Ruslan KD, who has solidified himself as one of the most prominent, thoughtful, and introspective Christian creators, sees some truly encouraging moves unfolding right now in culture.
“There’s a hunger for things that are deeper,” he told CBN News during his recent Bless God Summit. “I think there’s a hunger for things that are meaningful. I think there’s a hunger for spiritual formation and walking in, I would say, the truest sense of reality.”
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Ruslan, who is set to launch his cross-country tour April 10 in Chicago, sees a shift when comparing this current hunger for the Gospel and truth to previous mentalities.
“Prior to COVID, we just kind of floated and did our own thing,” he said. “It reminds me a lot of the time right after 9/11 … there was this like clarity that seemed to have came over people and they were curious and interested.”
While churches were initially packed, it didn’t take long for it to dissipate. But Ruslan said recent events have created similar dynamics, with people being more attracted to church and faith.
“We saw a drastic uptick right after Charlie Kirk … got tragically assassinated … a consistent sustaining and growth at our church,” he said. “And I don’t know if that growth was already happening, but we saw a bump, like a noticeable bump where our church has doubled from this time last year — more than doubled now. And that’s been awesome.”
On the flip side, Ruslan also detailed what concerns him, citing the “hyper, hyper, hyper skepticism of all institutions.” He pointed to what happened during COVID to explain why some of this has unfolded.
From claims surrounding masks to the promise that the curve would be flattened in “two weeks,” much of what ended up not coming to fruition naturally eroded public trust.
“Don’t wear a mask, wear a mask, like all of that,” he said. “And then all of that amplified and people are like waking up that like, ‘Hey, these people that are in power in institutions, they’re not always good faith actors. They’re not always honest about what’s happening.'”
This has created a distrust that, at moments, might descend into unhealthy places — including “a hyper conspiratorial rabbit hole,” as people are now more apt to doubt everything.
“That’s … not good for their soul and … not good for their life,” Ruslan said. “It’s not good for your soul to view the world through this paradigm, but it’s also not great for your life because, if you have this ‘defeatist system is rigged, little guy can’t get ahead, American dream is dead’ [mentality] … that belief will cause your actions to reflect that.”
Ruslan is on a mission to encourage people to cling closer to the Lord. His second annual Bless God Summit recently drew hundreds of fans to California where they heard from pastors, speakers and apologetics experts.
He said he wanted to “create a weekend for people to go see some of their favorite speakers, and artists, and performers” and for them to walk away with information. Beyond that, though, he hopes the Bless God Summit created “an opportunity for transformation.”
“It blesses me in knowing and seeing the people and that like lives are being changed and it’s worth it to sacrifice for it,” he said.
For tickets to Ruslan’s tour, go here.
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