Our series Economics for Everybody relied on the work of many other Christian scholars. Here is a brief list of recommendations for further study.
While not from a Christian perspective, we recommend the following books for further study in Economics.
Free PDFs
Books
During the process of editing Economics for Everybody, we discovered a treasure trove of old films and cartoons on economics. All of these are available for download on The Internet Archive.
It’s Everybody’s Business (1954)
This little cartoon looks at how principles of personal liberty and private property combine with entrepreneurialism to grow the economy. It also shows how government intrusion is one of the biggest obstacles to positive growth.
Make Mine Freedom (1948)
Shows what happens when the government takes control of the economy as it implements various stages of socialism instead of free enterprise. It also explains why America has been so wealthy for so long.
Meet King Joe (1949)
Explains why capital accumulation is so important. This is one of the blessings God has bestowed on our country: that many generations before us worked, saved, and invested in order to build a nation that produces so much. You may find the comparison to China intriguing (as well as a bit dated and prejudiced). Just remember that this cartoon is over 60 years old. China was still recovering from WWII and Mao had only taken control of the country a year before. China was basically a poor, rural country. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that Deng began to push it toward markets in order to achieve some of the very things talked about in this video.
Going Places (1948)
A great picture of how entrepreneurs are rewarded for their ideas and hard work, as well as how society is rewarded by the quality goods, competition, and lower prices resulting from entrepreneurs.
Banks and Credit (1948)
A simple explanation of how banks work and provide credit. Note that it does not clearly outline the problems with fractional reserve banking.
The Treasury Story (1969)
An interesting look at how much the Treasury Department (and Federal Reserve Bank) had expanded by the late-60’s to include all sorts of governmental agencies and programs. Note how many people are working for the Treasury, and that was 50 years ago…
Articles from The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics
Foundations of Economics Blog by Shawn Ritenour
Helpful Economics Websites:
Yes. Economics for Everybody is designed to be the base of a one-semester economics class for  homeschool high school students. If this Scope and Sequence is followed, it will be good for one half credit in economics.
The course can be used in two ways: by itself as a lighter study to introduce basic economics concepts (9th/10th graders), or used together with another economics textbook as a more in-depth study for students with worldview training (10th/11th/12th graders). If you choose to do the latter we recommend Basic Economics Third Edition by Carson and Cleveland.
Here is a link to the sample Study Guide which provides a complete scope and sequence for teaching the class.
Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. has taught philosophy and theology at Reformation Bible College, and been a teaching fellow for Ligonier Ministries. Since college, economics has been one of his primary areas of expertise. He delights in explaining how the glory of the gospel truth means that Jesus changes everything. He has eight children. Featured in Economics for Everybody.
