A Quote to Consider

In the wake of William F. Buckley, Jr.'s death, on February 27, there have been a number of post-mortem reviews of his life and work. This is not one of them, but discussions I've observed after his death have in part centered around his divide from libertarians on some issues, and his disagreements with the Ayn Rand Objectivist crowd in particular.

This prompted me to review and again consider a quote I have on my wall from Rand's epic Atlas Shrugged -- a quote I've often drawn inspiration from:

"In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours."

Today this quote gives me pause as a Christian. It is from the character John Galt and comes toward the end of his famous 70 page speech. The language is empowering, particularly in my line of work fighting constant uphill battles. Given Rand's atheism, though, it also denies the Biblical truth that we as Christians will never fully prevail in this world until Christ reigns again. So the world we desire actually is not possible here...right??