Article View

What is Biblically Responsible Investing?

By Mark Minnella Jr.

Mon, Aug. 11 2008 10:12 AM MST

Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) is the act of abstaining from investing in companies that produce or promote certain products or lifestyles that conflict with the morals taught in the bible. This means that if a company produces products that are contradictory to the Christian lifestyle, such as pornography, or supports companies that do the same, such as Planned Parenthood who provides elective abortion services, then investing in that company is avoided.

BRI is practiced for several reasons. The first is a personal belief that God is the true owner of everything we have, including our money, and that he has entrusted it to us as his stewards to use for his will. The parable of the good servant shows us that God appreciates and acknowledges appropriate and responsible use of the resources he gives us and despises the careless use of them. With that in mind, how you spend and invest the resources that God has entrusted to you should not be a decision to be taken lightly. How much to give, how much to use to take care of your family and how much to save and invest for a future purpose are all questions that should be asked and prayed over. For many people, including born-again Christians, once those questions are answered and they have decided what portion of their resources to invest, they forget to include God in the rest of the process. This may be because there is a common belief in the business world that the only purpose of investing money is to make money. Unfortunately, for Christians, this is not the case. Our main purpose in investing, like everything else in life, is to honor God through our actions. This does not mean that growing our investments is not important. This simply means that when we do invest, we should not be compromising the beliefs and moral values that God has given us to adhere to. Supporting immoral companies such as pornography studios, abortion clinics, or those who promote sexually immoral lifestyles is clearly against so much of what Jesus taught. This is why it is important to include God while choosing our investments and not just when making the decision to invest. When you purchase stock in a company, you receive ownership over a certain portion of that company. If the company is one of those mentioned above then you have quite literally chosen to grow the finances that God entrusted you with by buying part of an abortion clinic or pornography studio. That may be more of a clear cut example then many of the situations that could be faced but it illustrates the importance of taking the time to be aware of what you are investing in. Even if the company you are buying doesn’t produce immoral products, that doesn’t mean that it’s not participating in them. Companies, just like individuals, support many causes. If the software company that you own is supporting Planned Parenthood, the number one provider of abortions in

America

, or promoting movies that glamorize pre-marital sex or violence, then Gods resources are being used dishonorably. The same is true if the company is advancing the homosexual agenda by offering benefits to same sex domestic partners but not to married couples. We believe that it is our duty as Gods stewards to educate ourselves and to make responsible choices that do not compromise our faith in any area of our lives including investing. In this way we are able to honor God by acknowledging him as our master and provider in the hopes of being welcomed into his joy as a “good and faithful servant”.

            The second reason that someone may choose to invest in biblically responsible companies is an act of activism. While Biblically Responsible Investing is, in many ways, a personal matter, it is also way to demonstrate your approval or disapproval of a company’s purpose or actions. By choosing only to invest in companies that operate on a moral basis, you are not only making a statement about your refusal to compromise your beliefs but you are also keeping money in the hands of responsible companies. As the increased popularity of BRI brings it into the main stream of investing, the public will become more aware of companies actions and hopefully will understand the need to hold corporations responsible for their actions.

It is our goal at Moral Money to help spread awareness and understanding of BRI to the public in order to help Christians understand the spiritual nature of stewardship and its application in their investments. We also aim to make the information and resources needed to engage in BRI as accessible and inexpensive as possible while offering assistance and guidance to those who desire it. While it is our desire to see Christians grow in faith and understanding in all areas of their walk with Christ, we believe that God has called us to become missionaries to the land of mammon, using the talents that God has given us to teach stewardship in the investment world. We pray that this site is of value to you and if you have any questions or concerns I would be glad to talk with you about them.

 

 

Thank you and God bless,

 

Mark

Minnella Jr.

President

Moral Money Inc.

Mark@MoralMoney.com