For some, the concepts of Christianity and financial management are unrelated. But others, find them very much in harmony.

Taylor Hooven, a senior English major from Evans, finds the concepts not only related, but intertwined.

“I think a very large part of Christianity itself is putting yourself second to some other things. Those other things can be service to a fellow human being,” Hooven said. “Denying yourself is an important element of Christianity, and so is in Dave Ramsey’s book.”

Books including Dave Ramsey's "The Total Money Makeover," and Howard Dayton's "Your Money Map" are both used in a mix of religion and economy by students. MARIJA VULETIC/Staff

Hooven read Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness” in fall 2011 when he took the course Money Skills for Life. The class, which is open only to seniors, teaches practical money skills for life after graduation.

As part of the curriculum, students are asked to read one of five financial books listed in the syllabus, two of which are Christian financial books. The first is “Your Money Map: A Proven 7-Step Guide to True Financial Freedom” by Howard Dayton, and the other is Ramsey’s book.

Robin Henager-Greene, a housing and consumer economics graduate student, is a TA for the course. Before coming to the University, Henager-Greene worked for Crown Financial Ministries, which published Dayton’s book while she was there.

“They have a lot of financial basics in them, like you should have an emergency fund, you should save,” she said. “Those books take you a little further and provide some basis in scriptures.”

When asked what Christian teachings have to do with financial management, Henager-Greene pointed to bible verses.

Among them was Ecclesiastes 11:2, which discusses diversification — “Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do now know what disaster may come upon the land.”

In other words, diversify because the financial future isn’t always clear.

“That’s what a financial planner would tell you,” Henager-Greene said.

Ashley Hobbs, a Wesley Foundation leader and junior from Atlanta, combines financial skills with Christian values so she has enough money to tithe, the practice of giving 10 percent of one’s income to a religious organization.

“You just have to learn to plan to allot your money,” said Hobbs, a furnishings and interiors major. “Enough for you, but also to give back so you’re not becoming focused on it, on making money for yourself.”

Hobbs said she also tries to evaluate her purchases and how they affect her.

“If I ever feel myself pulling back, ‘OK, I have this $10 I can give to the church, and there’s this really cute top that I want for $15,” she said. “You have to realize that money isn’t everything. Other organizations need it more than I need a new top.”

Karen Hartsfield, a student minister at the Presbyterian Student Center and junior from Lilburn, lives frugally, she said.

“Eating at home with my roommate is just as fun as eating out on the town, so you can save money here and there doing things like that,” said Hartsfield, a psychology and sociology major.

“Extravagance has never been a huge part of my life.”

And saving money translates to the ability to aid others with it, she said.

“You want to be in a good place financially to help out others who aren’t,” Hartsfield said. “Christianity is about love. It’s about loving people and not money, so I really think it teaches us that we should do with our money what we do with our love. We’re entitled to some ourselves, but we should spread it around.”

Henager-Greene said financial management and Christian teachings intersect because by not accumulating too much debt, it allows the freedom to do God’s will.

She gave the example of a student in a previous class who had to figure out how to make ends meet in order to go on a mission trip.

“If you were to sort of extended and not be free to do the Lord’s will, it wouldn’t be good,” she said. “Live within your means.”

Even though some find teachings about money in Christianity, Hooven said lessons such as spending frugally are universal.

“Whatever you believe,” he said, “financial independence and freedom is something everyone should strive for.”