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On Charlie Kirk and Why Main Street Capitalism is the Cure
September 27, 2025 · 26 min
Ep.0000 -
Russ reflects on a conversation with Charlie Kirk about capitalism and the next generation. Includes practical actions we can all do to promote peace, prosperity, and liberty.
Series The Christian Capitalist Show with Russell Gray September 27, 2025 · 26 min · The Christian Capitalist Show with Russell Gray
Ep.0000 - Russ reflects on a conversation with Charlie Kirk about capitalism and the next generation. Includes practical actions we can all do to promote peace, prosperity, and liberty. ...more Show the full description Show less Ep.0000 -
Russ reflects on a conversation with Charlie Kirk about capitalism and the next generation. Includes practical actions we can all do to promote peace, prosperity, and liberty.
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0:00 Welcome to the Christian Capitalist Show. We are preempting our originally planned inaugural episode to talk about practical ways for Christian capitalists to carry on Charlie Kirk's mission. Stay tuned.0:17 Welcome back to the Christian Capitalist Show. I am your host, Russell Gray. To learn more about what the Christian Capitalist Show is all about, send an email to mission at the christian capitalist dot com. That's0:29 the christian capitalist dot com. But right now, let's talk about the late great Charlie Kirk. If you're among those who are hurt and angry, stick with me because I've got some practical things you can do to help channel0:40 all that emotional energy into meaningful positive actions. And depending on when you're hearing this, the shock, the pain, the outrage of the horrific and senseless murder may0:52 still be stinging. Part of never forgetting is feeling the pain of remembering. For many Christians and conservatives, this event marks an aptly named turning point. It's changing how they think1:03 and feel about what's happening in the United States of America right now and for some, how they will respond. And I'll confess, after the initial shock, disbelief, and unbelievable1:15 sorrow as the reality sank in and watching heartless people actually celebrating and mocking Charlie's murder, I became really angry. I mean, like turn into the Hulk and smash1:27 everything angry. Maybe you can relate to that. But of course, raging and screaming and smashing and hating, well, that's not the answer. But I also don't think just shrugging it off and going on with life as though1:38 nothing happened is right either. Now, I'm not telling you what to do or what to believe. That's between you and the Lord. But for me, just saying, let God deal with it while I mind my own business. Well, that just1:47 doesn't feel right. I've got something inside me that's screaming, I need to do something. I need to be part of the solution or at least 1 of them, find a way if I can to help make sure Charlie's death, as senseless as1:58 it seems, catalyzes as many positive outcomes as possible because it's easy to be mad, to feel intense emotion in a moment, but channeling that into positive change, well it takes2:10 commitment, resolve, and some kind of a plan for positive action. To be clear, I'm not here to make this all about Charlie. I only met him once, but based on everything I can tell he wasn't about self glorification. So2:21 I'm not here to glorify him either. He'd be the first to say all glory to God, and I agree. And the Lord knows there's plenty of other selfless people out there being abused by hateful people, people who'd rather attack2:32 than talk, degrade rather than debate, and ridicule rather than reason. Charlie's become a symbol for all those unsung heroes who are engaged in the battlefield of ideas, which is where all change begins. Charlie picked2:44 up the mantle from all those who went before him who chose to speak out thoughtfully, respectfully, and resolutely for truth, justice, love, and peace. Well, now it's time for many of us to pick up the mantle from2:56 Charlie and magnify messages that edify the hearer and strengthen society with hope for today and for eternity. So let's talk about practical ways for each of us to channel our outrage and to do something3:07 practical and useful, things that fit into what I call the master's plan. To love God with all your heart, to love your neighbor as yourself, and to go out in the world and make disciples. Well, that3:19 master's plan, which is the great commandments and the great commission, there's a whole lot of diversity. There are many areas of interest and enterprise, different ways to create and exchange value, ways to make a3:31 living, and also make a difference. This is where realizing that you're a unique human being with a totally unique set of purposes, potential, and circumstances really helps. And I've learned only God3:43 can guide you through the discovery and development process of turning your potential into ability and your ability into accomplishments. Now, I'm going be doing an entire episode, maybe even a series on what I call the3:54 purpose formula. So stay tuned to this channel for that. You can email purposethechristiancapitalist dot com and we'll send you an announcement when that episode is out. Or if you're hearing this after it's been4:05 released, we'll let you know how you can find it. But right now, let's get back to some ideas that can help you convert your outrage over Charlie's assassination into some kind of positive, sustainable action. And it all4:16 has to do with engaging in the marketplace of ideas, especially with the next generation, something Charlie Kirk was passionate about and dedicated to. Charlie fought a war of words on the battlefield of ideas.4:28 So for those who think shutting down communication is the answer, well I encourage you to rethink that position. Because if you believe, as Charlie did, that faith in Jesus is the answer to the foundational problem of4:39 humanity, then we need to contend for the faith and we do that with words. Romans 10 13 tells us, For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But verse4:50 14 says, How shall they believe in him of whom they've never heard? And verse 17 concludes that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So right now5:02 it's clear we're in a war of ideas, a war of words. As a society we have a choice, ban words we don't like or drown out bad ideas with better ones. Our founders decided it best to5:14 protect ourselves from evil and tyranny by securing our rights to self defense. And at the top of the list, above the Second Amendment is the first amendment, the right to assemble and share5:26 ideas, free speech. So unless you truly believe we're at the point where we should be taking up arms against the government or God forbid each other, then to avoid that ever happening, we5:37 must stay engaged in the war of words on the battlefield of ideas. From everything I can tell, that's what Charlie planned to keep doing. And that's what I think he wants us all to do too. So if you're5:49 serious about honoring Charlie's sacrifice and legacy, then I think the most important thing anyone can do is get your mouth on a microphone. Get into interpersonal conversations with people out in the real world,5:59 especially young people, whether it's prayer, volunteering, or providing financial support. You can also help the people who are sharing ideas that you believe in. It may not feel aggressive enough to6:11 satisfy your outrage right now, I totally get it, but history says the most lasting and effective change actually comes from sharing good ideas. So 1 more quick but important principle to consider, and then we're going6:22 to get back into more specifics about tactical things you can do right now, where you're at with whatever you have so you can make a difference too. You don't need to be a Charlie Kirk to make a difference. And you never6:34 know what a small seed planted can turn into. I motivate myself every day by reminding myself of Zechariah 4 10 and just respecting the day of small beginnings. To have any chance of enjoying6:45 liberty, peace, and prosperity, we've always got to remember this essential truth. Thoughts become actions and actions become results. So what you and society6:57 think, believe, and feel directs the actions that we take. And that produces the results we're all going to have to live with, good, bad, or ugly. Obviously, whatever7:08 Charlie's assassin believed led to deadly actions and tragic results. Those were bad ideas. Conversely, what Charlie believed led to very different actions and results. And7:20 I think many of us would argue that they were great. The point is ideas matter. And what we put in our minds, what we cultivate, what we dwell on, well that matters too. Not just to you, but to7:32 society. And this isn't just philosophical or political, it's economic. In fact, I'm gonna play a clip from Charlie in a moment where he makes this point that 1 of the root causes of our social dysfunction is rooted7:44 in economic dysfunction. That's why I put so much effort into sharing economic ideas and why I think Christians have a big opportunity to attract young people to faith through capitalism. And I think it's why7:55 our young people have been starved of economic education. It makes them more vulnerable to economic propaganda and bad economic policies. The Bible warns us about people with scarcity mentality. And again,8:07 that's a topic we're going to do a deeper dive on in the future. But right now, just consider how Proverbs 23, verse 6 through 7 says, do not eat the bread of a miser nor desire his delicacies for as he8:19 thinks in his heart so he is. Jesus himself says in Matthew 12 34 for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. There's so many more examples, but you get the idea. What8:31 you think, believe and feel is very important. It dictates your actions and your actions dictate results. That's why Proverbs 4, verse 23 cautions us to keep your8:43 heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life. And this is true for each of us as individuals. It's true for our businesses and it's true for our communities8:55 all the way up to our country and government, really all of humanity. Charlie Kirk shared ideas aggressively with conviction, with passion. It's 1 of the core responsibilities of being a9:06 Christian. It's a great commission as described in Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20. Because when we fail to do this, the world loses and so do each of us because bad ideas don't get rebutted9:18 and good ideas don't get sown. But when bad ideas are allowed to grow unchallenged by good ideas like deadly weeds, they grow into bad, even evil actions.9:30 That's why your creed and your culture matter. It's why businesses invest time and effort in articulating and training their people to understand their mission and values. And in any collection of people9:42 and personalities, leadership is about upholding the culture, modeling the values and staying focused on the mission and vision. That's what Charlie Kirk was so good at, advanced far beyond his9:54 years. Now I met Charlie at an event my friend Robert Kiyosaki invited me to. At the time, I was co hosting a popular real estate investing podcast and Robert asked us to come support him for an event at a local college10:05 that he was speaking at with Dennis Prager. It was a controversial event only because of Prager's reputation for conservative values. And so many of the university faculty, they were really mad that Charlie and Prager10:16 were on campus and Kiyosaki kind of got caught up in all of that. Fortunately, aside from a few loud mouth disruptors who got quickly kicked out, the event was actually pretty peaceful. But ironically, because of the10:27 hostility of those faculty members, the local businessman, the guy who was underwriting the whole thing, a conservative capitalist, well he ended up withdrawing all his support. So that entire program got shut down. And10:38 while that might seem good and just, and of course he's free to do what he wants to do with his money, but shutting down the program was not just a loss for the school who probably deserved it, but a loss to all the10:49 impressionable students who might have heard good ideas, ideas that could counter so many of the bad ones the school's been sowing into their lives. Now, I'm about to explain, and I know Charlie agreed, most college11:00 educations aren't worth it. Most students would probably be better off finding more practical educational alternatives and to help better prepare them for the real world. In fact, Charlie wrote a book called College is a11:11 Scam, so it's pretty clear how he felt about it. And this brings me to the conversation I had with Charlie at the event. I told him about an idea I had to help the next generation and their parents learn about11:22 capitalism, not just by hearing about it, but by doing it, actually starting businesses and making investments together. The model is based on the same concepts of discipleship, which have proven so effective11:34 and resilient throughout history. In the business world, we call it mentoring, but it's basically the same concept. Experienced entrepreneurs and investors, people I call main street capitalists, mentor parents and their11:46 children on how they can start and grow a business, and also how they can invest in Main Street, things like properties and businesses together. It's based on my belief that the best model for human education and11:56 development is a family and a small group church. So if you're an experienced Main Street entrepreneur or investor, 1 way to share good ideas, especially for the next generation, is by mentoring young people and12:08 their parents in the online communities that we're setting up through the Raising Capitalist Foundation. And if you're a parent but don't know how to set up a business or invest in Main Street, but you want to train your12:18 children, well then you can join a mentoring club and get support. You can learn more about it at raisingcapitalists dot org. But the point of the story is that Charlie loved the idea of raising12:29 capitalists. He pledged his support and offered to have me on his show when I got it up and running. And this inspired me to begin to actually take action, to take steps, to take it from12:41 idea to reality. Again, remember, what you think and believe directs what you do and what you do produces results. You know, when I'm thinking, oh this is too big, oh I12:52 can't do it, I don't have enough to work with, I don't have enough time, I don't have enough resources. Well then I'm not gonna take any action. But when someone like Charlie Kirk comes along who's built a big13:04 organization and has such an impact goes, I love it and I'll help you. Well, validated the idea. And when he pledged to support, that gave me enough belief that I actually took action. He helped me believe if I13:15 started, God would send people to help like Nehemiah when he was rebuilding the wall. Now I'm sure Charlie forgot all about that conversation. And if he were alive today, probably wouldn't even remember me. But I13:27 remember both him and the conversation. And of course, I'm heartbroken. I'll never be able to remind him of it or take him up on his offer to help. But there's a big lesson in that story for all of us because we have the13:38 power to inspire and encourage other people to positive action. And it's so important that we do it, especially young people. Charlie was a master of it. And even though I'm easily old enough to be13:50 his father, he inspired me. So it doesn't matter how old you are or how formally educated you are or aren't. Remember, Charlie didn't go to college, but he was brilliant. What matters is that you use what you have14:02 to do what you can to seek and find your own God given purpose. And then be about that purpose with belief that if God calls you, he will equip you. I know it's easy to say, but14:14 not always so easy to do. And that's why we need to encourage each other as Paul wrote in first Thessalonians 5 11, therefore comfort each other and edify 1 another. But simply attacking the haters, engaging14:26 in spiteful rhetoric, venting outrage about the evil we all just witnessed, well, it makes us feel good for a moment, but it really doesn't solve the problem. And perhaps even worse is simply withdrawing completely from14:38 society, giving up, believing that those who oppose us are irredeemable and therefore not worth the effort. And it's a good thing Jesus didn't believe that or I wouldn't be here. Maybe that would be true for you too. Now14:50 somebody wrote on X that Charlie Kirk's assassination is proof there's no reasoning or compromising with the left. And he asked, where do we go from here? Well, from what I can tell, there's a lot of people who feel the15:01 same way. Maybe you do too. But if you believe that there's no hope in sharing good ideas with an entire group of people because of the reprehensible actions of the most radical and extreme segment,15:13 well then you're gonna end up conceding the battlefield of ideas to evil people. Because what you believe affects what you do or don't do. Of course, Jesus didn't do that, neither did Charlie. So while I have extreme15:25 empathy for the sentiment, I don't think it's a good idea. So I'm hoping my muse and this episode will help some of you process your outrage too, and then not only decide not to withdraw from the battlefield of ideas,15:37 but to actually step up and get more engaged. And that's why I started this show and its secular sister, the Main Street Capitalist Show, to share what I think are good ideas, not just mine, but those of my guests and15:48 regular contributors. And if you're out there and you think you have something to share with the world, email me at feedbackthechristiancapitalist dot com. Maybe I'll have you on the show or help you start a show of your15:58 own. But the premise of what I'm doing with the Main Street Capitalist Show, the Christian Capitalist Show, the Raising Capitalist Foundation, is that people care a lot about money. And while this creates temptation, it16:10 also gets people who aren't interested in matters of faith or policy into very important conversations. Politicians understand this. If you're old enough to remember the 19 92 presidential campaign where James Carville16:22 told Bill Clinton to stay focused on the economy, the slogan was, it's the economy, stupid. Of course, I'm no fan of Carville's or Clinton's politics, but the wisdom of realizing people care about and vote for their own16:33 pocketbook, Charlie Kirk understood this also. Listen to what he says here during an interview on Tucker Carlson's show.16:40 Political radicalism is a catalyst. Political radicalism does not come out of peace, prosperity, rising wages, stable families, church attendance, and happy people. Happy people,16:52 grateful people do not get behind Vladimir Lenin, and they certainly don't get behind Chavez or Castro. That's right. People that own nothing, that feel like their property is diminishing, they don't have property, or17:02 their dollar is diminishing in value, they start to look for alternatives. And so the political project in front of us as conservatives should be, how do we actually deradicalize the country in the next couple of years?17:14 That's my that's my obsession. That's why I say I try not to think about all this other stuff because it just, you know, it's such brain space. My number 1 obsession is I I know what is coming next.17:24 Very wise words from a very wise young man. He's basically saying Main Street prosperity is the cure. I was in a press room in 20 15 with then candidate Donald Trump and I asked him17:36 what a healthy housing market looked like in a Trump administration. And he gave me a 1 word answer, jobs. Of course, governments don't create productive jobs, but they can create policies which make job17:48 creation better, faster and easier. But in order to get those policies, you need politicians who understand economics. And to get those politicians who understand economics,18:00 you have to have voters who understand economics. My good friend Peter Schiff says good economics is bad politics and bad politics is good economics. And that's why we always get bad economics from18:11 politicians. If you stop and think about that for a minute, the reason it works that way is because politicians can make promises with no basis in sound economic reality, and voters without economic understanding will18:23 vote for it and them. Now I won't get into politics on my shows, but I will talk about policies in the context of economics. And the most important economics is the economics of Main Street. That's because even with a18:35 flawed system, as long as we have essential liberties and a right to own property, it's still possible to prosper through Main Street capitalism. And once Main Street experiences self made prosperity, people begin to see18:47 policy through a different lens. And of course, from a Christian perspective, policies need to be both economically sound and moral. So just as Christians need to contend for the faith in the marketplace of18:58 ideas, so should Christian capitalists contend for sound and moral economic ideas also. So when people ask, where do we go from here? I think Charlie Kirk gave us the answer. Let's help Main Street, especially19:10 young people, become prosperous, self made based on Main Street capitalism so they don't fall for the false promises of socialism and communism. Now I happen to know this works because when I guest hosted the19:22 Rich Dad Radio Show for Robert Kiyosaki, I interviewed a young lady who started out as an economically naive high school student who went deeply into debt to get a political science degree so she could work for the State19:33 Department and make the world better, a world she knew very little about. But if anything happened along the way, she couldn't get a job. So she ended up starting a business almost by accident, certainly out of19:43 necessity. And then within just a few years, she paid off her student debt. She bought and paid for her own home debt free. And instead of needing a job, she created jobs for a dozen people19:55 all by 35 years old. You can watch that interview at raisingcapitalists dot org. It's raisingcapitalists with an s dot org under the resources tab. Just look for the video titled Main Street20:07 Capitalist. The punch line is this. The entire experience flipped her view of the policy she originally believed in because she realized the things she thought were wonderful as an economically20:18 naive poor student were actually antithetical to her best interest as a main street capitalist. So Charlie was right. The start of dialing down some of the division intention on main street is in fact individual20:30 prosperity and the fastest path to that is main street capitalism. Woven into that conversation is mission and purpose. And that's the link to faith because that's where you're exploring where mission and20:42 purpose actually come from. Sadly, in my opinion, there are some Christians who conflate capitalism with greed or a love of money, which scripture tells us is the root of all kinds of evil because it is. But love of20:54 productivity, well, that's a different discussion. Productivity is what humanity is called to. It's the practical reflection of the original mandate to be fruitful. Of course, from the Garden of Eden to today, the key to21:05 freedom is responsibility, and that's called liberty. Liberty is freedom guided by a framework of principles. Freedom without principled responsibility, well, that's almost always evil and chaotic.21:16 And the obvious and awesome precision of creation and the laws of nature tell me that God is very orderly. So principled responsibility is absolutely essential to sustainable freedom. As21:28 John Adams, 1 of the founding fathers of the United States of America wrote, our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.21:41 So it's not hard to understand why American society is breaking down. We've lost our moral and religious compass. And it started to atrophy a long time ago. And in my lifetime, the degradation has picked up21:52 speed. It reminds me of the famous line from Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises, when the character Bill asks his trust fund friend Mike how he went bankrupt. Mike replies 222:04 ways gradually and then suddenly. Except in this case we're talking about how America went morally bankrupt. Course we're probably also going financially bankrupt too, it's a different discussion. But we happen22:16 to be the generation on duty when we're moving from gradually to suddenly. And that's a bad news. But the good news is the founders gave us a first amendment to preserve our God given right to share good22:27 ideas which can save us including the truth that there is a creator God and there is a path to transformative redemption through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. And it's possible to be22:39 transformed by the renewing of our minds what we think and believe both individually and as a society. But it only works if we engage aggressively, thoughtfully,22:50 respectfully, passionately, persistently sharing good ideas. And that's what Charlie Kirk did. And now it's what we all must do. The great news is I think the market is ripe. I think Main Street is23:02 ready to take back their economic and spiritual power. I think Charlie Kirk was an important figure in this main street revolution, and I think his tragic death has actually activated a23:14 lot of people, especially youth, to turn to God, to seek better answers, and to look for a better way forward. That's why I'm here and I answered the call to create and host the Christian Capitalist23:26 Show, form the Fellowship of Christian Capitalists, which you'll learn about later, and form the Raising Capitalist Foundation, which I've already told you about. Through technology, we, you and me, have the opportunity23:37 and the responsibility to flood the marketplace with good ideas, love, hope, truth, and understanding. Not just philosophy or doctrine, but economics, finance, investing, business, real23:49 world practical alternatives to a failing and corrupt educational system that's filling our youth with bad ideas, stealing their hope, and selling them into debt and the slavery of24:01 victimhood. Together, we can reach young parents and their children, young adults and everyone on Main Street with practical help for creating and investing in profitable businesses and24:12 assets, being busy about their God given purpose. We can provide both an economic education from a biblical worldview and use finances as the soup to get the affluent lost into a24:24 transformative conversation while bringing Christianity back into capitalism at the main street level. Because when a moral and religious people understand economics, they will recognize and support people and24:35 policies that make Main Street more prosperous and less vulnerable to false promises of unethical economic systems that actually hinder Main Street liberty. Jesus engaged the culture24:47 on Main Street in practical ways. So did Charlie Kirk. So should we. Yes, America is in crisis, but we, you and I, can do something about it. Greed,24:58 immorality, economic ignorance all lead to bad ideas and bad policies. And when disenfranchised people get angry enough, it can lead to ugly, some cases very ugly,25:10 actions. But our response shouldn't be rage. That's not the answer. It's using purpose driven main street capitalism as the expression of our love for God, our love for our neighbor, and a way to make disciples starting25:22 with a cup of soup filled with the hope and opportunity to prosper. So please join me each week as I share ideas, interview experts, answer your questions, talk with difference makers who are working to make25:33 capitalism Main Street again and make Main Street moral again. You can help by telling everyone you know about the show and sending your comments and questions to me at feedback at the christian capitalist25:45 dot com. Speaking of difference makers, we're kicking off a 3 episode series featuring Main Street capitalist and executive producer of the 20 23 blockbuster film Sound of Freedom, Paul Hutchinson. Be sure to tune in25:57 and discover how God transformed him from a selfish businessman into a powerful crusader for ending child trafficking. Till next time, God bless you and God bless Main Street.
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