Camden Bucey speaks with economist Shawn Ritenour about what makes an account of economics distinctly Christian. They discuss economic law as part of God’s created order and the biblical principles shaping stewardship, private property, labor, capital, exchange, and care for those in need. Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas provides the occasion for a searching conversation about the universal destination of goods, Big Tech, data, subsidiarity, sphere sovereignty, GDP, and human dignity.
The conversation presses beneath policy to theology. Neither markets nor governments escape the effects of sin, and material prosperity must never be confused with sanctification. Christians seek just and prudent arrangements in this age while recognizing that scarcity, exploitation, and disordered desire will not finally be overcome by human construction. The church’s hope rests in the crucified and risen Christ and the consummation of his kingdom.
Topics Discussed
- Economic law, creation, and Christian stewardship
- Private property, labor, capital, exchange, and human dignity
- Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas and Catholic social teaching
- GDP, inequality, and the common good
- Data, privacy, Big Tech, and non-rivalrous goods
- Subsidiarity and Kuyperian sphere sovereignty
- Universal basic income and the economic disruption of AI
- Sin, scarcity, eschatology, and Christian hope
Shawn Ritenour is Professor of Economics at Grove City College and a Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute. He is the author of Foundations of Economics: A Christian View.
Participants: Camden Bucey, Shawn Ritenour
Christ the Center focuses on Reformed Christian theology. In each episode a group of informed panelists discusses important issues in order to encourage critical thinking and a better understanding of Reformed doctrine with a view toward godly living. Browse more episodes from this program or subscribe to the podcast feed.
