Positive Sum

CHAPTER FIVECHARTING A PATH TO GOOD MATH: THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND'S RIGHTEOUS ROAD TO POSITIVE SUM

We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.

—Martin Luther King, Jr.¹

In early summer 2023, I received what I can only describe as one of the most stunning, and startling, invitations of my life. The voice on the other end of the phone was calling from London. It asked if I would consider joining something called the Church Commissioners for England Oversight Group.

I give speeches and serve on panels around the world discussing inclusive capitalism and impact investing. Wherever I go, I tell audiences the same thing: “The most important thing you need to know about me is that I'm a preacher's kid (aka ‘PK’).” That confession never fails to get smiles, and I always follow it with my favorite bit of scripture: “To whom much is given, much is required.”²

But this phone call wasn't an invitation to yet another speaking engagement. It was about something I'd never imagined—something I hadn't heard anything about, in fact, until that phone rang.

As I learned, the Church Commissioners for England had made an unprecedented announcement earlier that year, one that sent shockwaves through religious and financial communities worldwide. They had pledged to commit £100 million to address the Church of England's historic links to the transatlantic chattel slave trade. And instead of hiring historians to write another ...