When we arrived on that rainy Saturday morning at Mary Ward House (just a stone\u2019s throw from Euston Station), I was still jetlagged from a conference in Bulgaria and entirely unsure what to expect. But seeing roughly 200 Christians, mostly in their 20s and 30s, clearly energised about making a difference in the world (and, if I am honest, the large selection of snacks) immediately put me at ease.<\/p>\n The talks covered a breadth of topics: from radical generosity (led by Grayden-Reece Smith, a businessman in a high-earning career who has donated over \u00a3250,000 to charities), to facing the challenges of AI<\/a> (led by Will Jones from the Future of Life Institute), to caring for creation (led by Revd Darrell Hannah from Operation Noah). Each talk felt relevant and outward-looking, inviting Christians to confront the world\u2019s unfolding crises with faith, courage, clear-eyed analysis, and loads of data. If I had to summarise the event with one word, it would be \u201cinspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n At the end of the conference, I approached JD Bauman, the Director and Founder of Christians for Impact, who agreed to a short interview on effective altruism and why it has a place at the heart of Christianity.<\/p>\n VP: Until recently, I didn\u2019t really know what \u201ceffective altruism\u201d meant. What\u2019s your definition?<\/strong><\/p>\n JDB: Effective altruism is two things. First, it\u2019s the idea that we should use evidence and careful reasoning to find the most effective ways to love our neighbours, and to act on that basis. Second, it\u2019s a global\u00a0movement<\/a>\u00a0of organisations and individuals collaborating to identify the most impactful charities, careers, and opportunities.<\/p>\n Effectiveness matters because not all efforts to \u201cdo good\u201d are equal. Some charities save or transform far more lives per pound than others. Thanks to evaluators like GiveWell (who have spent over 100,000 hours reviewing the data), we now know some interventions are\u00a0hundreds of times<\/em> more effective than others. As Christians, we should care about that difference, because loving our neighbour includes stewarding our resources wisely.<\/p>\n What originally pulled you into this line of work? Was there a specific moment or story that sparked it?<\/strong><\/p>\n When I was 19, working in financial sales in New York City, I learned that for roughly $3,000, I could save a child\u2019s life from malaria through the Against Malaria Foundation (a charity with strong evidence behind it). When I did the math, I realised I could save a busload<\/em>\u00a0of children each year.<\/p>\n That image shook me. If we saw a bus of kids heading off a cliff, we\u2019d do almost anything to stop it. Jesus certainly would. It made me reconsider every unnecessary purchase: every $3,000 spent on myself could have been a life saved.<\/p>\n When I shared this with peers, the response was often denial, deflection, or excuses, especially from Christians, which surprised me. That disconnect strengthened my resolve to help believers embrace more impactful generosity and more purposeful careers.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CFI-London-Conference-group-630-copy.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>Beyond Good Intentions: A Conversation With JD Bauman<\/h2>\n