Morally sound stocks sought
By Julia Duin
July 9, 2007

The love of money doesn't have to be the root of all evil, according to several organizations active in "values investing."

The search for stocks and mutual funds known for religious virtue as well as financial vitality has shot up in recent years with a proliferation of evangelical Protestant, Catholic and Muslim investment companies.

The Matthews, N.C.-based Stewardship Partners, for instance, specializes in "biblically responsible" stocks in companies that eschew abortion, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, pornography, cloning, stem-cell research and homosexual rights.

Investors must be well-heeled, as the starting fee is $100,000 and the company is managing $230 million in stocks in 580 accounts. the rest