Chris Ayoub Talks 'The Religion Business': Faith, Power and the Financial Cost of Belief - Interview

To begin, I am a deeply religious man, who's family has been Christian since the first century. Acts 11:26 (KJV) states: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Which is exactly where my Christian roots begin. My paternal side of the family were ministered to by St. Thomas the Apostle, while my maternal side came to Christ via Sts. Peter and Paul the Apostles. My current parish has an icon of St. Ignatius I, appointed by St. Peter as the first bishop of Antioch on the iconostasis as well as our current beatitude, Patriarch John X. So when I see Christianity in the West go from worshipping the Holy Trinity to worshipping the dollar bill, my ire is raised.

Most people have no idea that in the United States tent revivals, political debates, and professional wrestling were all born on the same stage: the American carnival circuit. It was a traveling theater of conviction, chaos, and charisma. In a single afternoon, you could find Jesus, pick your candidate for Senate, and watch the heel get his comeuppance. The lines between sermon, sideshow, and spectacle have always been blurry and they still are, one one wears a suit while the other trunks. All three using the same emotional manipulation tactics.

I have no love for megachurches or prosperity preaching. Thankfully, the new seven-part docuseries, 'The Religion Business' is about peeling back the shiny veneer to expose what’s underneath and asking the uncomfortable questions no one wants to answer. Taking a deep dive into the institutions that claim to serve a community of believers but often serve personal interests.

To dig into the mission of 'The Religion Business', so I spoke with my also half-Lebanese brother, Chris Ayoub, co-creator of the series. His last name comes from the Arabic translation of “Job”, as in the prophet Job, a name steeped in suffering, perseverance, and faith. Traditionally, a surname that belongs Orthodox and Catholics in the Middle East, I had to ask: how he ended up Protestant? His story, like this project, defies easy labels.

Ayoub is not your average executive. He’s a father of four. A former officer in both the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. His name’s engraved on a ceremonial sword in the Pentagon as Air Force Cadet of the Year. He was selected as the #1 peer-rated officer at U.S. Special Operations Forces Civil Affairs Selection and Assessment. His leadership has turned startups into success stories, spearheaded 20 M&A deals, and earned five Inc. 5000 rankings. He’s a 40 Under 40 honoree. A combat sports athlete. A disruptor in boardrooms and battlefields alike.

Ayoub and his creative partner, Nathan Apffel are not here to throw stones from the sidelines. They are here to put to work what God gave them, the strength to help rebuild what’s broken. 'The Religion Business' is building the tools that churches and nonprofits need to get back to their actual purpose: helping people, not hoarding power.

Western society is at a crossroads. Institutions that once shaped the world whether Religion, Government, Education, Pharma, etc., are now bloated, brittle, and colliding with the demands of a modern age. The legal and operational frameworks that held them up for centuries? Outdated. Ineffective. Often weaponized. Reform isn’t optional; it’s overdue.

Their first target: the nonprofit sector. Specifically, religious nonprofits. They’re mapping the dysfunction, tracing the money, and building tech-driven, community-first solutions that demand transparency and deliver real impact.

Ayoub brings two decades of battle-tested leadership in both military and entrepreneurial arenas. Apffel has spent his life pushing people to question, to think, to engage. They’re both fathers driven by the simple, fierce desire to leave their kids a better world. They’re not here to tweak the system. They’re here to knock it over and rebuild it right.

No smoke. No mirrors. Just light as 1 John 1:5 (KJV) states: This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.

'The Religion Business' is bold: expose the rot, educate the people, and build tools that turn accountability into action. No more empty sermons. No more nonprofit theater.

For more information about 'The Religion Business' visit their official website at: https://www.thereligionbusiness.com/.

Follow 'The Religion Business' on X at https://x.com/religionbiz

Instagram https://instgram.com/religionbusiness

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkynle-j4cDBB-5_bAp81mQ

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