The inaugural meeting of the Bountiful Christian Evangelical Investment Advisory Council (hereafter “AC”) convened on February 27, 2025 and was entitled: “Unity and Integrity through Faith-based Investing.” The meeting was attended by roughly two dozen individuals who have been selected to be members of the AC based on their unique professional and personal qualifications. Below is a brief summary of the topics discussed, the key takeaways, and actions resulting from the discussion.
Topic: The purpose and use of a “Core” Christian values index.
Takeaway: There are different uses of a “core”-type index. It is a “proclamatory” function to facilitate important conversations about faith-aligned investing. It is an important tool for retail investors hoping to begin the process of aligning their investments to their faith. For more sophisticated values-driven investors, such as high-net-worth individuals, institutions, endowments, and foundations, it can serve as a benchmark while providing a starting point for further customization.
Action: Bountiful and its partners will continue to seek input on the potential use cases to ensure the final design of the index best addresses those needs. Other more targeted solutions will be considered with the understanding that one index can’t meet all needs adequately.
Topic: The challenge of establishing an investment framework that would meet the varied needs and incorporate the varied viewpoints of the faith community.
Takeaway: The Christian Evangelical community is diverse in its viewpoints and its approach to various topics. There may be some points of consensus, but there can also be widely divergent views on how common Biblical principles can be promoted.
Action: Bountiful develops its frameworks and runs its governance processes from a position of humility and continual learning and improvement. In the spirit of “discernment,” Bountiful will engage with the community continually (including through this AC) with the goal of distilling the points of unity in the diversity of the community.
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: Defining an approach to armaments, weaponry, and firearms.
Takeaway: The AC noted nuanced views on the means of warfare that are reflected even in the Bible. Deterrence through defense capabilities has proven to be a stabilizing force. A point of consensus was to consider the lethality of the products. It’s also important to acknowledge the advances in weapon technology that minimize indiscriminate and collateral destruction.
Action: Bountiful will continue to fine-tune its approach to weapons producers and will investigate how to incorporate the concept of lethality in its screening approach better.
Topic: The approach to companies involved in addictive substances and behaviors.
Takeaway: There is no explicit Biblical prohibition to these substances and behaviors, though they do become “idols” in the Biblical sense by displacing one’s devotion to God. The production of these goods and services is not necessarily problematic, but how they are marketed can be very problematic. There is special concern about aggressive marketing to youth not only of addictive substances but also of online betting, including sports betting.
Action: Bountiful will focus on identifying marketing activities that target vulnerable segments of the population and encourage irresponsible use of these products or substances.