In the first episode of the Capital Stewards podcast, a research group from The Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology introduces their ongoing conversations about faith, finance, and capital stewardship and opens with the question, “What does God value as a good return on investment?” The hosts contrast common metrics like S&P 500 returns and optimization-driven investing with a Christian worldview that de-centers the self and orients life toward loving God and neighbor. Drawing on sports and institutional investing, they discuss how productivity, data, financialization, and Enlightenment-era rationalism shape modern markets and can disconnect investing from purpose. They emphasize fruitfulness as a holistic biblical category, connect money to anxiety and trust in God, propose “total return” as financial plus impact return, and frame stewardship as investing for enduring spiritual and communal flourishing.

00:00 Introduction
02:31 What Is Productivity & ROI?
11:16 The Enlightenment & Financialization
15:55 What Is a Good Return on Investment?
33:04 Anxiety, Trust & God's Provision