Summary – Is a Christian Approach to Objectivism Possible?
In this episode of the Faith Seeking Freedom Podcast, host Cody Cook explores the compatibility of Christianity and Ayn Rand’s philosophy of objectivism. Despite Rand’s dismissal of religion, some Christians are drawn to her emphasis on rational self-interest. Cody discusses John Piper’s concept of “Christian Hedonism,” which aligns self-interest with seeking happiness in God. While Rand asserted that objectivism is inherently atheistic, Cody suggests that Christians can still learn from her focus on self-interest. Ultimately, he concludes that while Christians cannot be full objectivists, they can integrate useful aspects of Rand’s philosophy into their faith.
Episode Transcript
Greetings and welcome to the Faith Seeking Freedom Podcast. My name is Cody Cook, and our question for this episode is this:
“Is a Christian approach to objectivism possible?”
Objectivism is a philosophy developed by Ayn Rand, who described it as, “the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” Objectivism values reason above so-called superstition and the individual above the collective.
Rand saw objectivism as an intricate philosophy that had specific answers for many and various questions, including religion and the existence of God. Rand referred to religious viewpoints as “mysticism.” The Atlas Society, a think tank that was founded to promote Ayn Rand’s objectivist philosophy, published an article titled “Is Religion Compatible with Objectivism?” and gave this answer: “Objectivism rejects any notion of the supernatural as incompatible with the objectivity and regularity of nature as identified by reason. There is no credible evidence of miracles, magic, or other supernatural phenomena in nature.”
So why are some Christian libertarians and conservatives, like Cody Libolt and Jacob Brunton, so attracted to objectivism? Part of the answer might be that Rand subscribed to many libertarian ideas and was an effective speaker for them.
There is another aspect of Rand’s philosophy that has appealed to some Christians–her notion of rational self-interest. Pastor and theologian John Piper appealed to this idea in developing a concept of his own which he called “Christian Hedonism,” which is defined this way:
“Christian Hedonism is the conviction that God’s ultimate goal in the world (his glory) and our deepest desire (to be happy) are one and the same, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”
In other words, to worship God serves our self-interest and benefits us in this life and beyond. It brings us happiness. So Christian ethics is not necessarily a matter of hurting ourselves to benefit others, but benefiting ourselves by our union with Christ. There’s something in this that we can learn from. Jesus Himself argues that we should turn the other cheek and be generous with our money, not because it’s good to sacrifice but because we’ll be rewarded for it in the age to come.
Years ago, as I was still journeying toward libertarianism, I participated in a debate with an atheist objectivist about whose ethical philosophy was better–Jesus’ or Ayn Rand’s. My conclusion then has not changed much now: while Rand was correct to emphasize that morality is not only about altruism (hurting myself to help others), she was wrong in asserting that it’s only about self-interest. Christian morality is inherently mutualistic, not selfish, because it derives from a triune God who finds joy in sharing and giving–each person to another.
So what’s the point?
Objectivism is a philosophy developed by Ayn Rand which she saw as inherently atheistic. Its ethical framework was rooted in rational self-interest.
Despite her views on religion, some Christians still find her philosophy to be very attractive. John Piper’s Christian Hedonism argues that rational self-interest leads us to seek our happiness in God–that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
Rand would argue that a Christian can’t be an objectivist, and since it’s her philosophy I’d take her at her word, but we can certainly take what’s good in her perspective and put it to good use. The idea that it is in our self-interest to serve God is a good one which should inform our thinking and behavior.
Thanks for listening. I’m Cody Cook and this has been Faith Seeking Freedom.