Created to Create: Entrepreneurial Behavior Reflecting Divine Creative Patterns

What the paper says

This study develops an integrative theoretical framework connecting the Genesis creation narrative with entrepreneurial behavior. It proposes a new perspective that understands entrepreneurship not merely as economic activity, but as an expression of human nature as created in God’s image (Imago Dei). Through systematic integration of theological anthropology and entrepreneurship theory, this study identifies eight paired principles: Divine Vision/Opportunity Construction, Creative Word/Enactive Agency, Ordering Chaos/Venture Structuring, Divine Assessment/Value Creation, Imago Dei/Entrepreneurial Creativity, Stewardship Mandate/Responsible Entrepreneurship, Divine Providence/Entrepreneurial Adaptation, and Sabbath Principle/Entrepreneurial Renewal. A multiple case study analysis of Apple Inc., Grameen Bank, and Edison’s electric light system provides preliminary support for these principles across diverse entrepreneurial contexts. The framework contributes to entrepreneurial identity theory by demonstrating how theological worldviews shape entrepreneurial self-understanding and behavior, while advancing cross-disciplinary research methodology. Rather than imposing theological conclusions on entrepreneurship, this study suggests structural correspondences that may enrich both fields of scholarship.