Benjamin Rutledge is a Czech-American Christian with a diverse academic and professional background, which includes military service, international political economy studies, and teaching at a Czech private school.
Benji & I met a few weeks ago in Prague and became fast friends. When we met for lunch last Friday, he told me about Charlie Kirk & Iryna Zerutska’s memorial in Wenceslas Square. Afterward, I posted an Instagram reel of us laying flowers there and it’s been viewed over 600k times! What a worldwide outpouring of support!
In this episode, we discuss:
- Family background in Prague, communism, and move to the US
- Parents’ meeting, marriage, and values of frugality & faith
- Views on marriage, women, and cultural differences between Czech, Polish, and American women
- Faith, Christianity, and importance of marrying a Christian
- Naval Academy plans, ulcerative colitis diagnosis, and move to Prague
- Teaching career in Prague (English, politics, Cold War history)
- Charlie Kirk and Irina Zaruzka memorial in Prague
- Cold War history, Soviet influence, and relevance to modern Russia-Ukraine conflict
- Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia and parallels to US politics
- Cultural differences in alcohol consumption (Mississippi vs Czech Republic)
- Communist propaganda & Cold War museums in Warsaw, Gdańsk, and Prague
- Personal investing: gold, silver, real estate, and classic car
- London School of Economics and Bain & Company in Warsaw
- Work-life balance and rejection of extreme workaholic culture
- Joy from faith conversations, church life in Prague, and dating challenges
- Czech concerns: Russia, Ukraine war, and immigration/identity issues
- Investment outlook: gold, silver, AI technology
- Importance of WWII and Cold War lessons for today
- Advice to young men: long-term thinking & relationship with Jesus
- Rise in church attendance after Charlie Kirk’s death
- Dangers of labels in society and faith
- Lack of Austrian economics at LSE, dominance of Keynesian thought
- Oxford controversy over Charlie Kirk remarks
- Forgiveness, Erica Kirk’s speech, and strength in faith
Books mentioned:
- More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell
- Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler
- Tripped by Norman Ohler
Connect with Benjie:
- Email: ben.j.rutledge@gmail.com
Listen here:
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