Combining faith and CSR: a paradigm of corporate sustainability

Abstract

PurposeEngaging corporate social responsibility (CSR) is essential to attain corporate sustainability. This paper aims to take the CSR from the viewpoints of a believing system, Christianity in an attempt to bridge a gap in the existing literature.Design/methodology/approachThrough related literature reviews, research questions asked and grounding in the Christians' sacred text, the author seek to explore the Christians' social responsibilities and their relatedness to the CSR.FindingsThis paper highlights the interlocking principles – honoring God, one's neighbor, God's creation, great commissions and eternality concept – that shape the Christians' fundamental approaches toward their social responsibilities. These collective faith driven principles would redefine the existing CSR conceptions in a refined form that the author call a faith‐based CSR.Practical implicationsThe paper discusses the applications of the faith‐based CSR in the areas of corporate philanthropy, environmental preservation and social reporting. The faith‐based CSR is inherently beneficial to the firms and their stakeholders. It refines the organizational paradigms on the business competition, and uncovers a corporate sustainability paradigm otherwise hidden to managers and scholars.Originality/valueThe Christians have significant presence in both developed and emerging nations. Their worldviews on the social responsibility, consequently, would have influenced the CSR practices of firms. Given the scant attentions paid to explore the intersection between a believing system and the business ethics, this paper can make a unique contribution to the area of CSR literature.