Stockholders and the Bible In modern definitions, stockholders or shareholders are individuals or institutions that legally own a share of stock in a public or private corporation. Stock represents assets of an organization and is usually partitioned into shares that are issued at the beginning of the business incorporation or later on with approval from the Board of Directors. Stock represents a fraction of ownership in an organization, and there may be many types of stock -- each having distinctive ownership responsibilities and benefits- or value. The basic principle is thus that stockholders have a special interest in an organization and, at least in modern business terms, have contributed to the value of that organization through their financial support (Investopedia, 2012). In modern culture, the idea of the stockholder has been expanded into the term "stakeholder" -- in which the individual can be positively or negatively affected by the actions of the business as a whole. This term was not in general use until after 1963, in which the Stanford Research Group defined it in a way that is remarkably similar to that of stockholders: "those groups without whose support the organization would cease to exist" (Freeman, R., et al., 1983).

Thus, from an overall perspective, these two terms...

Since most modern religions are non-profit, there is no "stock" to be sold -- but through tithing and other types of support, the idea of the stockholder/stakeholder having both an individual interest in the benefit of religion and the Church needing the individual to support its work, has numerous Biblical implications. Both terms now imply shared social responsibility in the organization, and with that a sense of morality and ethics in the organization's behavior. The institution, too, has demands upon the individual -- if not monetary governance, then there is an expected responsibility in terms of volunteerism, adherence to values and cultural norms, and even certain ideals and cultural responsibilities (Gooden, S., et al., 2001).
In Romans 13:7, for instance, the Bible notes "Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. This is based on two contextual ideas, also in Romans: "For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing." In this sense, the shareholder…