In a recent article in National Review Online, Nebraska Treasurer John Murante (https://ballotpedia.org/John_Murante) demonstrates that the ESG investing approached (Environmental, Social, Governance) being promoted by giant asset managers hurts not only the fossil fuel industry, but agriculture as well. Since the poor spend a much larger proportion of their income on food and energy, an investment approach that attacks those industries attacks the poor. Treasurer Murante also discusses with Business in the Kingdom how ESG empowers tyrannies such as China.

Rick Graber, President of the Bradley Foundation, talks with Business in the Kingdom about the genius of our founder’s system of federalism. Bradley focuses on helping to create local solutions which then become models for other parts of the country, something made possible only by our decentralized political system. He discusses the new video series Expressions of Educational Freedom | K12 | The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation (bradleyfdn.org), which point to models of excellence in private, often Christian, education.

Former Governor, Senator, and Ambassador Sam Brownback tells Business in the Kingdom how the religious freedom organization he founded had its bank account cancelled, suddenly, without warning and without explanation. Instead of slinking away, the group has launched Chased Away (https://thencrf.org/chasedaway), a campaign to stop banks from discriminating based on religious and political views.

Allison Ball, Treasurer of Kentucky, is an attorney and a person of faith. As such, she takes her legal and ethical obligation to oversee state finances, including pension funds, as an inviolable duty. That is why she has resisted industry pressure to embrace the financial fad of ESG investing, which replaces the goal of the best financial outcome for retirees with goals of political and social outcomes. Whether it's pushing to eliminate profitable fossil fuel investments from portfolios or to use shareholder money to vote for pro-abortion resolutions, Treasurer Ball and other state officials are resisting attempts to replace prudent financial management with an imprudent social agenda. She joins Jerry on this episode of Business in the Kingdom to tell her story.

Tom Strobhar first got involved in fighting against corporate funding for Planned Parenthood in 1989. Since then he has been the most consistent and long-lasting voice for Christian witness on behalf of the unborn and against the degradation of pornography in corporate life. He convinced scores of companies to stop funding Planned Parenthood, including Chevron, AT&T and Berkshire Hathaway. He tells Business in the Kingdom how ordinary Christians can actually do this and prevail.

The Treasurer of Utah recently wrote a letter to the ratings service S&P to object to agencies beginning to downgrade states' creditworthiness based on political, not financial, factors under the guise of ESG Investing (04-21-22-Utah-Letter_SP-Global_ESG-Indicators.pdf). Treasurer Oaks (www.marlooaks.com) found himself having to defend his state's pristine credit rating, not because of any financial problems, but because of pressure from political activists. He spoke with Business in the Kingdom about why people with different doctrinal views and different political views should be united in opposing the imposition of a single political ideology using the lever of concentrated financial power.

Visit Marlo Oaks Website

On this episode of Business in the Kingdom, Tom Carter of investconservative.org talks about his company’s on-going survey of conservatives’ unfavourability ratings towards large well-known publicly traded corporations. He talks about the shifting views conservatives have had towards Facebook, Disney and Tesla, as well as problems with the politicization of corporate board rooms and investing through the ESG movement. In addition, he talks about conservative alternatives to companies such as Blackrock.

Rob West is the host of MoneyWise, which is on both Moody and American Family Radio networks, airing on over 1,900 stations. He is also the CEO of the largest professional association of Christians in the financial industry, Kingdom Advisors. Rob joins this week’s Business in the Kingdom Podcast to talk about the single most important thing both ordinary Christians and top financial professionals need to know about money.

Links to Rob West

• MoneyWise Show
• Kingdom Advisors
• MoneyWise on Instagram
• MoneyWise on Facebook

“It’s your money, and it’s being used against your values.” On the latest Business in the Kingdom, Andrew Olivastro, Vice President of Outreach for the Heritage Foundation, talks to Jerry about DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), ESG (Environmental, Social Governance), and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), and how they are killing corporate America and why Christians should be concerned about how activist groups on the left have hijacked corporate America.

Christian business entrepreneurs face enormous challenges. In addition to the problems all business leaders confront, such as stagflation and labor shortages, Christians in business bear the pressure of living in a culture that is increasingly anti-Christian in its moral orientation and coercive in its tactics. Mandates regarding the funding of abortion and sexual-reassignment surgery are no longer future threats, but have become present realities. How can Christians in positions of top leadership in companies fulfill their obligations to serve their employees and also survive and thrive in a hostile environment? Shannon Royce of The Christian Employers Alliance (Christian Employers Alliance) joins Business in the Kingdom to talk about these and other important issues.