Ruslan KD: Why the Loudest Generation Is Also the Loneliest
From gang life at age 11 to reaching millions on YouTube — Ruslan KD sits down with Greg Laurie to talk about the long road home.
Born in Azerbaijan, ethnically Armenian, and raised by a single mom in San Diego, Ruslan's story starts with a botched break-in, a cop next door, and a Black Baptist church that told an 11-year-old kid God would use him one day. They were right.
In this conversation:
- How Ruslan finally surrendered to Christ at a Miles McPherson crusade
• The 3 pillars of biblical manhood: priest, provider, protector
• Why Gen Z is the most Jesus-curious generation — and what they need from boomers
• The difference between selfish ambition and godly ambition (from his new book)
• Why every pastor should have a podcast
• Financial literacy, communism vs. capitalism, and what the church keeps missing
• The verse Ruslan returns to when life gets loud
Whether you're a young man trying to figure out what a godly life looks like, or an older believer wondering how to reach the next generation — this one's worth your time.
Grab Ruslan's book Godly Ambition wherever books are sold.
Timestamps
00:22 Meet Ruslan: rapper, apologist, YouTuber
01:37 From Baku to a Vegas gang at age 11
04:24 Community service leads him to church
07:10 Wrestling with Jesus vs. Jehovah's Witnesses
09:54 Why the gospel finally clicked
14:14 What "godly ambition" actually means
18:33 The three pillars: priest, provider, protector
26:11 Communism, socialism, and taxing the rich
29:26 Gen Z: the walking paradox
36:39 Why open your home to a stranger
39:41 What's fueling the church growth boom
50:17 Teaching young people how to think
54:00 If you had 2 minutes with a million Gen Z kids
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
In 1990, Laurie founded the Harvest Crusades, a series of large-scale evangelistic events designed to present the gospel to broad audiences. These events have since drawn more than 11.5 million participants in person and online. In 2012, he launched Harvest America, a nationwide outreach event that utilized HD livestreaming to broadcast to thousands of venues across the United States. Collectively, these efforts have resulted in over 700,000 documented professions of faith.
A prolific author, Laurie has written over 70 books, including House of David, Billy Graham: The Man I Knew, Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon, Revelation: A Book of Promises, and Jesus Revolution.
His filmography includes Lost Boy: The Next Chapter, Hope for Hurting Hearts, Steve McQueen: American Icon, and Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon. In 2023, Greg and Cathe Laurie’s life and conversion during the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s were depicted in the Lionsgate film Jesus Revolution, starring Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie.
Greg Laurie has been married to Cathe Laurie for over 51 years. They have two sons and five grandchildren.
Want more from Greg Laurie? Visit harvest.org
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