We have normally considered "bribery" as against the will of God. We might even call this “extortion money” and from our perspective it seems wrong and illegal. As a Christian, you would think that the Bible would always condemn it. Might there be another side? Although Exodus 23:8 and Deuteronomy 16:19 and 27:25 condemn bribes, they are in the context of giving bribes to pervert a judge’s decision or to accomplish evil. However payment of a “bribe” could be to induce the recipient to use his official position to conduct business fairly and not wrongly. In other words, inducing him to do what they should be doing, not to do what they should not be doing. Proverbs 17:8 states, “A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds” (NIV). In North America, we are used to thinking that every law is rational and should be obeyed. But what happens when the leaders or officials of the countries in which we work encourage the violation of the laws they create, or allow systems that are designed to encourage bribes? The situation might be the key determinant and your ability to respond out of a clear conscience; it might not be the act of bribery itself. As a Christian, you must understand God’s heart on this specific matter. If, after getting the details, your conscience is still not clear, you might have to refuse to pay the bribe. Before offering a bribe in a foreign country, I would want to ask the national Christians for their perspective on this matter. Perhaps they would have some insights into Scripture that I have not seen. Then, if the national Christians support my decision, and since no laws have been broken, I would go ahead and pay the bribe or the fee to the customs official or agent. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Anti-bribery Provisions list 5 elements that must be met to constitute a violation of the Act. Particularly noting is article B: Corrupt intent which states that the payment must be intended to induce the recipient to misuse his official position to direct business wrongfully to the payer or to any other person. From a biblical perspective, it becomes a little more complex. My experience working with Christians in Romania in 1988 – 1990 under the Ceascescu dictatorship forced me to think through the issues of bribery at length. Christians in that setting were forced to develop the working out of their theology in ways that few Western Christians have had to do. In order to make the right decision, I would observe the following guidelines: 1. Keep a constant check on my motives. It is possible that the motivation and the circumstances behind paying the bribe are more important than the act of paying the bribe. Consider that there might be a hierarchy of values and that it is imperative that we understand the heart of God. 2. Examine the perspectives of other Christians. In North America, we try to see each situation in simple, uncompounded ways. We think that there must be a right and a wrong. However, the world is fallen and the issue of bribery in a specific country is often too complex for simple answers. 3. Consult the local Christian elders to see how the act is viewed by the Christians of that culture. It might be important to distinguish between local laws and practices that are important versus laws and practices that are not. 4. Consult scripture for wisdom. Hebrews 5:14 shows us that we have the responsibility to train ourselves to “distinguish between good and evil”. 5. Decide as a mature Christian what I will do. Satan’s job is to get us confused on what is right and wrong and, at the same time, drawing our focus away from actually doing what is right. My moral decision comes when I decide if I’m going to follow through on what I know is the right thing to do. That’s where my conscience plays the part. If my conscience isn’t genuinely clear before God, then I am “made guilty” by it. My experience has led me to conclude that the business license “bribe”, or the fees paid to the customs official or agent, are simply seen as an extra, unofficial “fee” that is levied because I am a foreigner. In Romania, it was levied on Christians because they were Christians. For example, Christians couldn’t get medical help unless they paid the normal fee and brought a kilo of coffee (which had high value on the black market). They gladly paid the fee and didn’t think of themselves as sinners, but simply as survivors. Aleksander Solzhenitsyn had an interesting perspective on these issues that obviously affected the Christians of Eastern Europe. He said that the law is never meant to be obeyed but is constructed so that it cannot be obeyed. It is to be used as a club or a lever to control the population. Having said that, I also understand that 50% of Christians will probably disagree with me because this is a complex matter that isn’t necessarily black or white. If each of us is looking to God as our final authority, and God is unchanging, yet we still disagree with each other, then it’s clear that we see things through different eyes.
settled that we should do this and, even though I felt we could justify it biblically, we did not sense God's peace that we should go ahead and do it. We never paid the bribe. We never got our work permit. Ultimately we had to leave the country and we were left with the bills to pay.
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| To Bribe or Not to Bribe, That is the Question by Patrick Bell |