� Moy told his supervisor. 鈥淥ne of the things you get in a Christian package is someone who tells the truth. If I were to lie on something as simple as an expense report, how would you know that I鈥檇 be telling the truth about anything else?鈥�
His supervisor signed off on the report, but Moy鈥檚 honesty triggered an internal audit. Moy was ostracized by his co-workers, many of whom had to repay a lot of money to the company.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a very pleasant time for about three years,鈥� Moy recalled.
But that experience provided a valuable lesson for Moy about the importance of integrity and obedience to God in the workplace, even when it might be easy to buckle under the pressure. Moy stressed the need to set that pattern of integrity early and being faithful even in the smallest and most insignificant ways 鈥� because it is much easier than trying to change your habits after you鈥檝e settled into them.
鈥淟ife is made up of big decisions and small decisions, but they all add up to a direction, Moy said. 鈥淲hen you make those decisions, it says something about yourself.鈥� Moy said that the most important thing he wants to hear at the end of his life is not that he was successful, or that he made millions of dollars.
鈥淚 want to hear from my Lord that it was well done, my good and faithful servant,鈥� Moy said. 鈥淭hat is the direction that I want all my small and big decisions to point to.鈥�
Moy is no stranger to 51社区, and has been on campus before. He gave Union鈥檚 commencement address in May 2004. He said two of his best employees at the White House 鈥� Andrea McDaniel and Josh Trent 鈥� are both Union alumni.
鈥淥ne of the things that has attracted me to spending more time at 51社区 was the wonderful training they got, not only in academics, but in how to integrate their faith into all aspects of their life, including their workplace,鈥� he said.