God and Guinness?
To many, this juxtaposition may appear sacrilegious, if
not rightfully awkward. But only those who know the story behind the Guinness
family can fully appreciate the connection between the two; that is, how the
national drink of Ireland became arguably the greatest instrument for
propagating the Gospel.
Here are some interesting tidbits I gleaned in my study of the
Guinness family:
- The trademark thick foam head of Guinness is the result of the presence of nitrogen. This is why one should drink Guinness form a glass and not the can or bottle.
- Hendry Grattan Guinness, the grandson of Arthur Guinness, was a contemporary evangelist whose name was often mentioned alongside the likes of D.L . Moody and Charles Spurgeon. His son married Hudson Taylor’s daughter.
- Today, nearly ten million glasses of Guinness are consumed daily, nearly 2 billion pints a year.
- Arthur Guinness, the founder of Guinness, founded the first Sunday School in Ireland.
- In 2003, a researcher from University of Wisconsin concluded that a pint of a Guinness a day actually bolsters hear health and is infinitely better for you than the caffeine in coffee or the high fructose corn syrup in soda.
Calling – Business as Mission
Arthur Guinness was a man of faith. Born in 1724 in a family
where his father was an archbishop, he embodied the words that were his family
motto: Spes mea in deo (My hope is in God). His influence
from the famous revivalist John Wesley inspired and enabled him to use his
God-given talents in entrepreneurship as a vehicle to follow the footsteps of
Jesus Christ. Wesley’s mantra which is known as the statement, “Make all you
can, save all you can, and give all you can” profoundly impacted Arthur
Guinness’ perspective in life and his wealth.
In mid 1700 in Ireland, there was a phenomena called
“The Gin Craze.” An overwhelming large number of people were drinking
whiskey and gin as their primary beverage. Water was deemed unsafe due to the
micro-organisms and mysterious diseases found in water unbeknownst to
everyone. The parliament forbidded the importation of liquor in 1689, so the
Irish and British began making their own. This led to excessive drunkenness
resulting in a poverty-ridden, crime-infested time. Statistics show that every
sixth house in English was a gin house.
Arthur Guinness was infuriated with this drunkenness. He
constantly prayed to God to do something with the alcoholism on the
streets of Ireland. In fact, he felt God calling him to “Make a drink that men
will drink that will be good for them.” He then developed a dark stout beer
called Guinness. Guinness contained so much iron that people felt full before
they can drink more pints. During its creation, the alcohol level was lower
than gin and whiskey.
Guinness truly was doing business as a mission instead of business
for mission. With the preserving influence of the salt and penetrating
influence of light, his life truly exemplified Lord’s mandate to be the salt
and light of the world.
The Legacy of Guinness
If the story of the Guinness story ended with a man of Arthur
Guinness, it would be a fairly small footnote in pages of history. Many of
Guinness’ accomplishments were done in his family by teaching values
undergirded in his biblical faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. He
created a family culture that focused on giving generously and investing in his
people.
The grandson of Arthur Guinness named Hendry Grattan Guinness
became a foremost evangelist spreading the Good News.
Another descendant of Guinness received five million pounds sterling
for a wedding gift, but then moved his new bride into the slums to utilize his
resources to eradicate the poverty in the land.
Another Guinness heir became Lord Iveagh as a member of the House
of Lords due to his philanthropic efforts. In his new role, he brought
wholesale changes in the legal system. In that time, people used to have
dueling on the streets. Like you see in the movies, people would turn around
and shoot each other whenever there was conflict. Lord Iveagh said you can’t do
this anymore. The biblical principle said if you’ve got something against
somebody, you need to talk to them; if they won’t change or refuse to listen,
you will have a legal representation that will go to public court with a
witness. This is how he embedded the biblical principles into the legal system.
If you think Google or Facebook has great perks, Guinness was one
of them. A key belief that the Guinness family subscribed to were the belief
that “You cannot make money from people unless you are willing for people to
make money from you.” This starkly contrasts the traditional thinking of today’
corporation where they think of employees as a disposable resource instead of a
unique human being created by God.
Guinness’s investment in their employees were impressive. If you
had worked for Guinness in 1928, a year before the Great Depression, you would
have had 24-hour medical care, 24-hour dental care and an on-site massage
therapy. In addition to this, your funeral expenses were paid by the company as
well as your pension all paid with no contributions needed to be
made. Your education as well as your children and wife were all paid for. The
company had libraries, reading rooms, athletic facilities and so on. Now, think
again. This was 1928…not 2012.
The Guinness family was, by all accounts, a godly family and one
the Lord used greatly in His service. What most fascinates me is not the
novelty of utilizing beer as an instrument to spread the Good News but how a
Christian businessman incorporated his faith so holistically in his business.
Today, the world needs more people like Arthur Guinness.
Let me conclude this blog post with a departing question to you. What
are you doing now that is giving glory to God. What tool are you using to
maximize your God-given talent to advance the Christian mission?
If this blog post piqued your interest, I highly recommended
Stephen Mansfield’s book The Search for God and Guinness. It is a
fantastic read even for those who don’t enjoy beer like myself. Mansfield ends
the book, capturing the essence of the Guinness Way:
- Discern the ways of God for life and business.
- Think in terms of generations yet to come.
- Whatever else you do, do at least one thing very well.
- Master the facts before you act.
- Invest in those you would have invest in you.
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The Philanthropists: Arthur Guinness
November 24, 2013
Arthur Guinness (1724 or 1725 – 1803) was the visionary,
entrepreneur, and Christian philanthropist who founded
the Guinness brewery business. Born into an Irish Protestant family, Guinness
received £100 from his godfather Arthur Price, the Archbishop of Cashel, in the
Church of Ireland. When he was about 30 years old, Guinness invested this money
in building a brewery near Dublin, the capital of Ireland. In 1761, Guinness
married Olivia Whitmore in Dublin and amazingly they had 21 children.
Like many others during his day,
Guinness had numerous family members who brewed their own beer (Arthur’s father
had, and three of his sons did as well). Alcohol was a safer alternative to
drinking the disease-infested, unfiltered water of the time. However, since so
many drank to great excess, some people began to brew beer which had a much lower
concentration of alcohol. Guinness was among them.
His Conversion
As noted earlier, the Guinness’s were
Irish Protestants. Therefore, Arthur grew up going to church. His personal
motto was Spes Mea in Deo, which means, “My
hope is in God.” He was a devout Christian who loved Jesus and shared his care
for the weak and poor. This love led him to help those who were addicted to
strong drinks like whiskey and gin, and to offer a healthier and safer
alternative in beer.
Guinness had the opportunity to hear John
Wesley preach at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The revivalist made a strong
impression on him. In response, he lived Wesley’s message: “Earn all you can.
Save all you can. Give all you can. Your wealth is evidence of a calling from
God, so use your abundance for the good of mankind.” God indeed gave him great
wealth and he was faithful to honor God and love others with what he
had received.
His Contributions
A significant part of Guinness’s
giving was his genuine desire to help people by brewing beer because of its
lower concentration of alcohol compared to many other drinks (as we noted
earlier). In other words, beer genuinely helped some people avoid the excesses
of drunkenness. Similarly, because of Wesley’s influence and message, Guinness
worked hard to start Sunday schools and, in fact, founded the ministry of
Sunday schools in Ireland. He gave money to the poor, served on hospital
boards, and sought to live a simple life despite being quite wealthy.
The legacy Guinness left is still felt
today. In 2009, Guinness & Co. established the
Arthur Guinness Fund (AGF), which offers people
opportunities to help their communities. One of the main reasons his influence
has lasted so long is that he invested a great deal of time and energy into his
family. He taught his children the same values that he himself cherished and
lived by. Thus, his children developed the Guinness Corporation into a strong,
effective organization that is still widely known to this day. Much of the
reason it has done so well is because the corporation has been very generous
with its customers, with its own employees, and with those outside the
organization. For example, during World War II,
Guinness gave a bottle of their beer to every British soldier serving in the
war. Through many other similar stories, Guinness sought the good of mankind
and the praise of God.
