After our interview last week with Andy Crouch, ECFI’s Editor-at-Large Amy Sherman sat down with Executive Director Jason Myhre to reflect on Crouch’s insights. Listen in as they unpack his metaphor of a “bubble on top of a sinkhole,” challenge conventional views of profit, and offer a compelling vision for faithful investing. 

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Jason Myhre, Executive Director, ECFI
Amy Sherman, Editor-at-Large, ECFI

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The communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

Andy Crouch sits down with Editor-at-Large Amy Sherman to discuss the Biblical teaching on Mammon, combating greed with generosity, and how financial advisors can invest with redemptive aim.

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Andy Crouch, Partner for Theology and Culture, Praxis

 
Notes & Links:

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The communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

There are many realities of twenty-first century life, like social media, Artificial Intelligence, or investing—that are not directly addressed in Scripture. For these modern cultural developments, we cannot point to a singular “chapter and verse” of Scripture to define what faithfulness looks like. So how do address these developments from a biblical perspective? 

To engage wisely in these areas, we must look at them through a pair of cultivated lenses. Lenses that have been crafted to view all of reality in light of the grand biblical story.

These lenses we’re talking about here is the concept of a biblical worldview.

Today, we are pleased to bring you a new article by Michael Goheen, a scholar who has devoted his career to helping Christians develop and apply a fully-formed biblical worldview to many areas of public life. And today, he brings his expertise to the area of investing.

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Michael Goheen, Professor, Calvin Theological Seminary

Notes & Links:

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The communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

Why did God make gold? If you were to survey a number of people on the street with this question, you’re sure to get some interesting answers. One may say he created it to give us a material to express beauty through art or fashion. Another might say that it was created to tempt us to love and worship something other than him. Still another, say someone who works in the investment world, may say he created it as a scarce resource that may act as a risk-off hedge for our portfolios in times of economic uncertainty. How would we think about this question from a Christian perspective? Well today we’re bringing you an article by repeat contributor Jordan Ballor that attempts to answer this question by looking at examples of gold in the biblical narrative.

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Jordan Ballor, Research Director, Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy

Notes & Links:

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The communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

In 1941, Oxford professor C.S. Lewis revealed that he had, through some mysterious chain of events, come into the possession of a collection of letters from one of the devil’s senior agents named Screwtape. The letters, which were addressed to his young apprentice nephew Wormwood, offered Screwtape’s crafty expertise in the art of temptation, which Wormwood then employed on his “patient.” Recently, through equally unlikely circumstances, another installment of Screwtape’s correspondence landed in our office. In keeping with Lewis’ original wisdom, we think it best to refrain from delving into any details regarding our procurement of this letter, or its provenance. As with the first letters, the dating is difficult to ascertain.

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI

Notes & Links:

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The communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

In 1992 a book was released that offered transformation and happiness through discipline, accountability, and persistence. It attacked the idols of consumerism and workaholism and bemoaned their devastating consequences on our pursuit of joy and purpose in life. 

The book was Your Money or Your Life, and it ended up being the match that lit the flame of the modern day FIRE movement. 

FIRE in the personal finance world stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The popularity of this movement has exploded among young professionals, including many in the Christian community, who are tired of “living to work.” Through aggressive saving and investing, these individuals hope to achieve total financial independence by their 30s or early 40s so that they no longer have to work. 

In today’s article, Dr. Mark Roberts offers a thoughtful biblical analysis of the FIRE movement. What can we affirm, what can we critique, and how does it square with a biblical vision for investing?

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Mark D. Roberts, Senior Strategist, Fuller's Max De Pree Center for Leadership

Notes & Links:

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The communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

Economic activity is the result of human labor. Though technology has increasingly depersonalized economic exchange, it is still a fundamental truth that work cannot be separated from the worker. The two exist in a symbiotic relationship.

We often acknowledge one side of this relationship: work as a product of the worker. We see quality cabinetry as the product of a skilled carpenter and a beautiful song as the product of a talented musician. But have you ever considered the other side of this relationship: that the worker is also a product of the work that they do?

In today’s podcast, Dr. Jordan Ballor returns to the Journal with an article exploring the dual nature of work, giving special attention to this “subjective” dimension of work. He shares how labor shapes the human soul, And the implications for this reality on how we should think about the practices of the companies we support through our investments.

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Jordan Ballor, Research Director, Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy

Notes & Links:

View our Courses

The communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

Today we are back with the second installment of Winn Collier’s two-part piece, “Shepherding Clients | Pastoral Wisdom for Financial Advisors.” In his first piece, Winn encouraged financial advisors to view their work as a ministry by keeping God at the center, listening well, and inviting clients into a larger story.

This work, however, is not always easy. As important and fulfilling as it may be, shepherding clients through moments of significant change and anxiety can often feel heavy. What do you do when you fail, when clients don’t respond, or when the burdens seem too heavy to carry? In his piece today Winn walks with us through these difficulties and then lovingly calls us to remember that our shepherding is always meant to be led and sustained by the Good Shepherd.

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Winn Collier, Director, Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination, Western Theological Seminary

Notes & Links:

View our Courses

The communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

If you are a financial advisor, or a client of one, then you likely know that good advising requires a certain level of relationship with the client. To understand how to wisely steward a client’s resources, the advisor must understand the client themselves. For the Christian financial advisor, this patient pursuit of wise personal guidance shares a—perhaps surprising—resemblance to pastoral work. 

Our next two episodes feature articles from former financial professional turned pastor Winn Collier. In these articles, Winn seeks to come alongside financial advisors and show them how they can shepherd their client. To borrow the language from the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:12, these pieces hope to “equip the [financial advisor] saints for the work of ministry.”

If you’re not an advisor, we encourage you to listen along as well, as Winn’s counsel to financial advisors regarding their clients can apply more broadly to bringing a ministerial mindset to all of our relationships.

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Winn Collier, Director, Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination, Western Theological Seminary

Notes & Links:

View our Courses

These communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

In a previous episode, New Testament professor Jonathan Moo pointed out the connection between the words ecology, economics, and stewardship.

Moo noted that "ecology" is derived from the Greek word oikos which means “home.” "Economics" is derived from "oikonomia" which means "management of home." And "steward" is derived from "oikonomoi," the one who is entrusted with managing the home.

It is this more expansive meaning of the word stewardship—and the implications it has on how we think about investing—that we’re going to hear about today. 

For more background on the broader understanding of the scope of "home" in oikinomia, see:
 
What Did the Ancient Greeks Mean by Okonomia? | by Dotan Leshem

Oikonomia as "Ethical Accommodation" in the Fathers, and its Pagan Backgrounds | by J. Reumann 

On this episode:

Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI
Jason Myhre, Executive Director, ECFI

Notes & Links:

View our Courses

These communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.