The Eric Metaxas Show - Pastor Che Ahn on Running for Governor of California (Encore)

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

Pastor Che Ahn shares how he believes God called him to run for Governor of California.

Welcome to the Eric Mattaxas show. Do you like your gravy thick and rich and loaded with creamy mushrooms? If no one was looking, would you chug the whole gravy boat? Chug, chug, chug, chug, chug, chug. Stay tuned. Here comes Mr. Chugg-a-lug-lug himself, Eric Mataxon. Leave my niggle. I don't remember too much about it, but I remember loving it.

It's one of those great stories that I think, man, this is... Profoundly redemptive? transcendent message, and it helps to bring him out of the gloom. And with Lewis's encouragement as well, he gets on with his story. So I'm taking it through at certain points, almost month by month, what is going on as they're saying various things, as they're meeting, a journal entry here, a journal entry there. I'll give you another example, if you don't mind. 1941 December. J.R. or Tolkien would write these Christmas letters, Father Christmas letters. probably seen the collection perhaps of the book of them

when his kids weren't really small, but he kept doing them. Father Christmas, these letters would arrive in the mail, illustrated by Tolkien. Whimsical, you know, fun, funny, the polar bear adventures with Father Christmas. Well, you know what, he's writing in 1941? Can I read you a few lines?

Please. From December? Could I just do that? Yeah, I think I'll find it pretty quickly here. Yeah, here it is. To his daughter, Priscilla, December of 1941. We've just entered the war, but we're not ready, you know, the Americans, and all of Europe is a Nazi hands, and Britain is hanging by a thread. This is what Father Christmas writes to Priscilla. I expect you remember that some years ago we had trouble with the

goblins, and we thought we had settled it. Well, it broke out again this autumn, worse than it's been for centuries. So terribly many people have lost their homes or have left them. Half the world seems in the wrong place. This is Father Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas kids. Half the world's in the wrong place. He's talking about life as it is. Father Christmas cannot avoid the reality of the horror of what's going on. And I think somebody needed to kind of write a book that helped us to understand what these men are enduring, what they're going through as they're carrying on with their great vocations as Christian authors and scholars.

So I took a stab at it. Part of what's interesting, when you mentioned Hitler writing the first part, of Mind Kampf in 1925. Yes. What's interesting is that all of Europe, the United States, not quite so much, but Europe, Western Europe is in despair, there's cynicism, economic agony. And it's interesting how Hitler provides huge hope for millions, which we just happen to know, ends up not working out.

so well. But it's so interesting how people are looking for something. And then that's, of course, the question. Is what you take as the answer, good or evil? Is it in New York right now, a lot of people are struggling and essentially a communist with a big smile may win the mayoralty of this? And it's a very similar thing. You know, you promise hope and change, and you smile. Yes. And people say, well, hey, well, you know, where does it go? And, of course, we know that there's nothing new here, that there were charismatic figures in the past.

And the question is, you know, we don't want to condemn being charismatic. Sure. We don't want to condemn populism. We don't want to, what we want is to know, is it the good kind or the other kind? That's right. That's right. And what centers us? What is our moral center as part of the question?

I mean, it was Muzolini, as you well know, who first introduced fascism into the European bloodstream, 1922. My grandfather got out of Italy in 1921. He was 17 years old. Nice timing. Grandpa Ielo. That's the Iiello side of the family. Great timing left Italy and never really looked back. So what was Muzolini promising to the Italian people who were on the winning side of the war but still devastated?

Italian has lost half a million people. Half a million people they lost in the First World War, but not much to show for it. So there was a sense of also gloom. disillusionment with the Italians. Here comes Mussolini, right? You know, regain Italian glory and honor and all the rest of it. So what's the moral grounding of the charismatic leader in the case of a Hitler, of a Mussolini, of a Stalin? And this is totalitarianism. And what are they all promising? Eric, they're promising a kind of utopian society.

Every aspiration will be met in us in the state. In the state. we will be the fulfillment of your deepest longings and aspirations. You will be absorbed, you will serve the state, but you will also find your own even spiritual fulfillment in the state. Incredible. Now, what's interesting, of course, to us as Americans is that Americans ought to be inoculated against that.

Yes. Because we have a history where we know that fulfillment in the state not going to work. I mean, it's an amazing thing that 250 years ago we understood this and we formulated this and it does come out of

the Christian tradition that's not debatable it's fascinating to me that so we in America that the siren song that many in Europe because Europe was already post-Christian enough

not maybe to see where this could go yeah I think that's right I think that's right I think there was a, the forces of secularization had worked pretty deeply into many, many layers of European society. And the Christian churches, you could argue, had become innocuous, had become, not anachial, they'd become ineffective, anemic. They couldn't stand up against the world. They just didn't have the, the wherewithal, the moral, spiritual wherewithal to stand up against the world. They were accommodating. And, of course, they also had a relationship with their own state governments, unlike the United States.

Right? State religions. You wrote a book about Churchill and the, I don't remember the title of that book that you wrote, about the theologically liberal pastors in Europe, their inability to stand. The End of Illusions, yeah. The Illusions, yeah. The Illusions, who just couldn't see what was happening, wouldn't see what was happening. Well, say a little bit about that because it's fascinating to me, you know,

when people say something as Christian, you know, you want to know. at least I do, is it really, or does it just claim to be? And they, the liberal theologians that you write about in the end of illusions, they failed in the way that Tolkien and Lewis succeeded. Yes. They didn't take their faith to the bottom. It was a kind of a, they hadn't, it seems to me, worked out their faith in the way that it needs to be worked out to confront,

Yes, yes. And they had a biblical anthropology, if we could use a $25 word. They had a view of the human person that was rooted in Genesis. Man made in the image of God, bearing incredible dignity, but deeply fallen. And yes, there's the memory of Eden, but it's a memory. So we have the aspirations for Eden, aspirations for heaven, but were cut off from the source of life. And both men believe that deeply. I mean, Tolkien says explicitly in some of his letters, my story is about the fall. All great stories are about the fall. He just says it, the Lord of the Rings. Lewis says it throughout his works.

In the screw tape letters, there's a place where he says one of his installments, excuse me, that's screwth lives, in mere Christianity, in the broadcasts. One of the installments is called The Invasion. The Invasion. And then he takes the example of the Second World War, and he uses it as a metaphor for the spiritual invasion.

And he says, we live in rebel occupied territory. Rebel meaning the devil. We are occupied by the dark forces. We need to be part of the resistance, he says. This is a broadcast over the BBC in 1941, 42, right? We are living in occupied territory. We need to be part of the resistance. So they were acutely aware of the spiritual dimension to life,

which I think these other, the liberal theologians, not so much. Not so much, right. Well, it's interesting because this is something that's come to interest me, particularly in recent years. You know, when someone says, I'm a Christian, at this point,

I've come to the conclusion that I know that that means absolutely nothing, absolutely nothing, because these are just words, you know. And Lewis and Tolkien they were the real thing. And I think that their ability to produce these epic works, these great works, that have lasted as though they have it,

it really proves it in a way. Yes, yes. Yes, I think their works will last as long as the English language lasts. They're so beautifully written. They're so powerful. They're so imbued with moral purpose and dignity, moral beauty. There's nothing like them, I think. Welcome back.

If you've listened to this program for some time, you know that I have become friends with a lot of absolutely heroic, patriotic pastors in California. California under Gavin Newsom really suffered the most. And so we have the most heroic pastors who stood against the lunacy of the authoritarian. and Gavin Newsom, Governor Newsom, and I've had all those pastors on this program, John MacArthur, Rob McCoy, Jack Hibbs, Mike McClure, and others. And of course, in that list is Cheon. Pastor Cheon, who is in Pasadena, I've spoken in his church, has decided recently, and this was such music to my ears, he's decided recently this pastor

to run for governor in California. And I just thought, wouldn't it be amazing to get him on the program to talk to him about everything? And here he is. Pastor Cheon, welcome back. Love to see you. Well, thank you, Eric. What an honor to be with you.

And you are one of my heroes. I mean that. And so thank you so much. Love you. Love your program. But I want to just go on the record. say that I didn't decide I felt called. I felt prophetically, God woke me up at 222 in the morning on April the 28th, and the presence of God came upon me. And I didn't hear a voice. I didn't have a

dream. But the presence of God, I knew I was called to run for governor. And my reaction was, God, please, not this. I'll do anything for you, but not run for governor. Please. I wrestled with the Lord for two hours. And then I finally said, okay, Lord, if you want me to go, I'm going to throw out a crazy fleece. I wish I could just obey you just by the impression you're giving me. But I am weak. I need a confirmation. And so I said, let President Trump invite me to the White House.

And if he invites me and if I get an invitation, because I've met President Trump twice in 2024. and personally in a small group setting. And then when we were in Atlanta, Charlie Kirk invited me to come to Atlanta with around 300 pastors to meet President Trump. But unfortunately, the room that they reserved was too small, so they reduced it to 80. And I made the cut. I made the cut to 80.

And so I was looking forward to meeting him. But I had no idea I was going to be asked to pray for him. So I met him, October the 23rd and 2024. And so I said, Lord, I would love to meet him again. But this time, I would like to be invited to the White House. I went to our early morning prayer meeting at 530. And when I returned, there was an email from the White House, from President Trump, invited me to the Rose Garden for the National Day of Prayer.

And so three days after having this call, I'm right there as he signed the executive. You were there, Eric, for the executive. order. I believe you were there. No, no, I was not there. I'm on, I'm on the Religious Liberty Commission, and I was invited to be there, and I was so excited. But this happened to me two or three times in months previous that I was invited to the White House, and I could not go. I had a previous engagement that's impossible to get out of. And so I was very upset, you know, that I couldn't be there. But listen, you know and I know, the Lord wants us to be in one. one place at one time and he will work out the details. And so no, I was not there for that,

but of course I was aware of this momentous occasion. And what you're saying, Pastor Che, just so people who are listening are clear, people who listen to this program know that I believe God speaks to us. And now, just because God speaks to us doesn't mean that there aren't plenty people who imagine it, who make it up, who try to, you know, put their own fleshly spin on it to make it sound spiritual. I would never have somebody on this program who would do that. So my friend Ken Fish and so many others who talk about this, this is really serious, folks, that God does speak to us. And we have to have real trepidation and caution. You want to know, is this really God? And what exactly is God saying? And so when you, Che, say this,

I know you as a person, as a man, a man of God. And it's a big deal when you say this kind of stuff. you don't make this up. And then for you to say that you put out a fleece, which, you know, many Christians are familiar with that concept. You say, God, I, I need you to confirm this for me, because this is tough. This is heavy what you're saying. Can you can you somehow miraculously confirm this for me? So you just said, you asked, I needed an invitation of the White House. If you do that, then on, you know, even that coming up with that, the Holy Spirit's involved in that, you know, kind of leading your thoughts that way. But then boom, it happens, which is, you know, at least very interesting for people who are listening right now.

Well, I think we have to look to the Bible, and John 1027 says, My sheep hear, my voice. I know them, and they follow me. God is a speaking God. He spoke to all the people in the Bible at different times by different means. It's not always a small still voice. It could be through a dream. It could be through other prophets who will speak on behalf of God.

So God speaks in many different ways. There was a great book called The Windows of the Soul by Ken Geyer, and he talks about how God will speak to even as you're watching TV or have seen a movie, something in the movie would jump out and confirm something. And what I do, the test to know this is of the Lord, number one, is it based on the Word of God. It's biblical. If it's contrary to the Word of God, there was the pizza you had the night before, and it's not of the Lord. Number two, you have to have Godly counsel. And so the first thing I did was I share with my wife, and she immediately said, this is a fulfillment of why we came to California in 1984 because God gave me a dream to come to California for revival and reformation. And now we're starting to see it with President Trump.

We're seeing it with Charlie Kirk. And this is all part of the move of the Holy Spirit to bring about revival and reformation in America. Look, we can't have the golden age, as President Trump said, we're in the golden age without seeing the golden state being impacted. And this is the most extreme. It's like a Marxist foreign country, a one-party state. And we have to see revival in California because this is the largest economy, $4.1 trillion GDP. Just Silicon Valley alone, when you think of Facebook, when you think of Google, Amazon, It is, we're talking about three trillion coming out of Silicon Valley as far as GDP.

And then when you talk about Hollywood, when you talk about, and this is really evil, we have more oil in one county, current county than all of Texas. But because of our woke extreme green policy, everything's been shut down. And we have to import 80% of gasoline, causing the most expensive gas, most expensive taxes, expensive electricity and 1.5 million people have moved under nuisance watch out of the state because it's so expensive. And so in the midst of all the prosperity, we are now at 35% poverty level. Think about it, Eric. 35% of California are living in poverty. And to me, this is absolutely injustice. It's unrighteousness. It's evil. And when God called me, I was thinking,

Lord, I'm not qualified. I have no background in politics. I've been a pastor for 46 years. I love what I do. I lead a network of churches in 73 nations with thousands of leaders I work with, and I love our church. And yet, I also love the state. And I felt like the Lord say that what it's going to take is not business as usual, having another politician run. This is a spiritual battle. We don't wrestle against flage. flesh and blood. Ephesians 612, but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual weakness in the heavenly places. This is a spiritual battle. And what we need is we need a historic revival and transformation or reformation to turn this state around. And I've been a revivalist and a reformer since I got saved in 1973 through the Jesus revival, Jesus people movement.

And it made sense to me, okay, I understand why you're calling me, not that I want to do it, because I know the left is going to attack my family. I know because I sued Governor Newsom in 2020 and the vitriol from the media, the absolutely cancel culture. NBC today called me a pastor that's killing his own church member, a selfish pastor.

So the attack on me personally, which was all fake news, was all lies because, you know, I'm opening up because not only does the word say, do not forsake, the Assembly of the Saints, which is the gathering of the saints as we see the day drawn near. You know, that's in Hebrews 1025. But I knew I had to open up because people are discouraged.

They're fighting anxiety. They're fighting all sorts of depression. And for me not to come where the church, I think, is the most essential in society to me would be evil. I just want to say, before we go to the break here, folks, do you understand who I'm talking to? This is Pastor Cheyahn who sued Governor Newsom. In other words, you know, you hear about churches, oh, they do the right thing. They open their doors. They do that.

That's phenomenal. But to go the next step and to say, we're going to sue the governor because what the governor is doing is totally out of line. We're doing this on behalf of everybody in the state of California. This is a glorious thing to have leaders like that. We will continue with Pastor Cheyhan, who's running for governor of California. praise the Lord, we'll be right back. I'm talking to Pastor Che on. It's spelled A-H-N.

And Pastor Chee, I've spoken into your church. We've seen each other many times. You've been on this program in the past telling your story of coming to faith, which is a beautiful story. We need to get that back up on YouTube so people can hear that part of your story. But I think, you know, when somebody says there are a lot of people, and you know this, who are listening, who are maybe not Christians, or there are certain kind of Christians, when they hear somebody say,

God woke me up and made an impression on my heart that I need to run for governor, that's not a language they speak. They're like, what is that? I don't get that. And ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you, I do get that. I do get that. And I think it's important that we all at least try to get it that God speaks to us. Now, just as much as we need to be cautious, because they get a lot of people who are going to

claim things like that, nonetheless, there is the real thing. and I can give you examples in my own life where similar things happened to me. And I think it's, again, proper to be skeptical to say, is that really, really God? And so, Che, when you say that, you know, again, there's some people like, what? That's like a religious nut. What is he talking about? But if God speaks to you, you know you'd be a fool not to take it seriously. So you are taking it seriously.

You're going to run for governor. What does this look like? I mean, this is a monster assignment from God. And whatever comes out of it, whether you win or don't win, because God didn't promise you you would win, but he said, I want you to run. To be obedient to that is just a tremendous thing. How do you go about this at this point?

I mean, from here on in, I mean, here we are still in September. How do you go about launching this? No, that's a great question. and I think God has prepared me as far as my relationship with Jesus Christ. It's Matthew 633, seeking first his kingdom and its righteousness, then all these things will be added unto us. Of course, that's in the context of finances, but I think it's a verse for life,

that when you put Jesus first and you want to do what is on his heart, what his will is to walk in the ways of God, this is very, very important. and then righteousness is really doing what's right, doing God's will now fulfilling that, doing what his will is. So each day I seek God, and of course we plan, we have speaking engagements, we have barbecues coming up, we have all sorts of events where I'm going to be with the other candidates, and there'll be a debate form. It's not really a debate form in California. They just give you an opportunity to talk, but you don't really talk to each other.

you don't call each other out. We just share your policy, but you're together at an event. But each one of those things, I have this verse that is real in my life, John 15, verse 5, I'm divine, you're my branches, he abides in me, will bear much fruit. And this is the key part of the verse. Apart from me, you can do nothing. I can't do a single thing, Eric, apart from God's grace. and so my approach is that everything I do, I am in prayer.

That's what it means to pray without ceasing in 1st Thessalonies 517. I am constantly praying and say, God, I need your grace as I go into this situation. Even as I'm on your show, I'm saying, oh, God, I need your grace. I have no idea what I'm going to be saying. I know I'm in general, but I want you to speak through me. and bless Eric as he introduces me, and I'm praying constantly like that. And so on a macro level, that's how I am approaching the campaign. Now, on a practical, there's certain things you just have to do.

I have to do fundraising. I have to use media to get on. And so that's why I thank you for having me on, because I don't have much time. I'm the last person to announce running. It was in August that, so we're just talking about two months ago. And for me to make that announcement and to hit the road running, I was so far beyond other candidates. But by God's grace, according to the invitations I'm getting, I'm now in the top three. The people that are being invited to speak at certain events now as Sheriff Bianco was a fine man.

I met him several times. I like him. Who is that? I'm not in California. So who is Sheriff from Riverside County? He is a Christian, and he has a very strong law and order platform. And yet, you know, he's been in the government. He's a politician.

He's been in the government for many years, which you have to run to be a sheriff here in California, and he's won that position for over 20 years. The other person is Steve Hilton, who's a radio and television personality. He's been on Fox. He's on Fox and friends all the time, so he's visible. He's a businessman. He's an Oxford graduate. He has a pedigree. And I like him. I really do like him. I've met him. He's just, all these people really love California. They won what's best for California. But what I feel is that they're typical of all the politicians who have run in the past before. And none of them are a pastor number one. You know, and I'm a pastor. It's like President Trump, you know, had no back.

around in politics. It came out of nowhere, and God used him as Osiris to bring about reform in America, and what a transformation we've had since it's been in office, especially the second term. And I feel that's what's happening with me is that God's calling someone who has absolutely no experience in politics, but we don't need another politician. We need someone who's a father for California. We are living in an orphan state. And, you know, it's interesting 12 years ago. people started to call me Papa Che all around the world. And I hated that because it made me sound old. And then God corrected me, well, you're a father and a grandfather. Today I have 10 grandchildren. And it's wonderful. I have four adult children. We're not a perfect family, but two of them are

pastors like my dad was a pastor. And my grandkids are coming to know Jesus Christ one by one. It's so thrilling to see three generations of Christians in my house. I'm going to a break, folks. I'm talking to a break. Pastor Cheon, who's running for governor in California, don't go away. Welcome back, folks. We're talking to Che on, C-H-E, his last name, A-H-N, Pastor Che-on, who is a friend, and I'm so excited he's running for governor in California. And, you know, Pastor Chee, I want to be clear with my audience, because this is the,

I talk about this a lot. We have to re-educate ourselves on what's what. We really drifted away so that most Americans don't understand how, are government supposed to work? What our founding documents say? What our traditions are of the founding era? And one of these things is you talked about, you know, who's running? This sheriff is a politician. And I thought we have to be clear. I want to be clear with my audience. We're not supposed to have politicians, folks. Do you understand that George Washington was not a politician? This idea that we of this political class. We're supposed to have people who know how to do whatever, run a business,

run a church network, people who know the way things work. And then they say, I'm going to go and I'm going to offer myself to represent the people. But we don't want a professional class. Joe Biden is the classic example of somebody who for 50 plus years. Think about this is a professional politician. Obama, a professional politician. They don't know anything else. They don't know how to actually do things. They have been working in the bizarre world of politics and government, and it has become, they become political hacks.

They become corrupt. They become part of a system. We're not supposed to have that system. We're supposed to have people who go against that system, people who want to break that system and say, no, we need to get back to citizens. who say, I would like to represent other citizens. And so Pastor Shea, you're talking about Donald Trump.

It's the exact same thing. What makes him wonderful, and I think what makes your candidacy wonderful, is the fact that you haven't been in politics. You've been observing it. You love your country, but you've been actually doing other things. You know how normal people function. You know how to speak to people. And that, I think the political class in this country is dying.

and we need to get away from this political class, and we need to get back to the kind of leaders that we used to have, people who they're not professional politicians. They choose to step in and to represent the people, but it's because of skills they've gotten outside of Washington, outside of Sacramento. So I'm just so grateful to you for being willing to do this. I want to go back to, you know, you said when God impressed it upon you,

I know obviously you must have thought about this before, but what was it? What did that feel like when you say God is impressing this upon you? Is it what we call a Rima word or was it just an impression, a deep sense? Because, you know, many people maybe haven't experienced that. Well, it was a deep sense. It was not a Rima word. I wish he had given me a Rima word. In fact, I complained to the Lord right away.

I said, God, something big like this, why don't you just speak audibly? You could do that. why don't you appear to me personally? Why don't you write on the wall with your fingers and say, you are to run for governor? Because this is so monumental in my life, again, is just talking about laying down everything I love to serve the people of California. But the Lord rebuked me, again, this was now in the small, still voice.

He said, don't you know me well enough that, and aren't you willing to just obey me if I just give you an impression? do you really need something with signs and wonders that would convince you that's me? I want you to walk in a way where you obey me with the slightest impression. Of course, knowing that I'm going to look at the word, I'm going to get golly counsel, I'm going to see if the door opens up, if I'm going to have the right staff, and God starts to put everything together confirming again that this is of the Lord. Let me get back to the thing that I really wanted to share.

I believe the reason why God called someone like me, and it's just like our founding fathers, I have a biblical worldview. What we need in California is not policies that are just woke. What we need is foundationally to return to the values that this nation was founded on. And the valley specifically, I want to enumerate, is found in Psalm 89, verse 14, that heaven's throne. God has a government in heaven, is the kingdom of God, is righteousness, and biblical justice, love and truth, proceed from his presence or his face. Psalm 89, verse 14. Now, this is important because what we're saying is not biblical justice, but social justice.

We're seeing transgender ideology being shoved down our kids' throats here in California, that parents have no rights. So both, there's no righteousness as far as doing what's right with parental rights given to parents, but we are saying just the opposite. We're seeing unrighteousness. We're seeing injustice. The number one injustice is abortion, still today globally. And we passed in 2023 Proposition 1, codifying abortion into our state constitution.

Think about this area. As soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned with the Dopp's decision on June 24, 2022. Newsom gets up, and he passes a proposition that became law in 2020 to be a sanctuary state for abortion, that this means that people from other states, red states, and he put billboards, advertising, abortion is still legal in California, and given them the 800 number, and then at the end, he gave a scripture, love your neighbor as yourself. That is satanic. Unless your neighbor is the unborn child in the womb, and then you murder.

I mean, look, it is satanic. It is absolutely satanic. forgive me for interrupting, but it is so wicked. And that's why when I hear that there are Christians that are not registered to vote and don't vote, folks, if you know anybody like that, tell them shame on you, shame on you, because evil is being done because of your misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches about our engagement as citizens. So Pastor Chey, keep going, sorry.

And so what we need is we need compassionate justice, and that's what I'm running on. And so I'm running on what the word of God teaches us how a good government should be. There has to be biblical justice. And I hate to even use an adjective before justice because in the Bible is just justice. But we've misused that word by saying social justice, LGBTQ plus justice. And so there has to be biblical justice, righteousness, but truth. There's nothing but lies coming from Sacramento. And, you know, just to give you the whole energy situation, we have an extreme environmental with the Sierra Club, with the Sequam, which is California Environmental Quality Act that we pass, that we cannot do anything without their permission.

We can develop homes, develop neighborhoods with the infrastructure, to build house. As a result of it, when we need hundreds of thousands of new homes to meet the needs, we only do around 87. thousand homes a year and the high we have now the average house cost nine hundred fifty thousand dollars in california it is it is injustice towards the point oh that's crazy we'll be right back folks i'm talking to pastor cheon running for governor in california welcome back i'm talking to pastor cheon running for governor in california i am so excited about this uh pastor chae what is there a website where people can find you yeah it's really simple cha c h number four c a c a chay chay four c a chay four c a chay four California.com. So cha C-C-H-E, number four, C-A-C-A-C-C-A-C-C-A-C-C-A-C-C-A-C-4.C-A-4-C-A-4-C-A-4-C-A-4-C-A-4-C-4-C-C-4-C-C-4-C-C-4-C-C-4-C-C-F-C-C-C-F-C-C-C-E. It is exciting to me that you're running and that you're injecting biblical ideas into

the conversation because really that's what we're supposed to do. I've talked about this endlessly in my book letter to the American Church. We're supposed to bring our faith into the culture, into government, into schools. And some people say, oh, that's, you know, Christian nationalism. They come up with all these terms. It's like, it's called living out my faith. Because I'm a Christian, I'm against slavery. So I'm going to advocate for the abolition of the slave trade like William Wilberforce did and like so many Christians did. If I'm a Christian, I'm going to advocate. I'm going to advocate for civil rights. I'm going to advocate against Jim Crow. This is what Christians do, and I've written about these Christians, whether it's Jackie Robinson or Rosa Parks or William

Wilberforce, Christians living out their faith blesses the culture and the nation in which they live. This is what we're supposed to do, folks. Don't be confused by this. This is not imposing anything. This is living out our beautiful faith to bless other people. That's what this is. And people who don't understand that, don't understand it. I think about this, Eric, I'm not even born here. I came as an immigrant from South Korea, and can I add a legal immigrant at the age of five became a citizen. And I love this country.

I preached in 94 nations, which is not a hyperbole because we're in 73 nation. And every time I come back to this country, it is the best country in the world. It gave my parents an opportunity to prosper. My dad was a pastor, but they were business people. They owned a restaurant. They owned a dental lab. And they bought houses in the nation's capital. They became very wealthy. And they imparted that to me. I am a businessman. I have my own business that started in 2015 as a pastor. And I make more money with my business. And that's what I'm using to finance my campaign. And so I need support, though. I ask people to pray for me, number one. But go to my website and support me financially and volunteer. Because we're we need to get, as you said, all these evangelicals who are not even registered. Think about it. We have more evangelicals than any other state except for Texas.

Six million of them are not even registered to vote. If we have a shame on those pastors. We would have a red state. Sacramento would be red. We would be able to be so in line with President Trump, and we would truly be part of the golden age. But unfortunately, the church has. really missed it. They missed the mark. They have sin. They're not stewarding their citizenship.

I am so grateful to be a citizen. But I think it's taken an immigrant like me to run, to wake up California, because 51% of California is people of color. And people have told me, we don't need another white male governor because there's no one of color that's ever been governor of California. So I would be the first one, and it would be a Korean governor when I'm elected. Well, listen, this is all beautiful. We're going to have you back because there's a lot more to talk about, but I wanted at least to start. So, folks, this is important. You can tell how I feel about Pastor Che and doing this.

So please go to his website. It's C-H-E-C-E-C-A, the number four, and CA for California. So, cha4C-C-A.com. And, folks, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. We'll put this up on our YouTube channel. It's just Eric Metaxus. Please subscribe. We want to get the word out.

We are in a war, a spiritual war, that's manifested in all kinds of ways, politically and otherwise. And God has called us to get in the fight for his glory, in his strength. Pastor Chey, thanks so much. Thank you, Eric, for having me. Love you, man. Bless you. Love you, too.