Episode 379 - Gospel Patrons: The Secret Behind Every Great Movement of God | John Rinehart

**John Rinehart** (0:00)
In more modern history, the most successful evangelistic tool in the history of the world is this thing called the Jesus film. And it was a huge price tag to create that film back then. And they were having a really difficult time raising money to actually do it. And in this very small fundraising venue, it was like five people in the room, and the producers are pitching the vision for it. There was a couple sitting in the back, Bunker and Caroline Hunt, very Texan. Bunker leans over to his wife Caroline and says, What do you think if we help those old boys get that film made? Caroline said, Bunker, I think that would just be wonderful.
They made a commitment for five million dollars. What's interesting is the next year, they went bankrupt.
And in talking with Bunker and Caroline Hunt, how did you process that? Would you wish you would have saved that five million dollars to secure yourself or make this easier? They said it was the best five million dollars they ever spent. The best investment they've ever made. That was their language.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:00)
Bold visionaries, faithful disruptors.
Some call them crazy, but they are called to create. Under his power, for his glory. The Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast.

**Justin Forman** (1:12)
Welcome back to the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast. You know, when we look at the roots of this movement, and we talk about where it all starts, we really think it starts with this message of generosity.
And this is not a message that's just started as of recent. It really goes back to the very beginnings of our faith. Of what does it look like to model generosity in the early church? And what we've seen over the years is so many of the great movements of God have had a gospel patron, somebody behind it, partnering with ministry leaders, partnering with business leaders, to say what does it look like to come together to do more together than we might otherwise do apart? And John Rinehart has documented these stories, brought these all together in different books and videos and stories. And so we get to unpack that message today to find the DNA of the movement, to find how this traces back to some of the very early days of the church and the early days of this Faith Driven Entrepreneurship movement. So let's get started with today's episode.
John, this is long overdue, man. This conversation probably should have happened somewhere much earlier. In many ways it has. I know you've shared some of Henry's journey and Henry's story and patron and what that looks like. But man, it's great to be together.

**John Rinehart** (2:24)
Yeah, thank you so much.

**Justin Forman** (2:25)
So there's something that's happening in this moment, like that feels like that is taking place where I think maybe people are scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of like what the world has to offer in terms of wealth. And it feels like we're in this moment where maybe wealth is kind of being redefined.
How would you say kind of like what's happening kind of in this moment? Are people people giving this a second look?

**John Rinehart** (2:50)
Yeah, I think that in the US at least we are in the third generation of a generosity movement. I think most of the world is still in their first generation of a generosity movement. When we look back at the great authors, the great teachers, the great speakers who've come before us, I think we're standing on the shoulders of guys like Randy Alcorn, Ron Blue, Larry Burkett. People have been trying to think about a biblical view of wealth and finances for generations now. And we get to inherit that, we get to grow into that, and praise God that those guys have gone before us. In other parts of the world, places like India, where they're just coming up in wealth, and many people who really grew up with nothing are starting to have a significant amount of wealth for the first time, they're asking different questions than we're asking in the US. So what do we do with it? What's it for? And for many of them, it's just security, purchase, things that we couldn't purchase before, luxuries.
We've grown up watching maybe parents or grandparents get some of the things that we're supposed to fulfill and satisfy, work the corporate job for 40 years, get the retirement. And I think in a way get a little dissolution to go, I'm not sure I'm going to sign up for that same dream.

**Justin Forman** (3:58)
Yeah. You know, one of the things we talk a lot about is just this idea of like, I think church, we've kind of felt like there's like, you know, something happens, it happens by accident. We don't see the moves on the board from darkness. We don't see like the intent.