Bountiful Financial convened a meeting of the Evangelical Christian Investment Advisory Council (AC) meeting on September 4, 2025, entitled: “Understanding the Times.” The title and theme of the meeting come from the Old Testament verse 1 Chronicles 12:32, which explains that the 200 leaders of the tribe of Issachar “understood the times”. This understanding allowed the men of Issachar to “know what Israel ought to do.” The meeting was attended by roughly 30 individuals who have been selected to be members of the AC based on their unique professional and personal qualifications. The feedback shared by AC members in this forum is used by Bountiful Financial to ensure ongoing adherence of the to the doctrines, practices, and lived experience of members of the evangelical Christian faith community as well as the applicability of the Framework to investment solutions. Below is a list of key topics, takeaways, and action items discussed in the AC meeting and that have been noted and/or are being addressed actively by Bountiful Financial.
Topic: Redemption in a corporate context and extending grace to companies.
Takeaway: Corporations should have access to redemptive opportunity. They can and do change the way that they conduct their business to bring it more in line with Christian principles. Extending grace is a biblical principle and should apply to faith-aligned products and solutions. As companies institute positive change, either as a direct result of our efforts as faith-based investors or otherwise, it’s important that these efforts are acknowledged. This also applies to companies that have disavowed involvement in problematic business activities and/or practices, even though current revenue may still be realized from those legacy activities.
Action: Bountiful will develop a clear methodology and approach for monitoring and assessing a company’s efforts to change and improve how they conduct business. Bountiful will consider options for incorporating the concept of grace into its product involvement and controversy methodologies.
Topic: The adequacy of data for supporting faith-aligned investing.
Takeaway: One of the key challenges for faith-aligned investing is the lack of data. Even the best datasets have gaps and inconsistencies. It’s important for a faith-based investment framework to focus first on those areas where data is readily available.
Action: Bountiful’s approach is to build datasets where faith alignment is the foundational principle rather than adapt other datasets, such as environmental, social, and governance (ESG), for these purposes. Bountiful leverages forums, such as this AC, to help identify key gaps in the data and strategies to fill them.
Topic: Educating and equipping financial advisors to better understand the role and significance of governance in faith-driven investing.
Takeaway: If financial advisors are aware of the process of how faith-aligned investment products are built and governed, they are better equipped to help the end customer (retail investors) feel comfortable with the solutions offered. Transparency around Bountiful’s robust governance process and methodologies will help financial advisors as they help their clients become comfortable with the solutions being offered.
Action: Bountiful will consider how to inform registered investment advisors (RIAs) about the processes that undergird its faith-aligned investment solutions and empower efforts to offer these solutions to their clients.
Topic: The moral force of artificial intelligence (AI).
Takeaway: It is not possible to build a morally neutral AI product despite the best intentions. Any AI model comes with a specific worldview embedded into it. A specific ethical and moral viewpoint is inherent in these models. So far, these models don’t incorporate the wisdom and insights of the world’s faith traditions. This is a serious omission that needs to be addressed.
Action: Bountiful will continue to solicit feedback from people of faith on how best to account for faith principles in AI models. This may include focus groups and targeted engagement to ensure that the models include moral guardrails based on core principles of human dignity and flourishing.