Are ESG Investments Compatible With Christianity?

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Political and social climates have become so divided that we as Christians cannot afford to be unclear or vague in our viewpoints. As a Christian today, it’s getting harder to know what to support or what to reject. It seems that in everything, there’s a hidden agenda lurking in the shadows waiting to challenge our faith. 

What seems to be noble causes at first glance (e.g., social justice, women’s rights, critical theory) can be used as anti-Biblical campaigns to confuse and misdirect. We must remember that the devil disguises himself as an angel of light, and wolves often prowl dressed in sheeps’ clothing.  

This is the issue we find ourselves facing in the ESG investing space. ESG stands for environmental, social and governance. Investopedia defines it as “a set of standards for a company’s behavior used by socially conscious investors to screen potential investments.” 

The definition continues:

Environmental criteria consider how a company safeguards the environment, including corporate policies addressing climate change, for example. Social standards examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights.

At face value, this criteria for screening potential investments appears harmless and can even be used to support conservative Christian values. However, political and worldly organizations have hijacked the ESG moniker to bolster anti-Christian ideologies. 

The ESG badge has become a proxy for anti-Christian values. In fact, it’s also now nearly synonymous with the liberalist agenda. Similarly, LGBTQ+ promoters have hijacked the rainbow. People once widely acknowledged it as God’s symbol of covenant after His judgment on immorality. Sadly, it now symbolizes pride for that same immorality. Likewise, organizations have now stolen ESG to champion investing in nonconservative values. 

For that reason, Inspire Investing has removed the once benign ESG badge from its funds to eliminate any confusion among Christian investors. 

Read more about this change on the Inspire Investing blog.