Christians are being urged to consider where banks invest their money.

It comes after Christian Aid announced it’s cutting ties with Barclays over the bank’s investments in the oil and gas industries. The bank is known to be one of Europe’s leading funders of fossil fuels.

Sarah Edwards from Just Money Movement told Premier Christians should make informed choices about where to keep their money :

“I think it's a really interesting story. I think charities, companies, churches, and individuals are all having to think now more about what our money is doing, and the kind of world that our money is shaping. I think that's a really positive step. And we're really pleased that Christian Aid have done this.

“If you look at the clout that money has - money shapes the kind of world we want to see. Jesus spoke so much about money in the Bible. At the Just Money Movement, we really want individuals and charities and churches to think about where we're banking, because it can make such a big difference. Banks don’t just sit on our money when we deposit it in a current account or a savings account, they invest it, and they lend it, and they use it in different ways. Some of those are ways that we might not be happy with and we need to learn about that and investigate that. It's really pleasing that Christian Aid has done that and made a change.

“It's just more and more important that we think about our relationship to money and the ethical concerns around that, as it shapes the world that we see around us.”

A spokesperson for Barclays said :"As one of the first banks to set an ambition to become net zero by 2050, we are clear that addressing climate change is an urgent and complex challenge. We are using our entire franchise to support new green technologies and infrastructure projects that will build up low-carbon capacity and capability, having provided over £87bn of green finance since 2018.”