“I just love this curriculum.” – David, Age 17
When embarking on a study of high school economics, this was not a statement I expected to hear from my teenage son. I did not expect our 17-year-old to become an economics enthusiast. In fact, I have not seen him this excited about a course of study since Dave Raymond’s American history.
What’s more, I did not expect to be so easily distracted by a curriculum while fixing lunch each day. The fascinating videos connecting economics to a biblical worldview (along with the resulting discussions) have been some of the best “distractions” I’ve experienced as a homeschool mom.
To be honest, before our journey into the high school economics course Economics for Everybody, I never really contemplated the biblical implications in world economics. Although I realize that worldview is the lens through which we see everything (and, thus, our worldview plays into our views of government and economics), the opening lines of the book provided food for thought regarding the importance of studying economics from a Christian perspective.
“Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ The provision of our daily needs matters to us, and it matters to our heavenly Father… My prayer is that you will not just come away with a better understanding of how God has ordered His world, but that you will, in turn, become a more faithful steward, remembering that ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.'” -R.C. Sproul, Jr.
- And God Created Economics | Stewardship in God’s Image
- The Economic Problem of Sin | Law, Liberty & Government
- The Path from Work to Wealth | Production, Property & Tools
- The Route From Scarcity to Plenty | Money, Markets & Trade
- The Role of the Entrepreneur | Capital, Calculation & Profit
- A Tale of Two Theologies, Part 1 | From God to Politics
- A Tale of Two Theologies, Part 2 | Economic Philosophies & Systems
- Government Intervention | Basic Principles & Education
- The Two Mysteries of Monetary Policy | Inflation & Depressions
- The Welfare & Corporate States of America | The Costs of Redistribution
- Economics Has Consequences | The Real Effects of Sin
- Kingdom Economics
You can check out the entire scope and sequence by downloading a sample of the study guide here.
Economics for Everybody provides a relevant, engaging, and clear presentation of key economic principles using lively explanations and practical examples, fun video clips of silent films and cartoons, and sobering images of the consequences of socialism and communism in history.
The study guide includes assigned scripture readings, discussion questions, quizzes, and recommended additional reading (including specific readings from Basic Economics if you opt for the one-year version of this high school economics program). The guide also includes additional optional assignments, such as visiting a local factory, interviewing an entrepreneur, and researching government spending.
Classical educators sometimes fret over integrating different subject areas, but the discussions prompted by this study naturally lead to making connections between multiple subject areas and economics – history, government, philosophy, current events, and scripture. An example of a basic yet thought-provoking feature of this course is the connection of economics to the Ten Commandments. I just hadn’t considered that connection prior to this study.
In addition to economics-based discussions regarding free markets, property, taxation, interventionism, corporatism, supply and demand, and socialist systems, some of the discussions prompted by this course include…
- How might economics enable us to fulfill the Great Commission beyond just providing missionaries with financial support?
- What do you know about the persecuted church around the world? How much of it is related to politics and economics?
- How has interventionism affected the thinking of Christians when it comes to the role of the government?
- What are ways that entrepreneurialism can be married to missions (locally and abroad)? Are there ways for groups to be “tent-building” ministries instead of simply receiving donations?
You can download a sample of the study guide for this high school economics course to read through the first two chapters and corresponding questions. You can also watch the first two video lessons for free.
In short, this course does provide a better understanding of God’s order and helps us to recognize the importance of our role as stewards of God’s creation. No more boring economics! We highly recommend Economics for Everybody!
Note about CLEP Prep
If you’re interested in CLEP testing for college credit, this course will need to be followed up with a CLEP test prep course or book for either Principles of Macroeconomics or Principles of Microeconomics. Our son followed up this course with a quick run-through of the Principles of Microeconomics course from ModernState.org and passed the CLEP exam earning 3 hours of college credit. Economics for Everybody provided a foundation (and a true enjoyment of) economics, which, in turn, provided the catalyst for him to pursue the ModernStates course with much more enthusiasm than he would have had otherwise.
Try this high school economics course for free!
To view a complete scope and sequence for the course along with the first two lessons, download this sample of the study guide. You can also download free video lessons here.
Other freebies include Economics Films & Cartoons and other economics resources. And… you can download a whole lot of other free lessons for other subjects here.
Plus more!
This program is one of over 50 courses (consisting of over 1400 videos) offered in Compass Classroom’s monthly membership which is now available as an app so you can take your learning on the go! You can sign up for a free trial (no credit card required) to test drive this course and many others, including the programs we have used and recommended in the past.
You can also sign up for a free MyCompassClassroom account to experience discussion forums, support groups, and free video courses beyond the trial membership!
If you have any questions about this course or about the Compass Classroom Membership, just give us a shout! We’ll be glad to help in any way that we can!