Robert Laidlaw was a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 business man who founded the Farmers Trading Company

Farmers (department store)

The Farmers Trading Company is a New Zealand mid-market department store chain. Based in Flat Bush in Auckland, Farmers operates 56 stores across New Zealand, specialising in fashion, beauty, home-wares and furniture.- History :...

, one of the largest department store chains in New Zealand. He was also a Christian writer and philanthropist.

Biography

His most significant quote on Christianity is about the practice of tithing; 'From the earliest stage of my business, I tithed and received God's blessing and wisdom. But, at the same time I knew from the parable of the seeds that the Lord wishes our crop to be bountiful so it blesses him but it is a sin to harvest the crop too early, so initially my tithes were small and gifts of love and I felt God's blessing on my work. Later, when my business was a success my tithes were bountiful and I was blessed again'.

He wrote the short book 'The Reason Why', which has over 50 million copies in print.

In 2008, the Bible College of New Zealand

Bible College of New Zealand

Laidlaw College, formerly known as Bible College of New Zealand , is an evangelical Bible college in New Zealand. The college offers tertiary courses in biblical, theological, historical and pastoral studies. It also offers teaching and counseling degrees...

renamed itself Laidlaw College in recognition of his role as one of the College's founders, and because of "his significant influence in both society and church".