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Kaizen Christianity: Perfect Quality System
I posit that (among other things) the Bible is a Quality Control manual for holiness and
sanctification. This is written for all the people out there that are part of an organization that is
quality certified or has a process in place for quality and continuous improvement or those that
understand the concept of corporate quality.
Section 1
Part I: MissionStatements and a Definition of Quality
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I
am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth. ~Leviticus 11:44
For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God:
ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. ~Leviticus 11:45
"Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy:
for I the LORD your God am holy. ~Leviticus 19:2
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because
I am holy." ~1 Peter 1:15-16
The Quality (holiness) of something can be determined by comparing a set of inherent
characteristics (sin, morals, conscience) with a set of requirements (the Bible, the Law, Jesus
Christ). If those inherent characteristics meet all requirements (God's exacting standards), high or
excellent quality is achieved (sanctification, glorification). If those characteristics do not meet all
requirements (sin, unrepentant, depravity), a low or poor level of quality is achieved (corruption,
sinner, condemnation).
Quality is, therefore, a question of degree (sanctification). As a result, the central quality
question is: How well does this set of inherent characteristics (sin, lack of sin, morals,
conscience) comply with this set of requirements (the Bible, the Law)? In short, the quality of
something depends on a set of inherent characteristics and a set of requirements and how well the
former complies with the latter.
According to this definition, quality is a relative (to God) concept. Quality is always relative to a
set of requirements (God and the Bible).
Part II: Definitions and Concepts:
Quality is not something that just "gets done". It requires a change to mindset of not only the
individual but the corporate whole. Corporate is another word for community or a
collective body. The idea of quality is to be built right into the culture so that it becomes part of

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life or the practice of doing things normally. It is a continuous process that continually improves
upon the last attempt...unless of course there is backslide.
Part III: A Quality Plan
A quality plan is a document that is used to specify the procedures and resources that will be
needed to carry out a project, perform a process, realize a product, or manage a contract. Quality
plans also specify who will do what and when.
Sound familiar? Sacrifice, atonement, specific times of the year, high priest, adult males,
resources: heifers, lamb, grain, bread, blood, wave offerings, etc. Contract? Contract is another
word for a covenant or agreement. Specify who does what when. Sounds a lot like a Suzerain
Treaties & Vassal Covenant (God & Israel, Gentiles & Christ). God specifies, man obeys. Thou
Shalt, Thou Shall...All of these are imperatives or absolutely necessary requirements. hence the
reason for word "Shall" not "Should". Either meet the requirements or you are not high quality
(holy), you are low quality (sinful and corrupt). The fact that you even get a chance to correct
yourself is leeway that's built into the system. In the Bible it is called mercy and grace. He gives
us feedback and we try again...and again...and again.
The quality control requirements for holiness and sanctification are all over the Bible...Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Romans, Ephesians, just to name a few of the more
prominent.
Some people do better when they have an example to follow. In quality control jargon this is
called a benchmark. They are sought as examples for us to emulate and model our behavior after.
In the case of the Bible we model our holiness after certain people in the Bible and we all know
their names. Jesus Christ was the perfect benchmark but He was the exception in that He was the
God man and no other man will ever be perfect like Him but we are encouraged to try (Leviticus
11:44). There are other people that God thought well enough of that they were included in the
Bible as examples. Were they perfect? No way! They were human! Abraham, Moses, David, The
Apostles, Esther, Ruth, Paul...
The bottom-line is that Bible shows us how to get back to God. It then tells us how to maintain
this high level of quality and integrity through a morally based sanctifying Christian life that
leads to our eventual glorification in Christ.
A process for continuous improvement is built right into the system also to continually try to
improve the quality. The system also gets checked at intervals to see if it is out of whack. If there
is a catastrophic failure the systems are stopped immediately and things are fixed. If there are not
catastrophic failures the controller continues to work with subjects or materials to try and
continue to tweak the system until the subjects get as close to perfect as possible which is also
called zero defects (repentance, sanctification & glorification).
Do you know what they usually do in a quality control system when something doesn't meet
requirements and can't be fixed? It gets inspected (judged) and tossed (condemned) because it is
a non-conformity that cannot be corrected. Separated from the good ones and trashed. The only

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thing it is good for is to serve as a bad example. The final inspection and judgment on whether
you met the quality standards for being holy comes after you die. You don't get a second chance.
You end up on the scrap heap as a rejection or deviation...Gehenna or Ge Hinnom the dump for
Jerusalem. Gehenna...another name for Hell.
All these corporate types believe they have stumbled onto something in the last fifty years when
they instituted procedures for assuring these practices. I have news for them, God beat them to
the punch with His idea embedded in Torah and the Law that it was to lead His people in a
corporate and individual sanctification. A process that would later be perfected in the Holy
Spirit. His idea was actually vastly more perfect since what God was striving for in the demands
of this system was holiness and trying to shape his people to be like Him.
Part IV: Kaizen Christianity: Continuous Improvement to Achieve Zero Defects
(Perfection)
I will now layout a more thorough explanation of not only my theory that the Bible is a Quality
Control manual for holiness and sanctification. I will actually nuance the idea that it is pure
Kaizen. It isn’t just a good manual for quality it is a perfect quality manual to make people holy
and righteousness as it states within its own pages.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2
Timothy 3:16-17
But this time I will be comparing the Christian philosophy to the quality philosophy of Kaizen to
draw a more distinct parallel between two known philosophies from two different cultures. One
of the philosophies is Biblical and the other secular...both based in a premise of quality and
continuous improvement. As an apologist I see things like this as an opportunity to reach those
unreached especially in places like the Far East where there are hundreds of millions or even
billions of people that do not know Jesus Christ. One of the main tools or methodologies of an
apologist like myself is to meet people where they are at, speak in their terms and use their own
examples to try and win them to the Faith. Paul did this and that is what I will attempt now. It
may fail but at least I have tried.
First off, as I have already noted, what I am about to do...using a worldly philosophy to get a
biblical point across (to spread the message of my faith) is in itself...biblical. It finds its pattern in
Acts 17:18-33 in Paul the Apostle's sermon to the Greeks at Mars' Hill (the Areopagus or the Hill
Of Ares) in Athens.
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked,
"What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign
gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the
resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they
said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing

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some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." (All the Athenians and
the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to
the latest ideas.) Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I
see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your
objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. Now what you
worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. "The God who made the world
and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men
life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should
inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where
they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find
him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'
As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "Therefore since we are God's
offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image
made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he
commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world
with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him
from the dead."~ Acts 17:18-31
Paul takes the "Altar to the unknown God" and tells the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in their
terms that this "Unknown God" is in reality, "...the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in
temples built by hands" and "'For in him we live and move and have our being" and " As some of
your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' " Paul is directly linking the Greek philosophy
to the Christian belief of the Great "I AM" of the Old Testament that is knowable and does not
have a name per se but is the eternally existent "I AM". Paul had his hearers captivated until he
mentions resurrection from the dead which turns them off and drives many away because of the
Gnostic (and other philosophies) belief that the physical or materiality, and the human body, is
perceived as evil and constrictive, a deliberate prison for its inhabitant.
 Thought One: It Becomes You
Christianity & Kaizen: Kaizen is what amounts to a daily quality process, the purpose of which
goes beyond simple productivity improvement. A Christian life does the same. Christians strive
daily to sanctify and improve our lives (and others) to make them more Christ-like. As I have
stated last year in my original post on the Bible being a Quality Control manual called The Bible:
Quality Control and Continuous Improvement, this daily process is to ingrain a behavior of
quality into the system. Quality becomes you. In the case of a Christian, holiness and righteous
behavior are the manifest traits. This wears off on others in Discipleship which is to make
another disciple which continues the chain that builds the Kingdom of God which is a corporate
body/community.
Sanctification towards holiness is similar to the idea of Kaizen in that it is also a process that,
when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work ("muri"), and

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teaches people how to interact with their work using the biblical principles where Kaizen seeks
to apply scientific method. In turn this allows Christians to learn how to learn to spot and
eliminate wickedness and unrighteousness in peoples lives. In Kaizen it seeks to eliminate waste
and superfluous action and wasted time/material, etc.
 Thought Two: Making Us More - From Less
The next step or explanation is where I see the sanctification (make more holy) process of
Biblical Christianity seems to walk in lock-step with Kaizen philosophy as a pattern of behavior
but also begins to diverge as a means to an end or where it's ultimate goal or end result differ. In
all, the Biblical Process seeks to take a more spiritual approach to make us more like God or
Christ. We do this by humbling ourselves and making ourselves less...by becoming servants of
the Most High God and serving our fellow human beings to achieve a common goal...Salvation
in Christ.
Philippians 2:5-11 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ
Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used
to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by
becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest
place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In all, the Kaizen Process seeks to take a more humanized approach and there is little or no focus
on spiritual aspects to help workers to increase quality or productivity. It is similar and parallel to
Christianity yes, but with two totally different end results in mind. Both begin with the intent that
they are for improvement but they both use a different standard as a benchmark for final product
or end result and diverge in methodology.
The Bible wants us Godly and heavenly minded, the Kaizen philosophy wants us people and
earthly minded. 1 Corinthians sums this up nicely.
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger
than human strength." 1 Corinthians 1:25
Paul later goes on to say this in 1 Corinthians 3:
"Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you
should become “fools” so that you may become wise. "For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness in God’s sight. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19

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Paul is essentially saying that we can compare the wisdom of humans to God's wisdom as a
benchmark (as God's pattern would be perfect) but in the end we must acknowledge the
superiority of God's philosophy and wisdom. Why? Because God's wisdom, which is the
revelation of righteousness and His Son Jesus Christ.... grants us eternal life if we accept Him.
Why is this superior? Can we take Kaizen beyond the grave? No. What we can do is use it as a
point of comparison here but it is useless knowledge/philosophy on the eternal scale of things.
Where it becomes useful and wise from God's standpoint is when it helps us bridge a gap to win
people to the Christian philosophy and eternal life.
 Thought Three: Underlying Premise - Unity of Mind
...and this is where things become strikingly clear between these two paralleled side-by-side.
The Kaizen philosophy is to nurture a company's human resources as much as it is to praise and
encourage participation in kaizen activities. Successful implementation of Kaizen requires the
participation of individual workers in the improvement so that it becomes a corporate mentality
or culture. People at all levels of an organization participate in kaizen, from the CEO down
individual stakeholders.
The Biblical way of life is to nurture a corporate body/community of believer's resources by
praising God and to encourage participation in Biblical activities such as fellowship (κοινωνία
/kiononia) that are basically things like corporate worship (going to church) or group prayer. It
should also encourage Christians to adhere to Biblical philosophy that helps build up individual
adherence (devotion) also known as sanctification. The two would conceivably run hand-in-
hand. Individual adherence (devotion) helps build others up or edifies them thereby individual
sanctification leads to corporate sanctification. Successful Christianity requires the participation
of all individual believers in the improvement so that it becomes community mentality or body
with Jesus Christ as the unifying Head, as the unifying focus and purpose (the benchmark).
People at all levels of an organization participate in Church or the Body of Christ from the pastor
and elders to the individual laity.
Here again we see a extremely close parallel. The Bible / Christianity spells out and clarifies the
underlying principle better than the Kaizen philosophy here. The underlying premise in both is
unity of mind and purpose. In Christianity it is a unified body and mind towards Christ and
unified thought towards quality and continuous improvement in Kaizen...which ironically is also
a Christian's goal when referring to sanctification (continuous improvement) and holiness
(quality). A Christian would go as far as to say that the only way you could even have unity of
mind in a philosophy like Kaizen would be to have Jesus Christ as the "cornerstone" or the
unifying factor at the base of the philosophy. The cornerstone on which all the other blocks are
laid so they remain perpendicular and straight on the foundation. Hence the idea that all stones
on a cornerstone stay aligned to the cornerstone....which is Christ. Perfect unity, perfect
alignment...perfect quality (holiness). This is why Christian's preach and teach Christ crucified. It

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is the cornerstone of our Faith. Without Christ's Resurrection from the dead...Christianity falls
apart.
Jesus Prays for All Believers in John 17:20-23…“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for
those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as
you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you
have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are
one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world
will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Paul also alludes to Church unity all over Ephesians…
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s
people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together
and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to
become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. ~Ephesians 2:19-22
 Thought Four: A Dozen Points of Contrast
One:
Kaizen: Is a quality philosophy that can be individual, small group, or large group.
Christianity: Is a Christian holiness philosophy that can be individual, small group, or large
group.
Matthew 18:20~" For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Two:
Kaizen: At corporations it is usually a local improvement within a workstation or local area and
involves a small group in improving their own work environment and productivity.
Christianity: In the Body of the Church it is often localized improvements within peoples
individual homes or local congregations by working on individual relationships with God and
then immediate family/local church members that are the impetus to do so at higher levels of the
Church-at-large or the Church universal. The key is starting with improving one's relations with
Jesus Christ first. Thereby synchronizing ones behaviors and mindset to a known perfect quality
standard of holiness just like everyone else in the Faith should be doing.
Ephesians 4:1-6~Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and

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one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. [Ephesians
passage about unity of the Church corporate body]
It goes on in later verses to state...
Ephesians 4:11-16 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed
back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the
cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming [poor quality processes or standards
created by sin]. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the
mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ [The perfect standard or benchmark of
holiness]. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Three:
Kaizen: This localized small unit or group is often guided through the kaizen process by a line
supervisor; sometimes this is the line supervisor's key role...to be a steward of workers who will
eventually pass on the exact same philosophy to the next generation of adherents to the
philosophy.
Christianity: This localized small unit or group is called a family and is often guided through the
Christian process by Christian parent; sometimes this is the parent’s key role...to be a steward of
children who will eventually pass on the exact same philosophy to the next generation or family.
It’s called discipleship. We see it in the Shema of the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9~These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed
me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you,
your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by
keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear,
Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly
in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised
you. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give
you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit
at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as
symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your
houses and on your gates.

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Many of these commands and statutes us the words "thou shalt" or "thou shall". These are quality
terminologies. These are requirements to assure that an individual adheres to the stipulations put
forward. Why? To assure that one improves in holiness and movement towards Godly living
(sanctification). "Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads? " and
"Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates?" Is this a Biblical form or
work instructions for holiness and sanctification for individual households? I believe it can be
seen that way.
Proverbs 22:6~Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart
from it.
Four:
Kaizen: It frees human efforts through improving productivity using machines and computing
power.
Christianity: Sanctifying one’s self through acceptance of the Gospel and things the Bible
teaches will free humans from the condemnation or eternal non-conformity sin brings. Through
improving the state of holiness in people's lives the Kingdom of God becomes more involved in
this world and it gains a better foothold in the hearts of repentant believers that have adhered to
Biblical mandates, statutes or the biblical "thou shalls" and "thou shalts".
Exodus 20:3~”You shall have no other gods before me.”
Exodus 20:13~“You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:14~“You shall not commit adultery.
Exodus 20:15~“You shall not steal.
Exodus 20:16~“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Five:
Kaizen: It usually delivers small improvements (but definitely produce large immediate ones also
although this is the exception not the rule). A mindset or culture of continual aligned small
improvements and standards eventually yields large results in the form of compound productivity
improvement.
Christianity: It usually delivers small improvements (but definitely produce large immediate
ones although this is the exception not the rule). A mindset or culture of continual aligned small
improvements through sanctification and obedience to Godly principles eventually yields large
results in the form of compound sanctification improvement or gains in holiness. Paul alludes to
this slow deliberate and often painful process of improvement of individual holiness in Romans
7.

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Romans 7:14-25~For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to
sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do,
but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with
the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which
dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is
present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I
practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no
longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in
me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and
making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who
will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So
then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my
flesh the law of sin.
Six:
Kaizen: This methodology includes making changes and monitoring results, then adjusting.
Christianity: This methodology includes making changes and monitoring results, then adjusting
based on a known holy standard: Jesus Christ and what we know of the mind of God in the Holy
Bible.
2 Corinthians 13:5~"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do
you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?"
Seven:
Kaizen: The idea of Kaizen is developing best practices so that workers don't have to think. As
such, Kaizen is an ideal approach to improve one's personal work flow. The worker does what he
needs to intuitively.
Christianity: The idea of Christianity is developing holy practices which are best for us so that
believers don't have to think, they just know what to do intuitively. As such, Christianity is an
ideal approach to improve one's personal life and professional life. The believer does what he
needs to intuitively and becomes what he thinks and thinks what he becomes. The prverbial,
"Where the minds leads, the body follows". In this case it is more akin to, "Where a Godly mind
leads, a Godly body follows". Whether that body be individual or corporate.
Proverbs 22:1~ A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than
silver or gold.

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2 Corinthians 7:1~ Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves
from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Romans 12:2~ Do not be conformed to this world [which is clearly flawed and fallen in sin], but
be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of
God, what is good and acceptable and perfect
Eight:
Kaizen: You also want to build in error-proofing as much as possible. The "urgent" things or bad
emergency things need to be minimized. You need to clear the "urgent" box.
Christianity: The belief of a true Christian at its very core believes that the Bible itself is the
inerrant word of God therefore anything it speaks to is regarded as without error or error-proof. It
stands to reason if it is written by an all-knowing omnipotent perfect God it would contain
everything it needs to perfectly help mankind towards righteousness and holiness. It is literally
the mind of God…therefore it is God. Therefore if the Bible is strictly adhered to, the emergency
issues that effect the eternal scale of things are minimized or become non-existent.
John 1:1~In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And this Word became flesh in Jesus Christ
John 1:14~The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Therefore a perfect benchmark is contained in a documented source: The Holy Bible. Therefore
a perfect benchmark is also contained in a real person in reality: Jesus Christ. Therefore it is a
measurable standard not just a theoretical ideal. Granted, it is an unattainable standard for
humans but perfection always is…unless you’re God...which is exactly who Jesus was.
Nine:
Kaizen: Focuses on eliminating waste. On the factory floor, this means wasted movement.
Setting up tool stations so that everything is within arm's reach is an easy way of cutting out
wasted steps, and iterated over the course of a day, or a month, for two hundred workers, this
means greatly increased productivity. It also means less wear and tear for the workers
themselves, and that's good for everyone.
Christianity: People's lives (Christian or not) are often an effort to find purpose, otherwise life
itself often looks as if it has little or no meaning. A person can become quite nihilistic in their
outlook. When we adhere to the practices and the purposes God sets before us in the instructions
in the Bible we know that they are for the benefit of the believer and those that come in contact

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with them. The life instructions in the Bible also help to define our purposes for both the
individual, the Church corporate and even those around us in the world-at-large. If God is
sovereign as He is defined in the Bible (which I believe He is) and has a plan for
everything...then everything in the entire Creation has a purpose and therefore fits into His grand
overarching plan for Creation. If everything has a purpose…there can be no waste. There is no
such thing as "superfluous" or "redundant" in God’s universe. A sovereign God is in control of
all things. Therefore it has been created for a plan or design therefore it will be utilized to that
end.
Romans 8:28-30~And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to
be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and
sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he
justified, he also glorified.
Jeremiah 29:11-13~ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper
you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and
come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me
with all your heart.
Ten:
Kaizen: Standardization is another Kaizen principle. With standardization, you think about what
"best practices" are, and you do so in advance. Then you externalize those best practices as much
as possible, and you work those practices so that they become automatic.
Christianity: Standardization is also a Christian principle. With standardization, you think about
what "best practices" are, and you do so in advance. Then you implement them into your
behavior. That way your good thoughts become good actions
Proverbs 23:7 “For as he a man thinks in his heart, so is he…”
Romans 12: 2 - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his
good, pleasing and perfect will."
Then you externalize those best practices as much as possible, and you work those practices so
that they become automatic. They become the way we act…behaviors that manifest themselves
on the outside for others to see…we manifest and act out what we have become internally.
Therefore they are measurable outputs that can be gauged and improved upon or critiqued.
The measurable outputs in a Christian life are quantified or called the "Fruits of the (Holy)
Spirit" and they are elaborated on in Galatians 5:19-26. The bad results/outputs or non-
conformity to holiness are also mentioned in the same passage.

13. [13]
Galatians 5:19-26~ The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and
debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that
those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its
passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not
become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Eleven:
Kaizen: The policies and processes of the Kaizen process must be implemented through
teaching, training and educating the indiviudal members of the corporation from the CEO to the
new hire. As such it is a continuous and ongoing process that never ends until departure form the
company or termination. This process is used so everyone is on the same page working with the
same purpose, ideas and intent in unity.
Christianity: The statutes of God and principles outlined in the Christian Bible must be
implemented through teaching, child-rearing and educating the indiviudal members of the
Church both at the family level (basic building blocks) to the local congregation (larger corporate
units). Training and the education of all involved from the Pastor and Elders to the new believers
or young child just learning about what Jesus did for us to save us not only as individuals but as a
corporate whole. As such it is a continuous and ongoing process that never ends until death. This
process is used so everyone is on the same page working with the same purpose, ideas and intent
in unity.
Twelve:
Christianity: A conscious decision needs to be made to accept Jesus Christ and what He has done
on the Cross that allows all of this to take place. This decision allows you to improve your life
immeasurably and guarantee yourself eternal life in Heaven in the presence of Jesus who is
perfect, holy and wonderful. Without this rudimentary decision all else is just superfluous and
wasted action.
Kaizen: A conscious decision needs to be made to accept the Kaizen process and but this
decision only allows you to marginally improve a mediocre earthly and human system that will
still be prone to failure. Regardless, without this rudimentary decision all else is just superfluous
and wasted action.
[The next and final idea seems to make these two ideas diverge in a marked way…and here is
where we must draw the distinction between Kaizen and Christianity. This is where you can take
or leave this entire dissertation.]

14. [14]
Part V: A Major Non-Conformity
In the end Kaizen: Is a way of doing better business. Kaizen at its very heart is a system for
introducing improvements to company or corporation. You can use it to pump out more work,
and that's a good thing but it must be tempered with the thought that they don't become a way of
life, they become a way to act at work. Kaizen does not make better people it makes better
processes and systems. One needs to realize that it is not the processes or systems that make the
company…it is the people. It’s like the guy that has yellow Post-It notes all over his workstation
to tell him how to do everything but he has nothing internalized. The idea or way of life has not
"become him". Instead he looks outward for his self-worth and direction. He worships the Post-It
notes and they just end up becoming totems…idols. It doesn't have to be that way.
In the end Christianity: Is a better way of life and is a divine system [therefore perfect] for
introducing improvements or sanctification and holiness and keeping them. These qualities carry
over not only to our workplace but also…into eternity. These exact processes and “shalls” and
“shalts” that God wants us to do and learn are the very thing that give us our passage to Heaven
and eternal life. It is these things that all point to Jesus Christ. The Old Testament was fulfilled in
Jesus so we do not need to get all of the Law correct, we need only accept Jesus and emulate
Him to the best of our flawed ability. It is and always has been about Jesus Christ. He is the
benchmark…the cornerstone…the Son of God. The Bible asks us to internalize and become what
it tells us to do in or out of our workplace. But the most important thing is to use these systems to
make your/our lives more holy…to make our lives better in accordance with the way God wants
us to be. The Christian looks inward to the Holy Spirit who is Christ within us for his self worth
and direction. In this way a Christian truly internalizes Christianity. The Helper/Holy Spirit
resides within us as a down payment on the justification received from the work of Jesus on the
Cross. This assures that we are of acceptable quality to be taken home to be in the presence of
God for eternity. Through Jesus we are found to be of acceptable quality and of an acceptable
standard to be used as vessels that can hold the very thing that we were intended for. We were
intended to be Temples of the Holy Spirit. Kaizen could never do this for us but there are some
striking parallels here as I have noted.
Part VI: Synopsis of Section One:
First off I must say that there is much more going on here than I have typed or that meets the eye.
I just don't have the time to pursue all of this to its meaningful end because I am working
fulltime, teaching classes and attending Seminary. Unless of course someone wants to hire me as
a consultant to pursue this for their corporation that wishes to have a Biblical Quality Control
System implemented ;).
That being said, the two philosophies are very much alike. Having said this I must "cut to the
chase" as a Christian. Why is it that we cannot phase in a Christian Quality Process based in
Biblical principles into corporations rather than force a Japanese mindset of Kaizen on Christians

15. [15]
in corporations? At worst we could call it something like...Christian Quality or (TCQM) Total
Christian Quality Management? Can we just do away with the pretense and just utilize a
Christian mindset or Christian Quality philosophy as Christian rather than trying to re-label it to
make it more PC or less offensive? What harm is there in doing away with the Kaizen label
completely? Why try to sell what is sound Christian philosophy merged and blended with the
Kaizen label or nameplate?
As a Christian I also see the secular gearing of the Kaizen philosophy and it gears itself to the
scientific method which in some respects is a good thing and it is also a bad thing. Its good
because it regiments gauges, measures and benchmarks to quantify outputs whether they be good
or bad. The bad comes from the presuppositions of those observing the outputs. If they have not
absorbed the Christian philosophy/tenants and are secular, agnostic or atheistic it precludes the
possibility of anything outside the realm of the empirical or naturalistic. This is bad because
scientific method nearly always excludes the involvement of the supernatural (i.e.: God) in its
outcomes, observations or equations.
Why not adhere to a Christian Quality Control methodology outright rather than try to blend a
secular quality control method. Why not just recognize a physical AND spiritual system that has
been around for millennium before the business field introduced Kaizen philosophy.
It’s called Christianity and it is based in Jesus Christ and is primarily revealed to us in a written
work instruction: The Bible.
Section 2:
Part I: Correcting Non-Conformities
Sometimes a church loses its way and it is hard to get it back on course. The Bible calls us to
corrective actions otherwise...
"...other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they
sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since
they had no root, they withered away." ~Matthew 13:5-6
I think what I found most surprising when doing this post is my research. I went on the internet
and looked for what others felt were the corrective actions for fixing a church that has "turned to
the right or the left" (Proverbs 4:27) and almost all of them made suggestions for corrective
action that were devoid of Scriptural support! Dude! That makes me batty! Many made
statements like: "The church must maintain its relevance...blah blah blah" or worse...they stated
that we need to, "make sure the muffin and coffee table are in an accessible and user-friendly
position." Still more said things reductio ad absurdum like: "We need to focus inwardly..." or
make a priority of "comfort". Will someone please show me in the Bible where it says this?
Please…anyone? This builds Christians in their walk with Jesus Christ how?

16. [16]
The Bible tells us nearly the opposite:
Luke 9:23 ~"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross daily and follow me."
Philippians 1:27-29 ~"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel
of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know
that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one [not alone inwardly] for the faith of
the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them
that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted
to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are
going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
First and foremost we need "to preach the Gospel"! εὐαγγελίζεσθαι !!! Once we get this down,
then we can move forward tentatively with additional corrective actions. The first thing we
should be doing is rooting out and disposing of the underlying sinful mindsets. The Bible is clear
that our actions have their impetus in out thought world. Where the mind leads the body will
most assuredly follow.
Matthew 5:21-22~ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not
murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment." But I tell you that anyone who is
angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
Matthew 5:27-28~ "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery." But I tell
you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his
heart.
...and so on.
Part II: Corrective Action For A Non-Conforming Church
[Reorientation to a Biblical Standard]
Check:
1. If there is either a reluctance or unwillingness to at least enforce or maintain a minimum
behavioral or quality standard in a congregation there is a problem with sin or influence
of iniquity already within the Body whether it be in thought or action.
2. For example: If there is a problem with quality of output in terms of marriages, sexual
propriety/impropriety or immorality the root cause of these sins will also be sexual or
relational in nature.

17. [17]
3. The end result will often be leadership wondering by leadership why output quality
(marriages, sexual propriety/impropriety or immorality) is not up to or down to expected
levels respectively at the point of measurement.
a. Marriages
b. Discipleship
c. Spiritual Life
Plan:
1. We as a church must delineate what we are by defining what we are according to a
biblical standard. If we maintain or allow the standards of the world or culture wholesale
through the front door of the church if not by the laity, then by the leadership itself
sometimes we will become the culture. Even precursory review of the culture can see that
the culture seriously messed-up. It is messed up becuase:
a. It has abandoned God and the Bible.
b. It therefore has no absolute moral benchmark or absolute measure of Truth
i. If we reject Bible truth, we reject God because God is Truth.
 I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life ~John 14:6
ii. Therefore mankind makes its own benchmark and it is based in human
logic and human reason which is a recipe for disaster and further apostasy
(fall away from God).
iii. We've seen all throughout the Bible the endgame of man putting himself
in the place of God.
 Thou shalt have no other God's before Me....Exodus 20:3
iv. Failure to obey this incurs judgment and curses of Deuteronomy 28.
2. If we rarely (perhaps never) check some of the sins at the door and we wonder why the
church appears to be stagnating relationally both in marriages and with covenant with
God
a. The church therefore becomes the same or indistinguishable from the outside.
b. This is a problem because it is a non-conformity to a Godly standard outlined in
Scripture
c. We are expected to change after we have entered the Faith.
i. "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of
God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor
adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor
drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by
the Spirit of our God" 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

18. [18]
Do or Act
1. We as a church must delineate what we are. Are we running a church or running a
business or a business running a church? We can use ideas from the business world to
help our churches as long as they align perfectly with the Bible but we cannot run our
churches as businesses! (Take that Rick Warren :) We can't have our cake and eat it too.
No man can serve two masters.
a. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or
he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God
and Money." Matthew 6:24
2. We must start with a basic minimum expectation of behavior.
3. If we were running a business which many evangelical church models are based on, then,
just like every other business in the world, implement a minimum standard level of
Human Resource quality by enforcing a...
a. Dress Code
b. Minimum Acceptable Behavior standard
c. Make proper interpretation of Bible the benchmark
i. First, assure that leadership (and their spouses ,as they are de facto
leaders) have a correct view of Scripture.
ii. Second, Assure through aforementioned biblical leadership that laity have
a correct view of Scripture
d. Implement Biblical training and education where necessary to improve the
minimum level of sanctification and holiness.
4. If were running a church then implement a minimum level of holiness to allow for
productive environment for a minimum level of sanctification.
a. Dress Code
b. Minimum Acceptable Behavior standard
c. Make proper interpretation of Bible as the benchmark
i. First, assure that leadership (and their spouses ,as they are de facto
leaders) have a correct view of Scripture
ii. Second, Assure through aforementioned biblical leadership that laity have
a correct view of Scripture
d. Implement Biblical training and education where necessary to improve the
minimum level of sanctification and holiness.
5. Either way, business or church, both demand a minimum level of quality for them to
function at even a nominal or "functional" level.
6. Why do we need that minimum standard? Is it a "work"? NO!
a. "Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat
again, so that I will not cause him to fall." ~1 Corinthians 8:13
b. "Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God" ~ 1
Corinthians 10:32

19. [19]
c. "And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be
better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast
into the sea." ~Mark 9:42
d. "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause
your brother or sister to fall." ~Romans 14:21
Check Again
1. If not, you just have a broken business/church with little or no acceptable cut-off or
standards.
2. Therefore they're just like everyone else.
3. Therefore they are the culture. That my friends...isn't biblical
A Control Group of Criteria
1. No true believer would intentionally set a snare in order to cause confusion for those who
seek the Lord.
2. No true believer would intentionally lead a fellow Christian away from truth.
3. No true believer would intentionally lead their children to rebel against God and not
believe and obey the Bible.
4. No true believer, wife or husband would deliberately do things to cause their spouse to
fall
5. No true believer would deliberately, intentionally and openly sin against God in front of
another believer without conscience.
Check Again and Again and Again and....
We need to continue to consult the Scripture until we die. Over and over and over and over ad
nauseum if need be. None of us are good enough to just read it a few times and walk away. This
is where many churches and leadership stop either willingly or because they have reached a point
of denial. By this I mean that leadership believes they have finally "made it" or they begin to
become pharisaic and start answering to their own standard therefore abandoning Scripture. They
believe they "know" Scripture as well as they should and therefore no longer consult it. This is
no different than apostasy as we, in our depraved sinful nature begin to think or say, "Oh, the
Bible says this when I read it ten years ago...". What did Jesus say? "It is written..." He always
consulted the Bible (a manual for holiness/perfection) directly. Believe me, I serious doubt Jesus
forgot Scripture or twisted it. Jesus was the Word (John 1:1). He said this as a model or
benchmark for our behavior!
Part II: Benchmark
1. We are called to be different and we are to hold ourselves to a higher level of holiness
quality

20. [20]
a. For God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness. 1 Thessalonians 4:7
b. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Hebrew 12:14
c. As he who has called you is holy, so you be holy in all manner of conduct. 1 Pet
1:1
d. "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:
“Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
Humans set up organizations and institutions but they nearly always take on a life of their own
and it then seems as if these institutions run the people rather than the other way around. That is
because institutions and organizations that have their inceptions in humans are unequivocally of
this world and are therefore subject to the powers and principalities of this world (Ephesians
6:12)...which are not of God at all. This is just the opposite for the Church which has its
inception in Jesus Christ and the Gospel. Having said this, if the church has its inception in a
business model it therefore is not of God per se, is it? We tread and extremely thin line and it
revolves around heart intent and vigilant adherence to the Bible and God. Incorporating ideas
into the church that align to the standards of the Bible is fine but aligning corporate standards to
the Church that are not absolutely and perfectly congruent with Biblical teaching is not. God and
people have an ethos, institutions do not. Institutions have a high probability of becoming idols.
Although the Law and the Temple were meant for man's own good, man was still able in his
depraved and fallen nature to even mess up the divine created Law and Temple by
misappropriating it and making it an idol. We saw this with the Jews and the Temple right
before the Babylonian Exile. The Jews took for granted they had the Law and the Temple
therefore assuming God was on their side...so God took the Temple (and to a greater of lesser
extent the Law) away by sending them into exile. This is why we now are the Temple of the
Holy Spirit. There are no longer "brick and mortars" to become idols or at least there shouldn't
be. But even then...even our relationship with God, when it becomes a "religion" can potentially
become idol-like. We must always return to the Word...to the Gospel. Over and over: Plan-Do-
Check-Act, Plan-Do-Check-Act, Plan-Do-Check-Act, Plan-Do-Check-Act.
In closing I will state this: Although it isn't explicitly stated in this paper, it is most certainly
implied. This must all be done in love and with a firm hand. Tough love when necessary. Tough
love means telling people the truth...even when the truth hurts. If I didn't love people, I would lie
to them and soften the edges. There is no room in this world for a watered-down Gospel. When
you are telling the truth of God there is no such thing as not delivering the truth in love because
God's truth is love! Also, through all of this including the consultation of Scripture we should be
praying. Taking our issue right to the throne of God. It is a double-check system to assure that
we are in alignment with God's overall plan for holiness. We have the Word and we have the
relationship. It is an airtight process to sanctify us as we adhere to Him (dare I say
it?)...religiously, with devotion and conviction.