Hey friends - Thanks for joining me in this LIFE ON MISSION with Jesus. My name Tanner Klein.

In our last post (linked here), we introduced REDEMPTIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP, the beautiful and countercultural call to build ventures that reflect the sacrificial love of Jesus in a broken world.

We covered:

* What is Redemption?

* What exactly is Redemptive Entrepreneurship?

* What Makes It Redemptive? Three Marks: Motives, Methods, & Outcomes

* Why This Matters Right Now

* What does Redemptive Entrepreneurship look like in real life?

I shared why I am writing this series and we prayed together.

Here’s one key point I want to highlight again:

God can make an eternally significant impact on other eternal souls through us, and He does!

That is absolutely amazing. So, we’re pressing on in faith together.

Today, we’re going a bit deeper.

THE THREE WAYS WE BUILD: Exploitative, Ethical, and Redemptive Entrepreneurship

If we want to build with Christ, we need to understand the three ways in which we can choose to lead and create.

I mentioned Praxis in my introduction to REDEMPTIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Praxis is an inspiring NYC-based organization advancing redemptive entrepreneurship.

Attached below a powerful graphic our friends at Praxis call “The Redemptive Frame.”

It overlays the three ways to build (Exploitative, Ethical, Redemptive) with the three dimensions of building (Strategy, Operations, Leadership).

Praxis lays out Strategy as What we build, Operations as How we build, and Leadership as Why we build.

Within the center of the circle is the most common and worldly way to build:

The Exploitative way.

It’s characterized by Living for Self, Using People, and Leveraging Culture.

Surrounding the exploitative circle is the much less common and improved way to build:

The Ethical way.

It’s characterized by Improving Yourself, Respecting People, and Advancing Culture.

The outer circle surrounding the ethical circle is the rare, radical, and Christlike way to build:

The Redemptive way.

It’s characterized by Dying to Self, Blessing People, and Renewing Culture.

I believe that every entrepreneur, leader, creative, founder, and builder is operating out of one of these three ways to build—whether we realize it or not.

And the way we choose determines the culture we shape, the people we impact, and the story our work tells about the God we serve.

1. THE EXPLOITATIVE WAY

How much can I get out of this?

Praxis puts it this way:”Take all you can get.””I win, you lose.””Win and control.”

This is the default mode of a fallen world.

Exploitative entrepreneurship uses:

* People,

* Power,

* Resources,

* Relationships, &

* Systems,…for personal gain.

It asks:“How can this benefit me the most?”

It is often characterized by the aforementioned “I win, you lose” mentality.Even if it harms others.Even if it destroys trust.Even if it costs someone else their dignity.

Put simply: exploitative builders take more than they give.

What this looks like in real life:

* If profit becomes the primary goal, then people become tools.

* If cutting corners improves margins, then integrity becomes negotiable.

* If someone on the team is struggling, then their weakness becomes a liability, not an opportunity to communicate, care, and grow together.

* If growth demands more pressure, then burnout becomes normal.

In short:Exploitation prioritizes self at the expense of others.

This way of building may succeed for a moment, but it takes far more than it gives and fights against God’s good design.

It is often motivated by fear of lack and scarcity.It opposes the way of the Kingdom of God.It opposes what Jesus said, how He lived, and what He stood for.

2. THE ETHICAL WAY

How do I do good and avoid harm?

Praxis puts it this way:”Do things right.””I win, you win.””Be good and do good.”

Ethical entrepreneurship is a step in the right direction.It’s not sacrificial, but it is more responsible.It tries to “do business right” without necessarily aiming for transformation.

Its core question is:“Am I operating fairly and honestly?”

This is good. It is a notable improvement.But it is not yet redemptive.

What this looks like in real life:

* If I pay fair wages and treat people well, then my conscience is clear.

* If I avoid harmful practices, then I can feel good about my company and efforts being “ethical.”

* If someone is hurting, then I’d like show empathy, but not at a cost to myself or the company.

* If generosity fits the budget or we have excess, then we can give.

Put simply:Ethical builders avoid causing harm, but they rarely go out of their way to bring restoration.

While ethical entrepreneurship helps, redemptive entrepreneurship restores.

The Ethical way seeks after the absence of injustice.Meanwhile, the Redemptive way is characterized by self-giving love motivating transformational action.

3. THE REDEMPTIVE WAY

How can I sacrificially bless others, even though it costs me?

Praxis puts it this way:”Creative restoration through sacrifice.””I sacrifice, we win.””Love and serve.”

This is the way of Jesus.The way of the cross.The way of the Kingdom.

Redemptive entrepreneurship is not just “doing no harm.”It is doing lasting good—God-glorifying, sacrificial, people-blessing good.

It asks:“What reflects Christ here?”“How can I participate in God’s work of renewal?”“How can I show love, even if it slows me down, even when it costs me something?”

What this looks like in real life:

* If paying employees generously cuts into our profits, then we trust God to provide as we honor those we’ve been entrusted to lead and steward well.

* If someone on the team is struggling, then we slow down to show compassion and meet them where they’re at rather than speed up their suffering with fear-based pressure.

* If an opportunity is “strategic” but misaligned with Christ’s heart, then we walk away without fear of missing out.

* If God asks me to give more, serve more, or surrender more, then obedience becomes the win.

In other words:Redemption is costly love in action.This kind of entrepreneurship mirrors the self-giving way of Jesus and the Gospel itself.

Put simply:Exploitative action takes.Ethical action avoids harm.Redemptive action gives.

Why this matters for Kingdom Builders like You and Me Today

You and I are not just building businesses or projects or ministries…

We are revealing a King and a Kingdom.

Our actions speak for themselves.Our decisions preach something.Our culture preaches something.How we use the limited time we’re given preaches something.

This is why we must take up Christ’s invitation to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him—to be disciples of our Master and Good Shepherd, Jesus.

And whether we like it or acknowledge it, the world is