“Guinness was a Christian who thought that by brewing beer he was doing God’s work,” according to author Stephen Mansfield in his book, The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World. Bob Smietana reports:
The Guinness family, especially in the company’s early days, was known for the Christian faith, which had been shaped by John Wesley, founder of Methodism. Wesley encouraged his followers to work hard and to give as much money away as possible. The Guinness family took that challenge seriously, Mansfield said. They paid their workers more than other brewers. Their company offered generous benefits — often sending employees’ children to private schools, and having doctors, dentists and a masseuse on staff.
That’s Christians living out their faith in the marketplace. I love it, but I’m not going to try another Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day. I may stick with something safe, like green cookies.
Susan Wise Bauer has a new world history book out. This is the second one, The History of the Medieval World: from the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade.