Is it possible to love our neighbour and care for creation through our choice of bank account? It might not be the first thing that springs to mind, but who we bank with has an impact on the world.
What do you know about your bank’s values and practices? Who does it lend to? It’s possible that your money is being invested in things you view as harmful. For example, most of our big high street banks continue to finance the fossil fuel industry, despite the threat of climate change.
The good news is that there are banks out there that are helping shape a fairer, greener world, and some of the bigger banks are taking positive steps due to pressure from their customers.
5 ways to take action
- Use the Switch It tool to check whether your bank invests in fossil fuels.
- Find out if your bank is investing in nuclear weapons.
- If you switch your bank, do let them know why! Ethical Consumer has a helpful template.
- Support your local Credit Union – could you raise awareness of them in your church?
- Explore ECCR’s website for more resources, including an analysis of ethical bank accounts for churches.
Pray: Creator God, guide us to be wise, just and generous stewards of the resources entrusted to us, so that together we may help shape a fairer world for all. Amen
Imagine if every Christian banked with an ethical bank! What a difference that could make.
This article is written by the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR). We run two programmes: Money Makes Change and Church Action for Tax Justice. Find out more and get involved: www.eccr.org.uk
For a longer article please take a look here: Ethical banking longer article
