The story of how pyramid schemes came to effect 1 in 6 American households
Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a relatively new invention. It was created when a failed vitamin salesman named Carl Rehnborg was out of options. So his wife suggested that he attend a rally by Dale Carnegie, author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Once there, he formed a bond that created one of the most profitable predatory financial traps in modern history: multi-level marketing. One that found its legs… in the world of cemetery plots.
We’ve spent the last several weeks asking the question: “Is the United States an empire?” Now we want to go even deeper: “Is empire always a bad thing?”
So we invented a game that will explore that question. It’s Capture the Flag… with resources.
Topics discussed:
Is empire always a bad thing?
How can the US use resources to build alliances?
Is the US a Christian nation?
How should Christians treat resources?
The US has over 800 military bases. Would we want a foreign military base in or near our land?
Should Christian resist burglars?
Would we want a Chinese military base in the US?
How do we treat countries with less important resources?
The difficulty of being both a Christian and an American
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One murder changed the course of Christian history. And it wasn’t of a pope or church leader – it was the murder of Russia’s last czars, the Romanovs. This is the beginning of our series on how communist Russia shaped modern Christianity in America. Tsar Nicholas II made many crucial mistakes: allowing Rasputin into his life, ignoring workers, the Russo-Japanese War, and many others. How we dealt with these tragic errors led the country into the hands of the Bolsheviks.
Oh yeah, and we made stroganoff. The recipe is below.
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Our research was greatly aided by the following books:
Egg noodles (as many as necessary – we used half a bag)
1 lb ground beef
1 can mushrooms (small)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 diced onion
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup dairy-free sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Directions:
Brown ground beef in a skillet. A little extra beef is fine. Elk and deer meat work just as well, though you may want to add more seasoning if it is too “gamey”.
Put hot water on to boil for the noodles.
Drain the fat from the beef.
Add noodles to hot water.
When the meat is brown, add in garlic powder, pepper, mustard powder, onion, and mushrooms. Cook at about medium heat and stir.
When the onion has softened a little, add in the mayonnaise, sour cream, and beef broth. Let that simmer for about 15 minutes.
Drain noodles. Stroganoff is best served over a big heap of noodles. Put the beef mixture over the noodles and enjoy!
Questions we examine:
Why did communism take over Russia?
Who were the last tsars of Russia?
Who was Rasputin?
What was the Russo-Japanese War about?
Why did Lenin want to stay out of WWI?
Was Tsarina Alexandra crazy or just on a lot of drugs?
How did the downfall of the Russian tsars impact American Christianity?
