Peter Roselle

In Genesis, chapter 3, God explains to Adam that he’ll spend the rest of his life working the ground “in toil” and in the “sweat of your face”. What a shame. That destiny was not God’s original plan for Adam – it was the serpent’s counterfeit offer. Sin separated Adam and Eve from God and got them evicted from the Garden.

Genesis 3: 17–19: “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

It’s not a very optimistic picture; it sounds like work is a prison sentence to a lifetime of hard labor. Thankfully we live in a new dispensation. Jesus is the second Adam. The first Adam brought death into the garden, along with the resultant curses. Jesus then lived a sinless life, defeating death through the resurrection, providing a chance for our redemption, including in the important area of our occupation. Our occupation can be redeemed for God’s purpose!

I’m purposely using “occupation” instead of “work”, “job” or “career”, because I like the added military flavor of the word. When I’m part of an “occupying force” it means I represent the winning side in a battle. Jesus conveys this in Luke 19:13. He tells the parable of the nobleman who, prior to departing on a trip “to receive for himself a kingdom”, “called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, ‘Occupy till I come.’”

The ruler wanted them to continue doing his business with the currency of his kingdom until he returned. Similarly, Jesus departed 2,000 years ago, expecting us to “occupy till He comes”. We’re to do His business with the currency of His kingdom until He returns to take His place as ultimate ruler.

What is the currency of Christ’s Kingdom? We are. Currency represents value. We know a dollar is ten times more valuable than a dime. According to Jesus, in God’s eyes, a person is more like a dollar than a dime. “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

What holds the greatest value in God’s Kingdom? We do. We are created in His image. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14), “in His image” (Genesis 1:27) and “being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

People are the “living currency” of His kingdom, like sparkling gems in His hands. As He deploys us on our mission to see lives transformed, His authority spreads throughout the culture. As people’s lives are transformed by His power being demonstrated through the Body of Christ, the overall currency of the Kingdom gains value.

Our value increases as we yield to His will, stepping away from counterfeit affections and false identities, and stepping into the God-given calling on our lives. Everything we do to help each other grow in our relationships with the Lord has redemptive value – more value than we’ll ever be able to measure in this life.

Hopefully, you are starting to see that “occupation” carries an authority beyond just “job” in that it implies we can be an occupying force for Christ in our culture – just by showing up for work! Instead of using physical force in a military sense, we carry His authority as the Body of Christ, His ambassadors who bring His message to the world through our words and actions.

I’m a big fan of the movie “Sully”. Since I live and work near NYC, I’m often reminded of the “Miracle on the Hudson” whenever I’m near the river. My most memorable scene from the movie is when Sully and his co-pilot are facing a disciplinary panel from the NTSB. The panel challenged Sully on why he ditched the plane in the river when he could have landed safely at either LaGuardia or Teterboro airports (based on what turned out to be flawed flight simulations). Sully responded to the charges with some reality-check-insight: “… you have not taken into account the human factor. You’ve allowed no time for analysis or decision-making. In these simulations you have taken all the humanity out of the cockpit.”

It turns out that when the NTSB re-ran the simulation with a 35 second delay for the “human factor” (a chance to react to the emergency and come up with a plan to keep 155 people alive), the simulators showed the plane crashing into densely populated urban areas near LaGuardia and Teterboro. The only viable options turned out to be the Hudson River or the NJ Turnpike. Trust me, they were safer on the river.

So… what does the movie “Sully” have to do with Sustainable Investing? Answer: The Human Factor.

We must be careful not to take the “human factor” out of our investing decisions; we can’t take “humanity out of the cockpit”. As mentioned in a previous blog (1), there are three main categories analysts use to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of a firm’s sustainable practices, labeled “ESG” (environmental, social and governance factors). We briefly touched on governance in the prior blog; today we’ll touch on the “social” factor, which includes labor relations, working conditions, non-discrimination policies and abstract concepts like “corporate culture”. All else being equal, we’d prefer to invest in companies that value and commit to investing in human capital.

When it comes to the human factor in measuring how attractive a company might be as an investment, we look at both the hard facts and soft facts as they relate to management and employees. The hard facts could be how many accidents employees are involved in at an oil drilling company each year. If the number is high compared to industry peers, it could reflect a lack of safety training and aggressive risk-taking by the firm. That could be a red flag for investing in that firm.

The soft facts relate to things like the “corporate culture.” Does the firm cultivate an atmosphere of respect in employee relationships? Does the firm practice a policy of promotion from within and provide merit-based training and compensation? Do people feel tolerated or celebrated? This information was not made available in the past, but corporate transparency has risen in recent years as public companies pro-actively engage with ESG research firms to promote their commitment to a building healthier corporate cultures.

The U.S. labor economy has shifted dramatically over the last several decades from manufacturing to the service sector (2) and now the tech-driven “information economy” (3). This transition has placed a premium on the use of computers which translates into the need for additional education. I interact often with recent college graduates in the Millennial generation about Sustainable Investing. They’ve had computers since pre-school, so they are well-positioned to thrive in the information economy. They are tech-savvy and well-informed; they use Google to “trust but verify” pretty much any topic in any conversation.

The best firms understand that Human Capital is their most valuable asset. When Millennials interview for jobs, they ask as many questions about the firm as they answer about their resumes. The firms that cannot articulate a compelling vision, but mumble back vague answers about what they stand for, may be crossed off the list.

The best talent is attracted to leaders with vision. Those are the firms we want to own. This generation wants to make a good living, but they also want to feel like their career efforts are contributing to making the world a better place. I say, “Amen, good for them.” It’s why “Purpose Driven Life” has sold over 30 million copies.

At Archetype Wealth Partners, our ESG portfolio is constructed using our “three dials” approach (see separate blog (4)), with the additional overlay of seeking strong environmental, social and governance factors. If you would like to learn more about our approach, please contact me at [email protected].

This article is written by Peter Roselle of Archetype Wealth Partners. Peter is a Certified Financial Planner and Portfolio Manager and is a published author on the topic of sustainable investing, He and his wife Trisha are ordained ministers and active in the church they founded in 1999, King of Kings Worship Center. You can contact Peter at [email protected].

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