Initial Dialogue Case:
Dialogue Post Week 3
The Case:
A company’s controller, Hannah, is about to meet with her CFO when a senior accountant discovers an error in the financial statements. The error, an item incorrectly placed in inventory instead of research and development, would prevent the company from meeting its expected goals if corrected. Hannah must decide whether to make the correction and risk disappointing management or let the error slide to ensure everyone receives a bonus. This decision pits her professional responsibility against personal and organizational pressures.
The Dialogue Question:
James 1:5 states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” This scripture emphasizes the importance of seeking divine wisdom in difficult situations.
Considering Hannahs dilemma, what ethical reasoning is at play if she decides to let the error slide? What are the potential short-term benefits versus the long-term consequences of such a decision? Using the concept of biblical wisdom, explain why seeking to do what is right, even at personal cost, is the most faithful course of action. How does Hannah’s decision-making process reflect the tension between worldly pressures and the call to be a faithful steward of financial truth?
Dialogue Post Week 4
The Case:
As a CPA, Sean has violated several professional and ethical rules. He has embezzled money from a client’s trust, failed to complete contracted work, and neglected to file his own tax returns. When faced with a complaint, he makes false promises and flees the country. His actions demonstrate a pattern of dishonesty, irresponsibility, and a complete disregard for the trust placed in him by his clients and the public.
The Dialogue Question:
The prophet Micah asks, “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). This scripture highlights justice as a core requirement for a righteous life.
In the case of Sean, discuss the ways his actions violate the principle of justice. How does his behavior, from misappropriating funds to failing to perform contracted services, represent a complete breakdown of his ethical obligations to his clients and society? Analyze his actions through the lens of a biblical call to justice, explaining how his selfishness and deceitfulness stand in direct opposition to the faithful and just conduct required of a professional. What advice would you give Sean from a biblical and ethical perspective?
Note: For each discussion 2 replies. (200 words or fewer each). Each post must include a minimum of two academic references
Week 3 Respond to Katherine:
The ethical reasoning at play if Hannah were to let the error slide falls in line with consequentialism. There are short term benefits to letting the error slide like keeping the company happy & ensuring the employees will receive their bonuses. The long-term issue will be that the stakeholders will be misinformed, and they will think that income was higher than it was. This can cause them to make financial choices that maybe they wouldnt have made if the correct information was provided. Once the stakeholders find themselves in a hole because the company provided wrong information, they will look for ways to get out of that hole by having the company pay for their mistake. The costs of misclassifying the expense will be greater than fixing it when it was first discovered.
Doing what is right is the most faithful course of action. This is because truthfulness and integrity are the roots of biblical wisdom. Biblical wisdom recognizes that truth matters because God is a God of truth. The bible teaches that wisdom looks beyond short-term rewards to long-term consequences. Letting the error slide could mean a win for Hannah for today, but in the long run it will cost her things like her credibility, integrity and spiritual compromise.
Hannahs decision-making process clearly reflects the worldly pressures of performance goals, bonuses and keeping people happy. Many times, in business, decisions are made based on the belief that the ends justify the means, especially when it appears that no one is directly harmed and everyone benefits. In this situation, the temptation is to avoid conflict and deliver results that allow everyone to win. However, when this approach is compared to the call to be a faithful steward of financial truth, it becomes clear that choosing actions solely to please otherswhile knowingly doing what is wrongfails to honor ones responsibility to God. As a believer, there is a moral obligation to uphold truth and integrity regardless of personal or organizational consequences. Hannahs choice ultimately comes down to either compromising to meet worldly expectations or trusting God by honoring truth, even when doing so is costly.
Week 4 Respond to Noah:
Sean flagrantly violates the biblical call to justice in Micah 6:8 (to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God). Embezzling client trust funds is outright theft, denying people their rightful property. Failing to complete contracted work breaches agreements and inflicts financial harm. Neglecting his own tax returns evades societal responsibility, while issuing false promises and fleeing the country shows complete avoidance of accountability and humility.
His pattern represents a total breakdown of ethical obligations. As a CPA, Sean owed clients competence, due care, and unwavering honesty (AICPA Code), yet he repeatedly placed personal gain above the public trust and professional integrity (Mintz & Miller, 2025, p. 68).
Through Micah 6:8, God requires justice (fair treatment), mercy (compassion toward others), and humble walking with Him. Seans selfishness and deceit stand in direct opposition to each element, rejecting faithful stewardship in favor of self-preservation (Cafferky, 2015, p. 125).
Advice to Sean: Return immediately, surrender to authorities, make full restitution to every harmed client, publicly confess his wrongdoing, and seek Gods mercy through genuine repentance. Only through justice and humility can restoration begin.
References
Cafferky, M. E. (2015). Business ethics in biblical perspective: A comprehensive introduction. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
King James Bible Online. (n.d.). King James Version (KJV Standard). Retrieved February 2, 2026, from
Mintz, S. M., & Miller, W. F. (2025). Ethical obligations and decision-making in accounting: Text and cases (Looseleaf ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
References
Mintz, Steven M., and Roselyn E. Morris. 2023. Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in Accounting: Text and Cases. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Cafferky, M. E. (2015). Business ethics in biblical perspective: A comprehensive introduction. InterVarsity Press.
Requirements: No more than 200 words a post
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