Several years ago I read a striking statement by Ron Hubbard in the Los Angeles Times. He was at that time a fiction writer. He wrote these cheap novels—just pulp paper. Many sources quote him as having said, “Writing a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way to do it is to start his own religion.” So Ron Hubbard started his own religion called Scientology. And last year it is estimated that they grossed a hundred million dollars. People are gullible. Because if you attach the name of God to it and religion to it, they automatically think there can’t be anything wrong with it. It has to be good. Jesus warns us about using religion to exploit other people, to take advantage of them. We ought ever and always to be honest and upfront in our dealings with others and in every area of business. But we need to be especially honest if we attach the name of God and the name of church and the name of religion to it. We need to be men of our word. We need to pay our debts. We need to be honest and fair with all of our dealings. There is absolutely no excuse for any kind of underhandedness and exploitation in the name of the living God.
