A college professor will explore economics and Christianity in the 2019 BB&T Economic Freedom Lecture at Troy University on Monday, March 25.

Hosted by the Johnson Center for Political Economy and the Sorrell College of Business, Dr. Shawn Ritenour, an author and professor of economics at Pennsylvania’s Grove City College, will present the talk at 4:30 p.m. in room 129 of Bibb Graves Hall on the Troy Campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Established by a grant from the BB&T Foundation, the lecture series is designed to present notable economists and theories to students, according to Johnson Center director Dr. Dan Sutter.

“These events are designed to bring leading economists face-to-face with our students and the general public in a way that encourages free thought about the issues facing us as a nation and as individuals,” he said.

Ritenour, who completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern College, completed his doctoral studies at Auburn University and is the author of “Foundations of Economics: A Christian View,” an introduction to economics from an explicitly Christian perspective.

The book maintains that there is no conflict between Christian doctrine and economic science, properly understood. It seeks to demonstrate that the foundations of economic laws are derived from a Christian understanding of nature and humanity; to explain the market economy  and apply basic economic principals to various problems such as poverty and economic development; and to show the relationship between Christian ethics and economic policy.

Drawing on the first two chapters of Genesis, his book demonstrates how economics can help people in our task to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over the earth, without spoiling creation, starving to death or descending into a barbaric struggle for survival.