God and Money: Forming Faithful Investors through the Barnabas Financial Forum
On April 21, 2026, more than 400 students and faculty gathered in Foster 250 for the third annual Barnabas Financial Forum, an event designed to help students wrestle thoughtfully with the financial questions that accompany a faithful Christian walk. This year’s forum continued a growing tradition of bringing respected voices to campus to engage students at the intersection of faith and finance.
The Barnabas Financial Forum is part of the broader Barnabas Forum initiative, which seeks to encourage vocational discernment, wise stewardship, and Christian faithfulness across business disciplines. Rooted in the conviction that faith should meaningfully shape professional practice, the initiative creates space for students to explore what it looks like to follow Christ with integrity in complex economic and financial contexts. The annual forum has become a key expression of that mission, offering students direct access to leaders who are thoughtfully integrating faith with their work.
This year’s featured speaker was Robert Netzly, a prominent voice within the Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) movement. Netzly is the founder and CEO of Inspire Investing, the world’s largest provider of faith-based exchange-traded funds, and the author of Biblically Responsible Investing. During the forum, he challenged students to consider how Christian belief might shape once’s investment decisions and long-term financial strategies. His remarks emphasized stewardship, accountability and the influence that capital allocation can have in shaping organizations and society.
The forum also built upon a strong foundation established in prior years. The inaugural Barnabas Financial Forum featured Jon Cortines, co-author of God and Money, who helped students think critically about wealth, generosity and freedom from materialism. Last year’s event welcomed Justin Forman of Faith Driven Investor and Faith Driven Entrepreneur, whose discussion encouraged students to view investing and entrepreneurship as arenas for faithful kingdom engagement. Together, these previous events set the stage for this year’s continued focus on thoughtful, faith-informed financial decision-making.
In addition to his participation in the forum, Netzly also visited the investment practicum class earlier that day. In that smaller, interactive setting, students had the opportunity to engage more directly with him, asking practical questions and exploring practical applications of biblically responsible investing principles. That visit reinforced the forum’s themes by connecting them to classroom learning and actual investment decisions.
As the Barnabas Financial Forum continues to grow, it remains a meaningful touchpoint for students seeking clarity about how faith informs vocation. This year’s conversations underscored a simple but challenging idea: financial decisions are never merely technical. They are deeply formative, shaping not only portfolios, but also Christian character and witness.
