In the summer of 1997, my internship had ended, and I picked up my last paycheck. How did I employ the talents my Master entrusted to me? I invested a portion of them just like everybody else—in a top-performing mutual fund mentioned in Money magazine.

Only recently I paused to ask, "What is a stock, anyway?"

Besides a fancy certificate, a stock represents ownership shares in a corporation. As an owner, you participate in providing a product or service to people—lemonade or Big Macs. You also become its promoter and profiteer.

I uncovered a disturbing reality. While many corporations grow by providing beneficial goods for society, others have decided to sell products or services that appeal to weaknesses and addictions, and that ultimately harm others.

Some investors are anguished to learn that while mutual funds offer the diversification of owning many companies, some of these companies profit from people captive to chains. Upon closer inspection of my own mutual fund, I discovered that my Lord's money was partially invested in General Motors, which sells more hard-core sex videos (through its Hughes Electronics subsidiary, which owns DIRECTV) than Hustler Magazine, Inc. each year.

If the Master angrily called the third servant "wicked and lazy" for merely burying his one talent (Matthew 25:24-30), what awaited me?

Master, with your money I purchased ownership shares in a company profiting from porn. Our company bought destitute women at a low price, for sale to addicted men at a higher price.