Nadya Williams and David Kee discuss Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged — its origins, philosophy, and enduring relevance for American Christians. Kee, a business professor at Harding University who teaches the novel, traces Rand's objectivism, the tension between individualism and collectivism, and what a Christian engagement with her work requires.
—
Christians Reading Classics is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership.
Apply for Beeson Divinity School's Ph.D program by April 1 for Fall 2026 admission here: https://bit.ly/BeesonDivinityPhD
—
Chapters
- 00:00 - Introduction and Reading from Atlas Shrugged
- 01:10 - Guest Introduction: David Key
- 02:00 - David's Background: From Geneva to Entrepreneurship to Academia
- 08:10 - Defining a Classic
- 10:56 - How David First Encountered Atlas Shrugged
- 13:04 - Who Was Ayn Rand?
- 25:03 - Teaching Atlas Shrugged to Business Students
- 32:27 - Individualism, Collectivism, and the Christian Worldview
- 39:11 - The Mystery of John Galt
- 44:10 - Elevating the Entrepreneur
- 52:35 - Why Christians in America Should Read This Book
- 53:25 - What Classic David Wishes He Had Written