Christian Research Network Endorses the Philosophy
Of
Ayn Rand

I would like to draw your attention to an article posted on Christian Research Network. It is entitled “Should Churches be Helping Occupy Wall Street” and it is posted by a woman named Marsha West who is a contributor to CRN. It openly links to this article. Ms. West is a professing believer who is a nationalist and a moralist. The sad part is that this site used to be primarily involved in confronting doctrinal heresy within the visible church but now has slid into the political morass as well as a noticeable shift toward nationalism.
But I found this post especially arresting since it deals with an issue that should separate Christians from the rest of the religious continuum. I want to deal specifically with West’s post and the outrageous article to which she linked. Just the paragraph she copied is an astounding misrepresentation of the faith taught by Jesus Christ and should be an affront to all who claim His name.
“The Occupiers are Socialists and they are at war with America, not the same kind of war that our military fights overseas, but war nonetheless. It is an internal, ideological war. They want to obliterate Capitalism and any church that helps them has taken sides with Socialism and is supporting our enemy.”
That sentence was written by a woman named Charlotte Cushman who admittedly is a student of the Jewish philosopher named Ayn Rand. If you read any of Ayn Rand’s works you may quickly see that she does not subscribe to the Biblical truths set forth by Scripture and Christ Himself. In fact, she declared that selfishness is a virtue and altruism a vice. But look at those words! If you help people who do not agree with your nationalistic philosophy, especially capitalism, you are aiding the enemy? And since when do we derive our life guidelines from unbelievers? You see, nationalism and the patriotic spirit are poison to the humble and sacrificial life that follows Jesus.
And in the same linked article we have these words,
“As Ayn Rand said, "The right to life is the source of all rights -- and the right to property is their only implementation. Without property rights, no other rights are possible. Since man has to sustain his life by his own effort, the man who has no right to the product of his effort has no means to sustain his life."“
Oh my. How in God’s Dear Name can a blog who claims to be Christian, much less who also claims to lean toward the reformed side of things, link to such outright heresy? And this is a blog which also touts its discernment credentials and asks for financial support as well! This is heresy at its very finest and yet since patriotism is so strongly embedded in the mind of so many believers they can and do embrace people like Ayn Rand and Charlotte Cushman?
Read those words again. Without property rights no other rights are possible?? What kind of moon man talk is that? And then there is this from that same article:
“If a church truly wanted to help the Occupiers I would suggest that they tell them they can spend the night in their church provided they watch some videos or read some books that would educate them about the history and morality of Capitalism. Now that would be real help -- for them and for us.”
Can there be any more anti-christian and anti-gospel nonsense than this? And yet this is posted on one of the discernment sites that claims to be a “leader” in the confrontation of error. To be fair it was not posted by the administrator, Ken Silva, but I should think that he should remove it and print a retraction. That would be the only honorable and Christian thing to do. This is not some interecclesiastical squabble. This is blatant heresy and humanism.
I will soon be posting about appropriate Christian behavior and attitude toward our enemies as taught by Christ.