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Ayn Rand Vs. Christian Community
Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2014 (message contributor)
What we observe in that early community of Christians stands in stark contrast to the philosophy of Ayn Rand, who has been getting a lot of press lately. She is known for her belief in what she called Rational Egoism which translates Rational Self-Interest which she described as "The Virtue of Selfishness."
Ayn Rand came to America from Russia in 1926. She was among the bourgeois who fell into disfavor following the Russian Revolution. While largely ignoring much of the controversy surrounding her atheism and radical philosophies, many are drawn to her "advocacy of unfettered capitalism and her celebration of the individual." Her "anti-government argument rested on the opposition between 'producers' who create wealth and 'moochers' who feed off them."
(Jennifer Burns, Ayn Rand Wouldn't Approve of Paul Ryan, New York Times, August 14, 2012. From a sermon by Monty Newton, The Making of a Compelling Christian Community, 8/24/2012)
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