Overview
Ayn Rand, author most notably of Atlas Shrugged, may be the most influential economic philosopher you've never heard of. Jennifer Burns called Rand the "goddess of the market." The market has certainly been a powerful engine for good in the world. However, Rand was an outspoken advocate of a form of capitalism that puts the individual in the driver's seat, unchecked by Christian considerations of compassion and responsibility to others.
Christian financial counselor Gary Moore has a searching critique of the money goddess in an article for Christianity Today: "Though dead for nearly three decades, Rand's philosophy is deeply embedded in large sectors of the American economy, as well as among some Christian financial advisers and religious leaders. So we are wise to discern what tune Rand is singing for future generations."
This study will help you take a look not at what Rand says about money and our financial and moral responsibilities, but at what the Bible says, both in the Old and New Testaments.
Table of Contents
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1:1–31; 2:15; Deuteronomy 8; Matthew 25:13–30; Acts 4:32–37
LEADER'S GUIDE
• Identify the Current Issue
• Discover the Eternal Principles
—Teaching point one: God owns it all.
—Teaching point two: We are stewards of God's creation.
—Teaching point three: God gives us the ability to create wealth.
—Teaching point four: Faith and generosity go together.
—Teaching point five: Our use of temporal resources has eternal consequences.
• Apply Your Findings
• Additional Resources
ARTICLE FROM CHRISTIANITY TODAY
• "Ayn Rand: Goddess of the Great Recession", by Gary Moore (2010)
Total number of pages—
