Ayn Rand, novelist and conservative political thinker, has an impassioned following among some of today’s Republicans. They embrace her defense of laissez-faire capitalism and individualism. In many respects, she is the godmother of all libertarians. What some put aside, however, is the inconvenient fact that she was also an outspoken atheist.

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Atheist: Rand, a Jewish-born novelist and philosopher, was an outspoken critic of religion.

A group of left-leaning Christians have decided to make an issue of this disconnect, putting some leading Republicans on the spot about the woman they think of as an intellectual hero.

A new political ad, created by the faith-based advocacy group American Values Network and provocatively titled “Ayn Rand & GOP vs. Jesus,” attempts to drive a wedge into the Republican coalition by drawing attention to Rand’s anti-religious rhetoric. The ad is is directed primarily at Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican whose budget plan was championed by Republicans and decried as overly austere by Democrats.

And while observers say that efforts to use the admiration that Ryan and others have expressed for Rand to sow discontent in the party’s conservative Christian base will gain little traction, there are some signs that Democratic groups like AVN are not the only religious Christians focusing on Rand.

“Make no mistake: I have no love for big government. But there are far better ways to critique it than Rand’s kind of godless nonsense, especially for Christians,” said Chuck Colson, the prominent evangelical and former Nixon aide and Watergate accomplice, in a video posted online a week before the appearance of the anti-Ryan ad. “One thing is for certain: Though surely unintended, today’s followers of Objectivism” — Rand’s philosophy — “are undermining the gospel. Beware!”